The expensive mistake streaming companies don't want you to know about
Most of us have a love-hate relationship with cable. We like television. We love a handful of stations. But we don’t need hundreds of useless channels, many of them boring, some of them in languages we don’t understand.
Month after month, we pay our cable bills, yet we use only a small fraction of what we pay for.
It’s no wonder cutting the cord seems so appealing. The idea of paying for only the channels you want to watch, watching them when you want, and paying nominal monthly fees sounds great.
Simple devices can help you access all this content. Tap or click here for the scoop on the best streaming boxes for getting the shows and movies you want.
But like most great things in life, cutting the cord is complicated. There are so many streaming options that it’s hard to settle on only one or two. Do it wrong, and cord-cutters might end up paying more than traditional cable, which is exactly what streaming companies don’t want you to realize.
Sure, $7 a month for something like Disney+ sounds great, if that’s all you’re subscribing to, but let’s be real: You can’t settle with just one streaming service, and these subscriptions add up.
We’re going to walk you through how these services add up and how it’s more than a little misleading when streaming services tout their abilities to save you bundles of money.
Basic livestream TV channels
The main reason people love “real” television is that they can watch events unfold live. Most of us couldn’t fathom seeing an NFL playoff game or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade after the fact. Even if we’re sitting on a couch, thousands of miles from the event in question, the thrill exists only at the moment.
You want live TV. Start with getting a good HDTV antenna. If you need one, tap or click here for my picks on the best HDTV antennas.
An antenna will help you access local channels, but what about favorite cable channels like HGTV, History Channel, A&E and your favorite cable news channels?
You’ll need a live-TV streaming service like AT&T TV NOW, fuboTV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV or any of the myriad streaming services. All of these have various packages and channel offerings, and one isn’t necessarily better than the other; it’s all about personal preference.
Cord cutters: One tool to make sure you’re not wasting money on streaming services
Streaming services have changed the way we watch TV forever. The days of having to wait an entire week to find out what happens on the next episode of your favorite show are over.
Now, full seasons are released on services like Netflix and Hulu on the same day, so people can binge-watch them over a single weekend. Tap or click here to find out which streaming service is best.
Watch local TV for free on your smartphone or computer -- in 9 major cities
Cable became a mainstay of most households just a few decades ago, but with the rise of streaming, it appears to be on the way out. Still, there are shows and events you can catch only on live TV, and there are ways to get those channels for free if you don’t have cable or an antenna. Don’t get too excited yet: The non-profit service is available in only nine cities — New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Denver.