With the rising costs of streaming services and licensing exclusivity it leads us to wonder; is cutting the cord still worth it?
In this blog post we will dive into whether the money saved from cutting the cord is truly worth the inconveniences it can bring.
What is Cutting the Cord
The concept of cutting the cord started when streaming services became popular. The idea is that users can stop paying for cable TV and start consuming media from huge libraries of shows, movies and original content from companies like Netflix, Hulu, Paramount, and Disney, and eventually even live TV. The plan was always to spend less money to watch what you want.
As they became more popular, the prices for streaming services rose quickly. Check out this article from the Verge, Here comes another Netflix price hike, for the history of Netflix price hikes.
Initially these companies offered large libraries of shows. It was relatively cheap and offered tons of media to consume. These were generally just an add on on to our lives, and cable was still required if you wanted to watch the news, sports, or local/regional TV.
Eventually more companies started streaming services. Each purchased rights to stream certain networks. As time went on, networks decided to make their own streaming services as well, or moved their rights from one service to another that was offering a better bang for their buck.
A show like The Office is a good example. It was once streamed on Netflix and then moved over to Peacock TV.
Streaming rights can also transcend multiple platforms. A good example of this can be found with the show called S.W.A.T.
This show has seven seasons. Season 1-3 Are available on Hulu. Seasons 1-6 Are available on Netflix. Season 7 is available on Paramount +. This means in order to watch the entire thing you would need access to three different streaming services.
It’s very hard to know which shows might be removed from a particular service. Some services offer a list in a newsletter or on their website about what will be removed on certain dates.
Licensing and streaming rights seem to be a fairly liquid also, which means a show that you enjoy or have not finished may disappear from that service.
Moving past streaming from large libraries of media
A lot of streaming companies that once only functioned as holders of large libraries, have started to offer live TV packages. These packages replicate certain aspects of cable TV, but at a cheaper cost. Some popular examples are YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, FuboTV, and DirectTV.
Customers have access to pre selected networks depending on which company’s live TV package has been purchased. Cheaper plans usually have less channels, more expensive plans have more channels. Generally these companies have up to five plans available to choose from. The channels, and what is available with each plan, are usually listed on their website. They might also offer add-ons such as HBO, Showcase and other premium channels.
This sounds, and is great, for a lot of people. With these plans you can have the equivalent cable channels and pay less than you do from Xfinity or Verizon. They also all offer DVR functionality and TV guides essentially emulating the old cable service. However, for others the account and application management can be difficult, and some don’t even really save that much money.
Cons of Live TV Services
As mentioned before, streaming rights can make live TV plans a bit of a mess, and many people have purchased these plans without realizing they don’t give access to their favorite channels.
A good example of one of the biggest cons is watching sports.
In this example, let’s see what it was like to watch all Bruins games for the 2023-2024 Season.
First, users need to determine what live TV service offers your regional sports games. After doing some research, Hulu and YouTube TV didn’t provide access to NESN. FUBO was the best option available and boasts about their cheap access to live sports.
In order to watch NESN in 4K instead of 1080p The plan went from $80 a month to $90 a month. This doesn’t include the regional sports fee. In the end it was $105 per month to watch NESN. For games ESPN owns, you will also need a Hulu+ESPN+ plan. This is at least $11 per month and that’s just the base version where you have to watch advertisements on any streamed content from their media library.
On top of that certain game’s rights were owned by TNT. FUBO does not stream TNT, and in order to watch those games you need to have a MAX account which is at least $10 a month. If you don’t care about having other live TV channels, you can buy NESN360 for $30 a month or $329 annually. But you only get access to the NESN content they stream.
So if we decide we do want live TV, this leaves us with three different accounts on three different apps that need to be signed in on every device you have in order to watch the Bruins. Costing no less than $141 a month. Though this may still be cheaper than some cable plans, it’s certainly a difficult to manage, and was even more difficult to have to figure out!
Main things to think about when making the decision
Below we list some general pros and cons of Cable vs Streaming Services. Hopefully we can help you make a more informed decision of weather it is truly worth it or not for you.
Pros
- Potential money saver
- Possibly broader selection of content dependent on the plan
- No cable box fees
- Stream from any smart device, TV, or computer
- Useable in various locations
Cons
- Rising Prices and potential need for multiple subscriptions
- Possibly lesser selection of content dependent on the plan
- Requires stable internet connection throughout whole house
- Potential for a lot of subscription management
- Watching sports can be difficult at times
Ideally, before deciding, you need to be sure you understand what you are getting access to. Compare the cost difference to determine if it is worth it, especially if you lose access to certain channels. And then make your choice. Hopefully this gave you a good idea when faced with the question is cutting the cord still worth it?
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