Thanks to the plethora of online streaming options, more and more people are “cutting the cord” each
year and saying goodbye to their paid cable TV subscriptions. For some, doing
this is partially an act of defiance. The cost of cable TV has been going up far faster than the
rate of inflation for some time, and cable companies are known for
having average to below customer service, which frustrates us to no end. As a
result, being able to say goodbye often feels as good if not better than
finally quitting a dead-end job or ending a toxic relationship.

However, for many others, the decision to switch is purely
financial. Paying more and more for cable has not lead to a significant
increase in value, and this has left many of us wondering what exactly we’re
paying for. Before now, though, there were no other options. But streaming has
changed that and given us an out. Yet nothing is for free. Streaming services
are businesses too, and to satisfy all your needs, you often need to subscribe
to several, which can cause your costs to skyrocket if you’re not careful.

Understandably, this confuses us, and given the hassle, we
often need to go through to change, this lack of clarity causes us not to act.
But to help you save money and get the most of your TV experience, we’ve
analyzed the various costs that are involved with each option so that you can
decide for yourself if it’s best to stick with your cable provider or finally
cut the cord and switch to something else.

Cable vs.
Streaming at a Glance

1. Cable
TV

Since cable is the incumbent, they have a distinct
advantage. Most of us stick with it because it’s what we have and we simply
can’t be bothered to change. But to find out if this approach is the right one
here’s a full breakdown of what’s good and what’s bad about cable.

Advantages
of Cable TV

Nowadays, cable TV has a pretty bad reputation, but it’s
not all terrible. Here are some of the main advantages to sticking with or
choosing cable over streaming services:

• Have everything in one place. There’s
  nothing easier than switching your television on and having immediate access to
  all the channels and shows you want. When streaming, you often need to switch
  between different platforms, which can be a challenge for some, especially
  those who have difficulty navigating evermore complicated television sets.
• Bundled packages. Cable TV allows you to
  have your phone, internet, and cable all in one place, which can be helpful
  when something goes wrong and you need some support. It may be difficult
  dealing with cable companies, but at least you only need to make one phone
  call.
• Cable-specific channels. Because of
  licensing agreements, there are still some channels that you can only get
  through paid cable TV. This includes some premium subscriptions as well as
  24-hour news networks, but local channels also have restrictions too. Some
  streaming services give you access to these, but not all, so this may be
  something you want to investigate before making your final decision.

Disadvantages
of Cable TV

Of course, cable TV has its disadvantages. That’s why so
many people are dropping it for something else. Here are some of the main ones
to consider:

• Rising costs. We all know that cable TV
  has gotten considerably more expensive over the years, and it’s difficult to
  find the added value we’re getting by paying more. In recent years, cable
  companies have come down a bit as they face competition, but as you’ll see,
  it’s still difficult to justify the high price of cable.
• Equipment rental. On top of your actual
  subscription, you also need to pay to rent equipment from the cable company,
  such as a cable box and digital converter. These are usually not too expensive
  (around $10/month), but this adds up quickly and can make your bill
  unmanageable.
• Contracts. Most cable companies require
  you to agree to a service contract, meaning you’re committed to your plan for a
  set period. Of course, you can still cancel anytime, but you may be subjected
  to an early termination fee. Also, cable companies frequently lock you into a
  long-term deal with a promotional rate, and when that period ends, the rate
  goes up. This is a strange practice because they are essentially punishing you
  for being a long-term customer, but it’s a tactic the cable companies have been
  using successfully for years.
• Advertisements. Although we pay a high
  price for cable, almost all channels still rely on advertising for revenue. The
  money you give to the cable company is just for access, and all these
  advertisements can quickly become annoying.

Average
Cost of Cable

The price of cable varies depending on the company you use
in your area. However, a vast majority of people subscribe to one of the
following three cable companies: Comcast, AT&T, and Charter.

To help you understand the true cost of cable TV, we’ve put together an overview of the different packages available from each. We’ve focused mainly on internet/TV bundles because the internet these days has become so essential that it’s difficult to imagine a reason why you would subscribe to TV without internet. Plus, it is often cheaper for you to bundle with one company than it is to try and mix and match services.

