The Cord-Cutting Decision Is Tougher These Days. Here's What You Need to Know
CR helps you decide whether cable or streaming is best for your entertainment needs—and budget
Every year, more Americans decide to fire their traditional pay-TV provider, whether that’s a cable service or a satellite TV company. In 2018, the traditional U.S. pay-TV providers lost more than 3 million subscribers, according to the industry analysts Leichtman Research Group.
One option for so-called cord cutters is to sign up for DirecTV Now, Sling TV, or one of the other cable-replacement streaming services that have sprung up in recent years to supply live broadcast and cable channels over the internet. Remember, to do this you still need decent broadband service, and that’s likely to come from the same company that supplied your TV service in the first place.
If you’re thinking of going the cord-cutter route, the decision is more complex than it was just a year ago. CR’s advice then was to make a list of your favorite channels, find a cable-replacement service that provided them, and then simply sit back and count your savings each month.
That process still works, but the math has changed significantly.
What It Costs to Watch TV
The legions of Americans abandoning cable TV aren’t necessarily going on a content diet. Many are “stacking” a variety of online streaming video services to get an à la carte combo of channels, shows, and movies.
The chart immediately below shows just how many services you can get for the same cost as an average cable TV package. Each service scratches a different itch: YouTube TV has 70-plus live channels; Amazon Prime Video, HBO Now, Hulu, and Netflix offer original shows and movies. Cut out a few services and you can save plenty of money compared with a typical cable bill.
But the math is getting less friendly to streaming. The charts at the bottom of the article show how several major online video services have raised their prices in the past few years. One big advantage relative to cable, though: no tacked-on fees, which can bump up traditional pay-TV bills significantly.
Disney+ is coming in November 2019.)
Disney+ is coming in November 2019.)
Editor's Note: This article also appeared in the September 2019 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.