How to Switch from Cable to Streaming TV

Here’s the question of the decade…do you really need cable anymore?

To most young folk, it seems like an ancient artifact of the analog age. But to those who like sports and live events, it might be hard to cut the cable cord. But have no fear, it seems cable will soon be a thing of the past because when it comes to live shows and events, yup, there’s an app for that. Assuming you already have internet (which these days are a pretty safe assumption) the money that is to be saved by canceling cable could be a lot.

There are usually three types of viewers that can benefit from switching to streaming TV.

• You already feel like you can’t keep up with shows. Long story short, there’s too much to watch even without cable.
• Most of your favorite shows are now coming from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and HBO streaming apps rather than traditional cable channels.
• You don’t mind being behind a season or two on your fave cable shows because there’s literally a gazillion other shows that will keep you busy in the meantime.

If you fall into any of these categories, then switching to cable if you haven’t already is a no-brainer. But what if you just love those live events, especially sports and can’t give that up? Is streaming TV worth it?

Well, like we said, there’s an app for that. Here’s two of the best.

Hulu Live TV – Starts at $39.95/month

• Stream 50+ top Live and On Demand TV channels including sports, news, and entertainment.
• Get unlimited access to the Hulu streaming library (Limited Commercials plan) with full seasons of exclusive series, hit movies, Hulu Originals, kids shows, and more.
• Ability to watch local live channels.
• Watch on 2 screens at the same time.
• Record Live TV with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage.
• Can add on HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime.

DirectTVNow – Starts at $35/month to $70/month

• Between 60 to 120 channels depending on the plan.
• Stream breaking news, sports, live events and thousands of on-demand titles.
• Ability to watch local live channels (depends on location).
• Watch on 2 screens at the same time.
• Can add on HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz.
• Currently has no DVR storage, but has announced that it’s coming soon.

And runner-up…SlingTV.

Don’t need every channel available to man? We hear you. You might want to check out SlingTV for their a la carte series. Only pay for the cable channels you want. Starting at $20/month you can get the most popular live TV channels. Then add select add-ons for $5/month more a month. For example, you can add sports channels for an extra $5 a month or comedy, news, lifestyle, Hollywood (mostly independent movie channels) for $5 more each.

What are the additional benefits of canceling cable for streaming TV? Let’s see…

• No annual contracts
• No installation guy
• No extra fees
• Cancel anytime

One thing to keep in mind: you’ll need a streaming device like a Roku, Amazon Fire Stick or an Apple TV – but for only a one time fee, you don’t have to deal with the cable rental box rental and fees. See our related post to break down these devices here: Which Streaming Device is the best for you?

If you’re fine with the typical streaming apps (like Netflix, Hulu, etc), but would like to get the local channels, you can also try using a TV antenna instead of spending on Hulu Live and DirectTV now.

Also, keep in mind that the prices of apps and channels can add up. If you have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO now and other apps plus DirectTV now you might be spending just as much as cable. The best thing to do is price out what you want and compare that to what you’re spending with cable. You’ll probably find you’ll save yourself some dough…and not have to deal with the cable guy. A win-win? We think so.