However, it’s important to note that the exact channel
packages available to you will depend on where you live and the promotions
being run at the time. But we shall do our best to give you a snapshot of your
options.

Comcast

As a full-service telecommunications company, Comcast,
under the brand Xfinity, offers cable TV and internet bundles. Here’s a summary
of what’s available:

• Standard Double Play
  • $69.99 month without taxes and equipment fees
    ($89.99 per month after one year)
  • Internet speeds of up to 150 Mbps
  • 125 channels including ESPN, Bravo, NBC Sports
    Network, TBS, etc.
  • 2-year service commitment
  • Total cost for two years is approximately $2,200
    (assuming approximately $10 per month extra for taxes and equipment fees)
• Preferred Double Play
  • $79.99 per month ($99.99 per month after one
    year)
  • Internet speeds up to 150 Mbps
  • 210 channels including NBA TV, NatGeo, Disney,
    and StarzEncore
  • 2-year service agreement
  • Total cost for two years is approximately $2,400
    (assuming approximately $10 per month extra for taxes and equipment fees)
• Select Double Play
  • $99.99 per month ($119.99 after one year)
  • Internet speeds up to 150 Mbps
  • 219 channels including Starz and Showtime
  • Netflix subscription included
  • 2-year service agreement
  • Total cost for two years is approximately $2,600
    (assuming approximately $10 per month extra for taxes and equipment fees)

AT&T

AT&T offers cable TV plans under its brand “U-Verse.”
Like Comcast, AT&T offers a few different bundles that combine internet
service and cable TV. Here’s a summary of these different plans:

Here’s a summary of the different U-Verse plans available:

• Internet + U-Family
  • $75 per month plus taxes and a $7.99 per month
    broadcast fee.
  • Internet speeds up to 100 Mbps
  • 190 channels (does not include ESPN, Fox Sports,
    and most cable news networks.
  • 12-month service agreement (prices may increase
    after this period ends)
  • Total cost over two years is approximately
    $2,200 (assuming approximately $10 per month extra for taxes and equipment
    fees)
  • For $94.99 per month (not including fees and
    rentals), you can add a digital home phone to this service.
• Internet+U300
  • $100 per month plus $7.99 per month broadcast
    fee
  • Internet speeds up to 100 Mbps
  • 495 channels including ESPN, Fox Sports, cable
    news, Starz, and Showtime
  • 12-month service agreement (prices may increase
    after this period ends)
  • Total cost for two years is approximately $2,800
    (assuming approximately $10 per month extra for taxes and equipment fees)

Charter

Charter’s cable TV service is called Spectrum, and like
its competitor, it offers several different bundles that provide a variety of
different channels. Here’s a summary of each:

• Double Play Select
  • $89.98 per month
  • Internet speeds up to 100 Mbps
  • 125 channels including ESPN, Fox Sports, and
    cable news
  • 12-month service agreement (prices subject to
    change after initial period)
  • Total cost for two years is approximately
    $2,400  (assuming approximately $10 per
    month extra for taxes and equipment fees)
• Double Play Silver
  • $119.97 per month
  • Internet speeds up to 100 Mbps
  • 175 channels including HBO and Showtime
  • 12-month service agreement (prices subject to
    change after initial period)
  • Total cost for two years is approximately
    $3,000  (assuming approximately $10 per
    month extra for taxes and equipment fees)
• Double Play Gold
  • 139.97/month
  • Internet speeds up to 100 Mbps
  • Up to 200 channels including HBO, Showtime,
    Starz, Encore, and NFL Redzone
  • 12-month service agreement (prices subject to
    change after initial period)
  • Total cost for two years is approximately
    $3,600  (assuming approximately $10 per
    month extra for taxes and equipment fees)

2.
Streaming

Streaming television is the best alternative to paid cable
TV. It’s a more flexible way of watching TV, and it also gets you away from
pesky cable companies. However, the big question is whether or not it’s
actually cheaper, and this depends heavily on which and how many subscriptions
you choose to purchase.

