There is simply no need to be forking over $200 a month for cable TV in the year 2023. It’s a waste of both money and mind. Afraid to quit cable? I’d wager half of what you watch isn’t even on television anymore, but on a streaming service like Netflix or Disney+.
Need further motivation? If you’ve been paying for a standard cable TV package for the past five years, you’ve basically donated about $100 to Fox News, whether you’ve ever watched the channel or not. The way the cable TV business model works, only about half of your monthly bill goes to the provider (Xfinity, RCN, FiOS, etc.), while the other half is divvied up between the various channels, whether or not you ever watch them: an astonishing $7+ a month goes to ESPN, and stations like Fox News, TNT, USA, and CNN collect about $1-$2 apiece.
How’s that feel? If you’re not loving the sensation of Sean Hannity’s sweaty palms reaching into your pockets and pulling out a couple of bucks every month, read on.
How to Cut the Cord and Quit Cable, Step by Step
We quit cable almost a decade ago, and haven’t looked back. The only thing I truly missed were Red Sox games — and for a while, I found a workaround that existed in a legal gray area. But now NESN has its own streaming service, so there’s truly no reason not to cut the cord. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Buy a digital antenna.Time was, everyone just had an antenna (aka bunny ears) hooked up to their TVs, capturing over-the-air transmissions for free. You can still do that — and now, those over-the-air transmissions are broadcast in high definition. You just need to get an HD antenna to receive them.
This is a really well-rated basic antenna that should do the job if you live within 20 miles of a major city or broadcasting hub; there are more expensive ones available if you live farther away or want to make sure you get great reception.
A digital antenna will get you live major-network TV — including ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, PBS, CW, and more. That means you can still watch the Oscars live, for instance, as well as presidential debates, Saturday Night Live, and lots of football games. (Games on the NFL Network or ESPN are the exception.) There are tons of random channels, too, that just show syndicated reruns and old movies and stuff, and PBS offers a wide range of free stations, like PBS Kids (way better than Nick Jr, if you ask me) and PBS Create (full of cooking and how-to shows like This Old House).
Step 2: Get a Roku box(if you don’t already have a smart TV, Fire Stick, Chromecast, etc.). TheRoku Expressis only like $30, or you can get a Roku Ultra for $100. One of these hubs will just make it easy to manage your streaming channels. (It also allows you to search for shows and movies across all platforms, and you can find Roku channels that stream shows and old movies for free but with erratically placed commercials. Or you can just buy or rent those movies without the ads, of course, through your Roku.)
Step 3: Keep Netflix (and whatever else you like).We have a Netflix and Disney+ subscription; we’ve had the former since its red envelope days, and Disney is well worth the fee if you have kids. We also keep a “floater” slot in our streaming rotation, mostly for the winter months, meaning we’ll sign up for Apple TV for a couple of months to watch the new season of Ted Lasso, for instance, and then cancel that and sign up for a month of Peacock or Paramount to binge a different show. We cancel the floater subscription as soon as we buy it basically, so it automatically shuts off after a month. (If that’s not an option, I set a reminder in my phone to cancel it in three weeks. Not just one reminder, but every other day for a week, to make sure I actually do it!)
Step 4: Get aSling TVOrange package for $40/mo.if you still need some cable channels.Sling TV offers slimmed down cable bundles, so you can get, like, the family plan with all the ESPN, Disney, and Nickelodeon channels (as well as some staples like HGTV, History, Comedy Central, and others) without paying for any of theFox News bullsh!t,which is good. Sling’s Orange package doesn’t come with NBC, for whatever reason, but if you have a digital antenna, that doesn’t matter.
If you’re a true TV addict, or don’t have a good user experience with Sling TV, you can tryHulu Live TV($69) orYouTube TV($73). These are similar live-stream options, but offer bigger, less customized bundles for more money — they’re basically like a normal cable bundle is now, with channels like the NFL Network and unlimited DVR recording. But, these also pay carriage fees to Fox News. Of the two, Hulu’s is a better deal at $69, as it comes with a Disney+ and Hulu subscription ($16/mo value combined).
Speaking of DVR: We have been cable-free long enough that we never got addicted to it, but if you use your DVR all the time you can actually buy your own box. Hulu and YouTube allow unlimited online DVR use, and Sling offers 50 hours of DVR storage.
Step 5: Quit cable, and downgrade to an internet-only plan. Now, your cable provider isn’t going to like this;they may even offer you a deranged limited-time package deal that includes cable and internet for less than the price of internet service alone. That’s because internet costs them next to nothing (they’re not paying for the content, and the cables are already running to your home) and their investors don’t like to see them hemorrhaging TV subscribers.
