Whether you’re looking at how to cut the cord for the first time or you’re a cord-cutting pro you’re in the right place. TV services have changed a lot over the years but mostly for the better. Learn how to cancel your cable subscription and use a TV streaming service and streaming devices.
Our 2021 guide to cord-cutting will walk you through the best options available to cut cable TV and the cable box whether you are a cord-cutting beginner or a seasoned cord-cutting veteran. We will cover everything you need to know to cut the cord such as choosing the best streaming devices and streaming services for you.
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What is Cord-Cutting?
You may have heard the terms cord-cutting, cord-cutters, cord-nevers, or cord-shavers so what they mean?
Simply put, cord-cutting means canceling your cable TV or satellite TV service (R). If you have canceled your traditional pay-TV service in favor of streaming services you are a cord-cutter.
Cord-cutting can refer to any number of methods such as using an over-the-air antenna or a streaming video service such as Hulu With Live TV or Sling TV. There are some slight differences from what you may have grown accustomed to but for many, the end result of being able to watch your favorite tv shows (live or on-demand), movies, and videos are exactly the same.
Cord-nevers are typically younger people who have never subscribed to a cable TV or satellite TV service and have been streaming TV shows and videos online for all or most of their lives. Cord-nevers may or may not subscribe to any streaming video services.
Cord-shavers cable subscribers who have reduced their pay-TV package while also subscribing to a streaming video service. For example, a cord-shaver may have a subscription to the base Spectrum cable TV plan while also subscribing to Hulu.
How Do I Become A Cord-Cutter?
Once you’ve cut your cable TV cord or satellite TV provider you will have to make a few decisions based on your personal viewing needs. Each cord-cutter’s personal viewing habits will greatly impact these decisions. You will need to ask yourself several questions such as:
- How frequently do I consume television?
- What channels do I want to have? (locals and/or pay)
- What genres do I watch? (sports, news, sitcoms, movies, etc.)
- Do I need the capability to record?
- How many TVs do I need to be connected?
It may seem like a lot at first but we will be simplifying the process down to just a few steps. Keep these questions in the back of your mind as we continue through the guide and you will likely have other questions that will get answered along the way.
Most cord-cutters will need to be the following things: choose a strong internet service, pick a streaming service, and decide on which set-top box(s) or streaming device(s) you will need. You will also have to decide if you will need or want an over-the-air antenna. All of these are covered in greater depth and detail later in this guide.
Cord-Cutting Devices
Say goodbye to the cable box and ditch the cable company. To cut cable TV there are three main pieces of equipment, or devices, that you will potentially need: A digital media player, a DVR, and an OTA antenna.
Digital Media Players
A digital media player is a home entertainment consumer electronics device that can connect to a home network to stream digital media (such as music, pictures, or video). Examples of popular digital media player brands include Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Nvidia, Roku, and more. Cord-cutters can also use smart TVs, smartphones, and laptops/tablets/PCs. A cable company will charge you monthly fees for their cable box and it’s likely outdated.
DVRs
A digital video recorder (DVR) is an electronic device that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card, SSD, or other local or networked mass storage device. Sometimes a DVR is built into the digital media player. Many services include a limited amount of cloud DVR storage eliminating the need for a physical box. Popular streaming DVRs include Tablo, TiVo, and HDHomeRun with Plex.
Over-the-Air Antennas
An over-the-air television antenna (OTA Antenna) is a HD antenna specifically designed for use with a television receiver (TV) to receive over-the-air broadcast television signals from a television station. OTA antennas pick up local TV stations such as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS, and others. Antennas can be indoor or outdoor. Many of the indoor antennas are the size of a sheet of paper and unintrusive. These are usually good for up to 50 miles and some outdoor antennas are rated for a couple hundred.
Smart TVs
Smart TVs are much like smartphones and smart home devices. They offer internet connectivity and support a wide range of streaming apps such as Netflix and Hulu. Many smart TVs also now include voice recognition tools such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Some of the most popular smart TV brands include Hisense, LG, Samsung, Sony, TCL, and Vizio. It is important to research each individual TV to make sure that it includes the apps, software, and features you want and need.