Advantages
of Streaming Services

If you’re not already familiar with the advantages of
streaming, here are some of the main reasons why so many people are choosing to
ditch cable and watch TV on the internet:

• Watch anywhere you want. So long as you
  have an internet connection, you can stream TV from pretty much anywhere you
  want. Most streaming services also have apps for your phones and tablets, which
  means you can access them while on-the-go as well. However, if you don’t have
  WiFi, be aware that streaming over cellular data can eat up your monthly
  allowance pretty quickly. But it’s still nice to have the option.
• Unlimited recordings. If you subscribe to
  streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu, there is no need to worry about
  recording space as the videos will be available to you whenever you want them.
  But if you use services such as YouTube TV or PlayStation Vue, you will have
  unlimited cloud storage space, meaning you can record your favorite TV shows
  and movies and keep them forever so that you can watch them whenever you want.
• No contracts. You can sign up for a
  service, use it for a few months, and then if you decide you don’t like it, you
  can cancel at any time. This is great for those who just want to try something
  out, but it’s also nice to know you always have the freedom to choose.
• Multiple accounts. Most streaming
  services allow you to have multiple accounts, which means you can share your
  subscription with friends and family to help spread out the costs. A popular
  thing to do is to get a group together and have each person sign up for a
  different service. Then, you can share login information so that each person
  has access to multiple streaming services.

Disadvantages
of Streaming Services

When fed up with cable, most people automatically assume
streaming services are better. However, there are a few drawbacks to having
only streaming services, such as:

• Requires an internet connection. To be
  able to stream, you must have an internet connection. In most cases, this isn’t
  a big deal, as nearly everyone has internet anyway. But this actually ends up
  inflating the costs of streaming services because you need to make sure you
  have a fast enough internet connection to be able to enjoy your subscription.
• No one-stop viewing. Each streaming service
  has a different set of licensing agreements, which means it’s quite possible
  there is not one service that has everything you want to watch. This means you
  may need to subscribe to multiple services to be able to get everything, which
  can become annoying and possibly even costly.
• Changing landscape. Because streaming is
  becoming the most desirable option for watching TV, more and more entertainment
  companies are coming out with their own streaming services. For example, Disney
  is set to launch its streaming product in Fall 2019. This means Disney programs
  available on other services will no longer be there. We can expect things like
  this to continue to happen as streaming grows in popularity, and this makes it
  difficult to rely on any single service to completely meet your needs.

Average Cost of Streaming Services

Understanding the costs of streaming services is slightly
more straightforward than cable, which is one of the reasons why people tend to
like it so much. You don’t need to deal (too much) with promotional prices
(sometimes there are free trial periods and rate increases are not unheard of),
and there are also no contracts or service commitments.

However, as mentioned before, each streaming service
offers a different combination of programming, which means you will need to do
some research before committing to one, or you may need to subscribe to more
than one.

Below we will outline the cost of each service as well as
a summary of its benefits and drawbacks.

High-Speed
Internet

However, before going into the cost of each service, to
truly understand their cost, it’s important to remember that you need a
high-speed internet connection to use these services.

“High-speed internet” is defined for our purposes as a
connection with at least 100 Mbps. You don’t need this much for streaming, but
since it’s common for households to have multiple devices streaming at once,
it’s a good idea to go with more than what you need.

Here is a summary of what this costs if you go with one of
the big three companies listed above. There are other options, but this will
give you an idea of what to expect in today’s market.

• Comcast – $49.99 per month plus modem rental
• AT&T – $44.99 per month plus modem rental
• Charter – $50 per month plus modem rental

Online TV

Within the world of streaming, there are two different
products. One serves as a replacement to cable in that it provides many of the
same channels and live TV, and the other provides on-demand video service. The
first part of our analysis will deal with TV replacement plans. Specifically
YouTube TV and PlayStation Vue.

