We have a lot of decisions to make this year. We have to decide whether we want to give the current President another term or vote for another candidate. In the growing battle between cable providers and streaming services, we have to take sides. The growing cost of cable TV and frequent power outages are a lot to handle. However, one can deny the importance of all those local and national channels on cable TV.
In the midst of all this chaos, it becomes quite difficult for us to decide whether to cut the cord or not, mostly when the streaming services have evolved with time.
To save you from this misery, we came up with a comprehensive guide to help you make a decision.
Starting from the very basic question:
Is Cord Cutting the right thing for you?
We understand that every household has a different requirement making the matter of cord-cutting very subjective, to say the least. Ask yourself the following questions:
How much are you paying for cable?
Since every household has a different requirement, they pay different charges for cable TV. Some people prefer a mix of local channels, national channels, and a pinch of sports channels. While others are subscribed to high-end packages offering more than 140 regular channels and some premium channels. If you are paying less than $60 for cable and satisfied with what you have, there is no need to dis cable. However, if you are paying more than that and looking for cheaper alternatives, go for it. Spectrum TV plans are far better than all the other providers you know.
Are you ready to sacrifice all the fiery content on cable TV?
Cord-cutting does not work like a magic wand to fix your monthly cable bill. You have to sacrifice most of the content available on cable. Even with streaming devices, you get 40-50 channels at max. You need to ask yourself whether you are ready to cut your cable entirely or not.
Have you lost your patience with Cable?
Frequent power outages, price hikes, equipment charges, taxes, regional surcharges, and contracts are out of our control. Any sane person would lose temper over it. Moreover, the prime-time competition and cringy adverts really make you question your preferences. If you are a victim of this oppression and lost your patience, you need to cut the cord ASAP.
What are the potential benefits of cutting the cord?
Save a fortune on your cable bills
On average, we pay more than $80 for cable services. The prices are destined to go up every year and you end up paying close to $1000 every year. That’s too much. Conversely, subscribing to all the popular streaming services will not cost you more than $50 and you’ll be saving a fortune every month.
Ease of Access
The streaming services are quite easy to handle. You do not have to navigate hundreds of channels to get to your favorite one. Moreover, with streaming services you get what you want. Take them wherever you want without any installation troubles.
Reliability
The streaming services are more reliable. You do not have to worry about any power outage. The monthly bills are transparent which means no hidden taxes or surcharges.
Potential drawbacks of Cord-cutting
You need high-speed internet. Period.
Without high-speed internet, your Roku or Amazon Prime is good for nothing. This can be a problem if you are living in geographically remote areas with limited internet access.
A life without Sports Channels
Although you get basic sports channels like ESPN and Fox Sports, streaming services give you limited access. This is true for die-hard NBA and NFL fans who rely on cable to watch their teams compete. With cable, you get dedicated channels for cricket, soccer, golf, basketball, and football.
One service is not enough
New services are being launched in the market every day and the content is divided. NBC is coming up with Peacock and Apple is launching Apple TV. With so many options available in the market, things get even more complicated.
How to decide then?
If you are already tired of your cable bills and have a decent internet connection for streaming, cord-cutting is right for you. However, you have to compromise on your sports channels.