On-Demand Streaming Services
One of the most popular ways to cut the cable TV cord is to subscribe to on-demand streaming services. This type of service does not offer live television but instead offers a library of TV shows, movies, or other video content. Each on-demand streaming service has a different library of video content. The most popular on-demand streaming options are Curiosity Stream, Disney Plus, ESPN+, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, and Paramount Plus.
Netflix
- Type of Service: OTT Platform
- Price: $8.99/mo. to $17.99/mo.
- Free Trial: No
- Number of Movies: 3,000+
- Number of TV Shows: 2,000+
- Streaming Quality: 4K HDR
The most popular streaming is Netflix. Netflix offers a video library that consists of over 3,000 movies and over 2,000 TV shows. These titles cover virtually every genre and Netflix is also home to Netflix Original Series. The price ranges from $8.99/month to $17.99/month for plans that vary in HD content and the numbers of simultaneous screens.
Hulu
- Type of Service: OTT Platform
- Price: $5.99/mo. to $11.99/mo.
- Free Trial: No
- Number of Movies: 2,500+
- Number of TV Shows: 1,600+
- Streaming Quality: HD, 4K
Hulu is also one of the most popular on-demand streaming services. This service is primarily geared towards TV shows but does also offer thousands of movie titles, as well as, Hulu’s original content. Hulu’s price ranges from $5.99/month to $11.99/month depending on if you want ads or no ads. The service can also be bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+.
Prime Video
- Type of Service: OTT Platform
- Price: $8.99/mo.
- Free Trial: 30 days
- Number of Movies: 24,000+
- Number of TV Shows: 2,100+
- Streaming Quality: HD, 4K Ultra HD
Amazon’s Prime Video offers a library of TV shows and movies as part of the subscription service or as a rental. The price is $8.99/mo. or is $12.99/mo. if combined with the Prime delivery service. Prime Video includes access to Prime Originals and Exclusives, live sporting events, and content add-ons.
Disney+
- Type of Service: OTT Platform
- Price: $7.99/mo.
- Free Trial: No
- Number of Movies: 500+
- Number of TV Episodes: 7,000+
- Streaming Quality: HD, 4K HDR, Dolby Vision
Disney+ is the official streaming platform of Disney. The subscription service offers library catalogs owned by The Walt Disney Corporation such as Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Plans are $7.99/mo. or you can bundle with Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99/mo. This is a fantastic service if you are interested in this type of content.
ESPN+
- Type of Service: OTT Platform
- Price: $5.99/mo.
- Free Trial: No
- Number of TV Shows: 35+
- Number of Sporting Events: 1,000+
- Streaming Quality: 720p HD
ESPN+ is the streaming platform that allows you to watch every out-of-market MLS match, alongside one NHL and MLB game per day during their respective regular seasons. It also has other content such as ESPN originals, UFC PPVs, and more. The price for ESPN+ is $5.99/month or $59.99/annual.
Paramount+
Paramount+ is a streaming platform that offers content from ViacomCBS without a cable box. The service was formerly known as CBS All Access and features content from CBS, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, and Comedy Central. This includes seasons of TV shows, movies, 24 hours news, and live sports. Paramount+ costs $4.99/month or $9.99/month.
Live TV Streaming Services
Another popular way to cut the cable tv cord is to subscribe to live TV streaming services. These types of pay-TV providers offer live television and will also typically feature an on-demand library and/or cloud DVR. Each live TV streaming service has a different channel line-up or add-on packages. The most popular live TV streaming options are AT&T TV, fuboTV, Hulu With Live TV, Sling TV, Philo, and YouTube TV.
AT&T TV
- Price: $59.99 to $129.99
- Free Trial: 14 days
- Number of Channels: 65+ to 130+
- Number of Titles: 65,000+
- Streaming Quality: 720p and 1080p
AT&T TV is a streaming service that offers live TV streaming over a high-speed broadband internet connection. You can use your own device such as Amazon Fire TV, Roku, smartphones, smart TV, tablets, etc. or you can use AT&T TV’s proprietary device. AT&T TV’s package channel lineups including national & local TV broadcast networks, and Regional Sports Networks (RSN). The prices ranges from $64.99/month to $129.99/month.
fuboTV
- Price: $64.99/mo. to $79.99/mo.
