Cord cutting…I’m sure you’ve heard the chatter surrounding it recently. People recently have been leaving their cable provider and going with streaming options such as Apple TV, Roku, and other devices. Traditional cable costs and preferred channel selections are some of the reasons these customers are making the switch. However, cable tv might not be as bad as it’s recently been made out to be. UtilityHound has multiple Cable viewing options for new homeowners and tenants. First, let’s look over some reasons why cord cutting might or might not be right for you.
Billing for Cord Cutting Vs. Bundling Internet and TV Plans
One thing all subscribers should take into consideration is their billing. Most customers that are set up on a traditional billing system (TV, Internet & possibly Phone) enjoy the benefits of bundled plans. Ordering multiple services from a single provider usually provides discounts. These companies will usually throw in home phone lines as well (so prehistoric, right?) as another way to keep customers. When you have all 3 of your main home services through one provider you’re less likely to leave. Combining all these services on one bill is also convenient for most people.
Reliability Streaming A Cord Cutting Device
Another important thing to consider when choosing your televisions viewing options is reliability. How reliable is streaming in your area? Is your local Cable TV provider running fiber optic cable in your area? If you’re debating going towards streaming your televisions options you need to make sure your broadband speed is adequate for streaming. According to consumerreports.com, “Download speed is critical for video streaming; upload speed matters if you share a lot of videos or play online games. Note that web speeds can slow in the evening during the data equivalent of rush hour. Your household’s viewing habits matter, too. As data enters your home, it’s distributed via WiFi. If several people are watching movies on separate devices, you may start to notice decreased performance.”
What Channels Are You Needing?
What Channels Are You Needing?
One major advantage traditional cable tv offers is the ability to access a wide range of channels from set packages. Most Cable TV and Satellite TV providers offer a Basic, Basic-Plus and Premium channel packages. The basic channels will cover most of your local networks with a few family channel networks thrown in. Basic-Plus will offer you those same local and family channels but will also include a few sports, cooking and lower tier moving networks. The premium packages will offer you everything included in the first two and will include all your premium movie channels such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz. Most of the “premium movie channels” offer residents the ability to view recent movies and special television series.
When an individual goes the streaming route. Channel selections can become very limited. Your local channels that are offered through most basic traditional TV provider are not offered through streaming. Some streaming options will offer some local channels but may require you to subscribe to multiple services to get them. According to Dan Rayburn, “You’ll have a better chance in bigger TV markets, where the networks own their own stations. Outside of the major cities, most live streaming services don’t have local channels due to licensing restrictions. While some streaming services are adding more local channels each month, there are still a large number of local stations not available via streaming services for most consumers in the U.S.” Some homeowners will purchase antennas as a way to obtain these local networks. These HDTV antennas are relatively low cost and can be ordered online.
How Many People Will Be Watching?
Another factor to consider is the number of users in your household that will be streaming TV from different devices. Let’s take a look at some of the “bigger names” in the streaming sector. DirecTV Now and Hulu only allow for 2 users to use the same account simultaneously. Sling TV another cord cutting option has several plan breakdown. Their cheapest plan offers 1 user, the middle tier option allows for 3 users. Their most expensive option (double the cost of the Cheapest plan) offers 4 users.
What should YOU do?
In conclusion, although cord cutting has the potential to save lots of users money. It’s not for everyone. Those looking for a couple channels, who don’t watch tv frequently can benefit. However, households that have multiple members will benefit from a traditional televisions package. Households that are bundling their TV with their internet aren’t paying much more than streaming. More channels, for a minimal price increase in their monthly cable bill, is another bonus.
For help connecting your Internet, Cable or Satellite TV at the best prices and online visit UtilityHound.com today! Moving soon? Check out our blog on our Moving Checklist!