YouTube TV

• Cost: $49.99 per month (there used to be
  multiple packages to choose from, but this is no longer the case.) This
  subscription includes local channels, cable news, live sports, and movies, and more.
  Premium channels such as Showtime and Starz and can be added for $7 and $9
  respectively.
• Benefits. Unlimited DVR space, no contracts,
  stream on multiple devices and with multiple accounts (up to six).
• Disadvantages. Local channels are blocked
  out in some areas and there’s no option to include HBO.

YouTube TV is clearly an adequate replacement for cable TV
in that it provides a great core of popular channels for half the price.
However, when you add in the price of your high-speed internet connection, it
actually ends up being similar to the cost of cable (approximately $100) a
month. However, you have the added benefit of no service contract.

If you can share the subscription with someone, then it
becomes considerably more affordable and introduces you to some exciting
savings.

PlayStation Vue

• Cost: $49.99 for a basic subscription,
  $54.99 to add sports, $64.99 to add movies, and $84.99 for premium channels.
  Compare the plans here.
• Benefits: Unlimited DVR space, no
  contracts, stream on multiple devices (up to five, more channel options (at a
  cost)
• Disadvantages: Slightly more expensive
  than YouTube TV, more restrictions on local channels, sports not included in a
  basic package.

On-Demand
Streaming

Understanding the costs associated with on-demand
streaming services is much easier than cable and cable replacements. Here’s a
quick summary of each one as well as what it’s best for:

Netflix

• Cost:
  • $8.99 per month for single-screen streaming and
    standard definition.
  • $12.99 for two-screens-at-once streaming and
    high definition (most popular)
  • $15.99 per month for 4K and HD streaming on up
    to four devices at once.

Netflix is such a popular choice because it has a large
library and because it has a large amount of quality, original programming. If
you were to buy just one streaming subscription, you’d be wise to get Netflix.

Hulu

• Cost:
• $5.99 with advertising
• $11.99 without commercials
• $12.99 for Hulu and Spotify

Hulu is slightly cheaper than Netflix, especially if you
can deal with advertising (but what’s the point of that). Its main advantage is
that it has a much larger selection of current TV programs, so it’s a great
option if you want to drop cable but keep up with your favorite network shows.
It also has some original programming, but it’s still slightly behind the
content currently being produced at Netflix.

Amazon Prime

• Cost – $12.99 per month

Amazon Prime has a rather large library along with some
original programming. However, it does not give you access to newer television
shows. But Amazon Prime Video is part of your Amazon Prime subscription, which
gives you access to free shipping and other Prime benefits, which makes this
subscription that much more valuable.

HBO Now

HBO has a great reputation for producing high-quality
television shows, ranging from The Sopranos and The Wire to Game of Thrones.
HBO Go is a “free” streaming service for those who already have a cable
subscription, but for those who don’t HBO Now allows you to access original HBO
programming for just $14.99 per month.

The Final
Verdict: What’s Cheaper?

The final cost of your television services will change
based on how many services you need/want. For example, if you want to subscribe
to cancel cable TV and skip a streaming replacement, but you need/want all the
on-demand subscriptions listed above, you will still end up spending about $100
a month for TV because you need an internet connection which costs about $50
per month. If you stream cable with YouTube TV or PlayStation Vue and have no
streaming services, it’s still about $100 per month.

The only way to escape this $100/month price tag is to
limit yourself to just one or two streaming services. For example, Netflix and an
internet connection would be about $65/month. Add Hulu and it’s only about $77.
This is a pretty good saving.

However, if you’re able to share the costs of these
streaming services with even just one friend, you can get all of them and an
internet connection for just $75 per month. And if you share a cable TV
replacement plan, you can get cable, internet, and on-demand for around $100 a
month, which is considerably more value than if you just paid for cable on your
own.

Furthermore, when you cut the cord and go for just
streaming, you escape long-term contracts and variable pricing, which is an
attractive prospect.

As a result, streaming ends up being a great choice, but
the savings aren’t as dramatic as we would like since we still need to pay for
an internet connection. So, in the end, you’ll have to do some research on your
own, and perhaps some bargaining with the cable companies, to come up with the
right combination of subscriptions that will get you what you want at a price
you can afford.

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