Been thinking about cutting the TV cable cord but worried about finding an alternative? I’ve got some good news for you.
There are now a lot of great ways to watch TV without cable, and they’re quite affordable. Trust me, my family and I have been on this journey for years, trying to ditch our $180 cable bill.
We love our screen time just like everyone else. In fact, the average American adult watches over five hours of TV daily! Over the years, we’ve enjoyed services like Netflix and Amazon for movies and popular series, but it isn’t quite the same as live TV. What happens when you want to watch a regular channel or local news?
The solution is streaming TV.
Streaming TV is a new kind of television programming offered over the Internet, not through traditional cable. Depending on the package, it usually includes most of the same channels you’re used to. The best part? You get live channels, not like Netflix or Hulu where you’re watching last season’s episodes. It’s real-time TV at a fraction of the cable cost.
When we switched, we went from paying $180 per month for TV and Internet to just $85 per month, saving us $1,140 a year!
There are several emerging options for live TV without a cable package. The most prominent ones I found are:
We chose DirectTV Now. For $35 a month, we get 60 channels. It offered the best value with major networks like ABC and NBC, plus other favorites like Comedy Central and AMC. They also provide options to add more extras and premium channels.
Sling TV was a close second, starting at $20 per month but with fewer channels.
Getting streaming TV is super simple. First, you need to set up an account with your chosen provider. We went to DirectTV Now’s website, created a profile, and set up automatic payments – easy!
Then, we needed a streaming device. Even though our TV is a smart TV, it didn’t support the app directly. DirectTV Now had a promotion for a free Roku stick for new customers. The Roku stick became our hub not only for streaming TV but for other entertainment apps like Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, and Pandora.
Without the promotion, any streaming stick like Amazon Fire Stick, Google Chromecast, or Apple TV would have worked too.
There are a few downsides, but saving $95 a month outweighed them for us.
We’ve tackled our cable bill like other expenses over the years, and you can too. Remember, there’s always a bill you can challenge!