But, cable companies are increasingly getting used to this new reality and, with millions of Americans working from home more often, facing public pressure to offer reasonably-priced broadband service. If you’re able to shop around in your town, do so —most providers offer new-customer deals, so switching from Xfinity to FiOS (or at least saying you’re going to) or vice versa can potentially get you a fair price for a couple of years; just remember to factor in any installation or activation charges.
If your community, like ours, has only one provider, your options are admittedly limited; you probably won’t be eligible for any new customer deals since you’re already a customer (whether you like it or not). Just explain your situation, asking for the most affordable broadband service they offer, and try not to be upsold to a higher-priced internet service than you need. We still have 75mbps service —which used to be one of the fastest plans Xfinity offered, but is now one of the slowest — and it’s plenty fast, unless you have a big family that’s routinely streaming things on four or five different devices simultaneously.
Save money, save your mind
Listen, you like TV, I like TV. But TV likes us, too — itneeds us to watch it. And it’s very good at getting what it needs. One show bleeds into the next, quite intentionally foisting itself upon you, and suddenly you realize it’s 1 a.m. and you’ve spent three hours watching vapid homebuyers discuss whether they can possibly live without a three-car garage or a fourth bathroom.
Since we quit cable for good —going on eight or nine years now — I find myself watching less TV overall, and watching better TV. There’s the tiniest bit of friction in searching for and selecting a streaming show, or selecting “Input 2” on the remote to watch live over-the-air TV, and that little bit of extra effort is typically enough to keep us from watching something just “because it’s on TV.”
We still watch the big live event shows, like the Oscars. We watch the most celebrated shows on TV, which are now mostly produced by streaming services, and old favorites like The Simpsons (on Disney) and Seinfeld (on Netflix). The stuff we find ourselves watching less of, though, is junk TV.
What do we do with those extra hours (because it really does add up to hours)? I write freelance articles and blog posts like this one; hell, I even wrote a whole book, mostly in the evenings. Gina and I talk about stuff, for hours, like a couple of college kids on a late-night road trip. Or we read books in quiet companionship. Sometimes we go to bed a little bit earlier, and wake up more rested.
You should try it.
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FAQs
Do people still pay for cable TV? ›
As per the CNBC reports, about 66% of Americans still have Cable or Satellite TV services which makes the amount higher than that of the cord-cutters, even with the ones that prefer Cable or Satellite service only and without streaming still makes a fairly greater amount than the cord-cutters.
Is it worth it to cut the cable cord? ›The Bottom Line on Cord Cutting
Cutting the cord on cable TV still makes good fiscal sense for most households. The trick is thinking outside the cable box to find affordable options for live TV services, so you don't have to pay extra to catch the big game or the local news.
From our one-time cord-cutters who returned to cable TV, almost 42% switched back to cable because they wanted to watch live events like sports, award shows, news, and political content. But you can catch all that jazz on live TV streaming services.
Is cable worth it in 2023? ›Most people find that cable is still the best if you're most interested in watching live sports, as it's where you can get ESPN and its supporting networks. In 2023, it's becoming increasingly popular for some live events to stream directly on Hulu or Amazon Prime, but this is still not the norm.
Can I watch TV without paying for cable? ›Over-the-Air TV. Over-the-air (OTA) TV is a great way to catch your local channels without spending the big bucks for cable. OTA TV offers high-definition television broadcasts from your local television stations. All you need to start is a TV and a digital antenna.
Is it cheaper to have cable or streaming? ›One major advantage of streaming TV is that it's generally more cost-effective than cable, as there are often no contracts or installation fees. Plus, streaming services like Netflix and Hulu have a wide selection of content and customizable options, such as parental controls.
Is Roku cheaper than cable? ›If you go all-in with free streaming channels, like The Roku Channel and Tubi, you could save $1300+ each year. Roku users save an average of over $70 each month over cable according to a recent survey. It's easy to start saving without the monthly equipment fees, taxes, and hidden fees that often come with cable.
What is the cheapest way to cut the cord? ›The cheapest live TV services for cord-cutting are the free ones: Pluto TV, Xumo, and Local Now. There are paid ones that cost very little, like Philo, Frndly TV, and Sling (especially the individual Blue or Orange plans).
How much does the average person spend on cable TV? ›How Much Should I Be Paying for Cable TV? TV plans run between $55 and $250 monthly, with the average cable TV plan costing around $83 a month.
What percentage of Americans pay for cable TV? ›Overall, 73 percent of U.S. households had a cable or satellite television subscription in 2017. Of the 27 percent that did not, two-fifths (40 percent) were “cord cutters,” or households that reported previously having a subscription, while the other 60 percent said they never signed up.
How not to pay for cable? ›
- Invest in an HD antenna. Your local broadcast networks are very expensive to carry, so cut the middle man while you cut the cord. ...
- Consider cable TV alternatives. ...
- Pick the best streaming device for your needs. ...
- Check your smart TV. ...
- Subscribe to the best streaming services. ...