- Free Trial: 7 days
- Simultaneous Streams: 2
- Number of Channels: 100+
- Streaming Quality: 1080p, 4K HDR
fuboTV focuses primarily on channels that distribute live sports, including NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer, plus news, network television series and movies. Cord cutters can get up to 500 hours of cloud DVR. The fuboTV app works on virtually any streaming device. fuboTV offers over 111 live TV streaming channels starting at $64.99/month.
Hulu With Live TV
- Price: $64.99/mo.
- Free Trial: 7 days
- Number of Channels: 72
- Number of Titles: 10,000+
- Streaming Quality: 720p, 1080p, 4K Ultra HD
Hulu With Live TV subscribers can watch live sports, breaking news, awards shows, primetime dramas, daytime soaps, local teams and weather forecasts, the latest Hulu Originals. There are 75+ available live TV streaming channels such as BET, Bravo, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Freeform, Lifetime, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., TBS, TNT, VH1, and USA. Hulu With Live TV costs $64.99/month and includes Hulu’s on-demand library.
Sling TV
- Price: $35/mo.
- Free Trial: No
- Number of Channels: Sling TV Blue 47; Sling TV Orange 32
- Number of Titles: 5,000+
- Streaming Quality: 4K Ultra HD
Sling TV was the first app-based live TV streaming service to offer live TV and on-demand content. It is still one of the most popular live tv streaming services. Sling TV offers two main packages that cost $35/month or $50/month. Cord cutters can choose from many different a-la-carte bundles that cover genres such as kids, sports, outdoors, news, movies, TV shows, entertainment, and more. Sling TV also offers many different international television packages.
Philo
- Type of Service: OTT Platform
- Price: $20.00/mo.
- Free Trial: 7 days
- Number of Channels: 63
- Number of Titles: 40,000+
- Simultaneous Streams: 3
- Streaming Quality: 720p Live TV; 1080p On-demand
Philo is one of the unique live TV streaming services because it does not offer any local or sports channels. It offers 63+ live TV streaming channels. Philo also boasts unlimited DVR and a large library on-demand content. There is only one package available which costs $20/month. Pair this with an Amazon Fire TV Stick or a Roku Streaming Stick and this becomes one of the least expensive options for watching live television vs. cable TV.
YouTube TV
- Price: $64.99/mo.
- Free Trial: 14 days
- Number of Channels: 85+
- Number of Titles: 8,000+
- Streaming Quality: 1080p at 30 FPS
YouTube TV is one of the most popular cable TV alternatives. It carries popular local broadcast and cable TV channels and is a great all-around live television option. YouTube TV has one channel package that costs $64.99/month for 85+ channels. Included is an unlimited DVR putting it ahead of other competitors. Great for someone looking for a broad range of content such as local channels, sports, entertainment, news, and more.
Is Cord Cutting Really Cheaper?
Whether or not cord-cutting is cheaper than cable and satellite television plans is a hotly debated topic across the internet. You’ve probably come across numerous articles or friends who make a claim one way or the other. The truth of the matter is that it depends; however, on average, the answer is yes.
Every one of us has slightly different wants and needs when it comes to the types of programming and content we like to consume. It may require only one cable alternative to satisfy your viewing needs or it may require several. Another factor to consider is whether or not you’re subscribing for just a few months or throughout the entire year.
You will also need to assess the cost of devices vs. the fees associated with renting a cable box or other equipment. While most new televisions now have built-in smart TV capabilities you may still find yourself wanting or needing a separate streamer. However, these are one-time fixed costs vs. the monthly equipment rental fees charged by cable or satellite television providers for a cable box or satellite dish.
You will also need to determine if you need broadband internet service and how much that will cost. Some people will choose to only stream on a device such as a smartphone or and do not require a broadband internet service; however, most people will. You will need to weigh the difference between bundling or not bundling an internet service.
Additionally, despite the price of cord-cutting increasing every year, this trend appears to be slowing down as the cord-cutting market has matured. Even if you subscribe to multiple streaming services it is unlikely that you will surpass the price being billed by a cable or satellite company after accounting for their own price hikes, taxes, equipment rentals, installation, and other hidden fees.