- Find a way to stream your own content.
Antennas allow you to watch dozens of channels — including the biggest networks on the air — often in full high-definition clarity. You simply make a one-time purchase to get the antenna, hook it up to your TV and you'll be watching all kinds of popular shows and live events. Antennas come in a variety of styles.
How do I cancel my cable but keep internet? ›- Call customer service.
- Request to cancel TV but keep internet service.
- Amazon Freevee. Previously called IMDb TV, Amazon Freevee is an ad-supported service that offers a mix of live channels, on-demand classic TV shows and movies, and some original content. ...
- Crackle. ...
- Hoopla and Kanopy. ...
- Peacock. ...
- Pluto TV. ...
- Redbox. ...
- The Roku Channel. ...
- Sling Freestream.
The future of cord cutting is uncertain. It's possible that cable TV will eventually die out altogether. Though that is unlikely as cable companies struggle to adapt to the world of streaming with services like Peacock, Paramount+, and Disney+.
How fast is cable dying? ›According to statistics, the number of households in the U.S. that pay for cable television services has been steadily decreasing for about a decade. In 2013, there were 100 million such households. By contrast, this number is expected to be as low as 65 million in 2023.
How many subscribers has cable lost? ›Popular on Variety. As streaming video continues its ascendancy, cable, satellite and internet TV providers in the U.S. turned in their worst subscriber losses to date in the first quarter of 2023 — collectively shedding 2.3 million customers in the period, according to analyst estimates.
What equipment do I need to cut the cord? ›What equipment do I need to cut the cord? All you need is a high-speed internet connection, a streaming device, and streaming channels.
What is the cheapest way to make your TV a smart TV? ›Roku is one of the most accessible options for converting a regular TV to a smart TV, as they have affordable, easy-to-use products. All Roku streaming devices support Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Peacock, and just about every other streaming service you can think of.
Why should I switch from cable to streaming? ›Live TV streaming offers your favorite channels at more affordable prices than cable TV or satellite TV. We recommend you get an internet plan with at least 25 Mbps internet speeds for streaming TV.
Do I need cable if I have streaming services? ›
No, a streaming device uses a signal from the internet to play your movies and TV shows. You may need to buy a separate subscription for certain networks.
Does streaming use more electricity than cable? ›Streaming devices are designed to be energy-efficient. A smart TV with built-in streaming will use less energy than a traditional TV paired with a smart home assistant or set-top box (also known as a cable box). Where streaming energy consumption jumps, however, is with devices that use standby power.
Why is Roku charging $5 a month? ›Free streaming subscription trials automatically turn into paid subscriptions that are billed on a recurring basis. To avoid being charged for a subscription, you must cancel your subscription on or before the last day of the free trial period.
What is the monthly price for Roku? ›Does Roku Charge a Fee? You will need to pay for your Roku device initially. After that, Roku does not charge a fee. There's no monthly subscription.
What is the monthly Roku fee? ›There are no monthly equipment rental fees with Roku. Adding a payment method lets you easily rent/buy movies on demand or subscribe to popular services like Netflix.
Should you cut the cord straight away? ›The World Health Organization recommends that the umbilical cord not be clamped earlier than 1 minute after birth in term or preterm newborns. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also recommends deferring umbilical cord clamping for healthy term and preterm infants for at least 2 minutes after birth.
What happens if you never cut the cord? ›When the umbilical cord is not clamped and cut right after the baby is born, the baby gets more of their own blood back into their body. Getting extra blood may lower the chance of your baby having low iron levels at 4 to 6 months of life and may help your baby's health in other ways.
How do I connect my TV to cable without a box? ›Connect a coaxial cable (not provided) to the ANT/CABLE IN jack on the back of your TV and to the antenna or cable TV wall jack. Plug your TV's power adapter into a power outlet, then turn on your TV. Press INPUT to open the INPUT SOURCE list. to highlight TV, then press ENTER.
How much does the average person pay for food per month? ›Groceries & Food
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that California's average annual non-restaurant food cost per person is $3,865. That equates to $322.08 per person, per month. The average family of four could end up spending $1,288 per month on groceries.
Why is cable so expensive? With cable TV, you pay for your monthly package, channel add-ons, equipment rental, movie rentals, taxes, fees, and maybe a few pay-per-view events in a year. Then you have all the network infrastructure, maintenance costs, and other labor involved with keeping cable coming into your crib.
How much does the average American spend on groceries a month? ›
The Average Cost of Groceries Per Month
What does the average U.S. household spend on groceries per month? According to 2021 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is the most recent available, the average spending on food at home is $5,259 annually, or about $438 per month for U.S. households.
| Connection type | Average monthly cost in 2021 | Download speed range |
|---|---|---|
| Cable | $51 | 3–500 Mbps |
| Fiber | $64 | 30–2,000 Mbps |
| Satellite | $86 | 12–100 Mbps |
| All connection types | $61 | 3–2,000 Mbps |
Not only does the satellite TV sector continuously generate tens of billions of dollars each year, but it also continues to develop at a steady pace. It is nothing but interesting to see the use of satellite TV even today and the consistent rise.
Why is my cable bill so expensive? ›Why is my cable bill so high? Your cable bill can be high if you've added premium channel packs or if your provider has recently increased prices. Most standard cable TV packages should cost around $40 to $60 per month.
Does AARP offer discounts on cable TV? ›Inquire about senior discounts: There are so many great things about growing older, like redeeming senior discounts! Many cable TV and internet providers offer a discounts for low-income seniors or AARP members.
How to lower cable bill Spectrum? ›- Step 1: Prepare your account information. ...
- Step 2: Call Spectrum customer service at (855) 707-7328. ...
- Step 3: Explain your request to Spectrum customer service. ...
- Step 4: Escalate to a manager to check for promo offers. ...
- Step 5: Escalate to retention by requesting to cancel service.
Smart TVs are TVs that have the built-in capability to connect to the internet. This means that your TV itself gets online, instead of having to use a connected device like a Roku box or gaming console to access online services.
How can I make my TV a smart TV for free? ›- Connect a streaming device to allow video and music to be delivered to your TV over the internet. ...
- Use your smartphone to mirror or cast to your TV if it supports this feature.
- Stream shows on your laptop and watch on your TV by plugging it into a spare HDMI connection on your TV.
The most notable things the Roku can do without an internet connection include: Streaming content from local or external storage like USB sticks and SD cards. Showing pictures or videos from your phone via mirroring.
Can you cancel cable and still have WiFi? ›
If you're wondering if you can keep your Xfinity Internet service while canceling your TV service, we're here to tell you that you can! You may not get as good of an internet deal if you cancel your bundle, but you'll still save money because you won't have to pay for a cable TV service you don't want anymore.
Are people canceling cable? ›It's estimated that a total of 4.9 million people will cut the cord in 2022, bringing the total number of cord-cutters up to 55.1 million (or 20.8% of the U.S.'s adult population).
Is Peacock TV free? ›Peacock has a limited free tier, but you need to pay to unlock all its shows and movies. Unless you qualify for a special discount. Peacock houses tens of thousands of hours of free shows, movies, sports and originals. But a lot of the most popular programming is restricted to premium members only.
How can I watch live TV on Roku for free? ›And there's always something to watch, with live news and weather, sports, food and home, reality TV, kids' entertainment, and more, all streaming free. To get started, visit The Roku Channel or the Live TV Zone on your Home Screen menu to quickly find free live TV.
Which app is best for live TV channels free? ›- Tubi.
- Pluto TV.
- Crackle.
- NewsON.
- Freevee.
- Xumo Play.
- Sling Freestream.
- The Roku Channel.
For better or worse, cable is making a comeback in television. For the past few years, streaming has reigned as the new era of television. It's the better and far superior option for many reasons, but recent new features and drastic changes have only turned streaming into glorified cable.
How much is the average US cable TV bill? ›How Much Should I Be Paying for Cable TV? TV plans run between $55 and $250 monthly, with the average cable TV plan costing around $83 a month. The average cable TV plan costs around $83.
How much is the average cable bill in the US? ›| Connection type | Average monthly cost in 2021 | Download speed range |
|---|---|---|
| Cable | $51 | 3–500 Mbps |
| Fiber | $64 | 30–2,000 Mbps |
| Satellite | $86 | 12–100 Mbps |
| All connection types | $61 | 3–2,000 Mbps |
Why is cable so expensive? With cable TV, you pay for your monthly package, channel add-ons, equipment rental, movie rentals, taxes, fees, and maybe a few pay-per-view events in a year. Then you have all the network infrastructure, maintenance costs, and other labor involved with keeping cable coming into your crib.
Is Roku really cheaper than cable? ›If you go all-in with free streaming channels, like The Roku Channel and Tubi, you could save $1300+ each year. Roku users save an average of over $70 each month over cable according to a recent survey. It's easy to start saving without the monthly equipment fees, taxes, and hidden fees that often come with cable.
Is cable still better than streaming? ›
So, is cable really better than streaming? If you're looking purely at the quality of channels offered, cable provides better packages than live TV streaming services. You'll get more channels in total and the option to save by bundling with an internet plan.
Are cable companies losing subscribers? ›As streaming video continues its ascendancy, cable, satellite and internet TV providers in the U.S. turned in their worst subscriber losses to date in the first quarter of 2023 — collectively shedding 2.3 million customers in the period, according to analyst estimates.
How many customers has cable TV lost? ›Cable TV providers were hardest hit, with total loss of 3.5 million subscribers in 2022, compared to 2.7 million in 2021.