Want to save Big Bucks? Now’s the time to Cut the Cord!

Save a million dollars!

We love our TV here at Hotchka, but we don’t like how expensive it’s become and how cable companies manipulate the prices by consolidating cable, phone and internet into one package, and then forcing you to add more channels to bring the price down (then surprising you with a sudden price increase when all those premium channels they tacked on at a substantial discount go full price). And on top of having to pay for hundred of cable channels you never watch, you have to pay for your local channels which are actually free if you have an antenna. After my cable/phone/internet bundle became totally unmanageable — in the $200+ a month range — action had to be taken after I discovered a whole new world of streaming television options.

Being the TV fan that I am, I was reticent at first to give up the ease of my cable TV and DVR, and you may be as well, but so far it’s been smooth sailing. And now that we’re in the summer months, what better time to look into cutting the cord yourself before it’s time for the new fall season? The biggest problem you’ll face at this point is deciding which service is best for you. The first thing you’ll want to do, however, is get yourself a good antenna for your free local channels. If you want to have the ability to record those local channels (including all of the major networks), there are DVRs available, including one from Tivo, that will record from an antenna. Just make sure you find one that has an Over the Air (OTA) antenna connection. Online services like Plex and PlayOn also offer the ability to record local TV online with a subscription. Once that’s taken care of, check your local internet providers to see which one offers the cheapest price for a stand-alone service. Also consider the internet speed depending on how many devices you will be connecting to the Wifi. And finally you will need a streaming device — Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast or Fire Stick are the most widely used. I’ve used all but Fire Stick and they each work fine, although Chromecast did have some issues with the SlingTV service. All of the streaming devices offer downloadable apps for just about all of the major cable networks, however, most of those networks require some type of television provider to log in and watch current episodes of their shows, and many of them now offer at least one of the streaming services we’ll tell you about. The Roku is my favorite because I can use their mobile app as a remote so I can hide the device behind my TV.

The next thing you’ll need to do is find the live streaming service that’s right for you. A large number of people today have Netflix, but that service does not offer live streaming television so don’t expect that to be a substitute for your cable TV channels. Amazon also offers a service similar to Netflix with the addition of Amazon Channels to their Prime Streaming, a service that allows you to subscribe to various premium channels for a monthly fee in addition to your Amazon Prime account. There are also free channel apps, but again, you will need a TV provider to sign in and watch new episodes. For straight streaming television services to rival your cable TV package, we’ll look at the Big Five: SlingTV, Playstation Vue, Hulu, YouTube TV and DirecTV Now.

SlingTV and Playstation Vue are the veterans among this group and they each have their pluses and minuses. SlingTV offer two basic packages, Orange and Blue. The Orange package offer 28 channels for $20, while the Blue package offers 44 channels for $25. But you have to look closely at the packages to see which one offers what you want. The Orange package includes Disney channels and ESPN networks while the Blue package does not. The Blue, of course, has more to offer but you can also combine both packages for $40. SlingTV also offers several Add On packages such as Sports Extra, Comedy Extra, Kids Extra, News Extra and Lifestyle Extra for an additional $5 or $10, or you can combine Kids, Comedy, News and Lifestyle for $10. They also offer Hollywood Extra, Heartland Extra, Broadcast Extra, HBO, Cinemax, Starz and Showtime add-ons, as well as several foreign language packages — that no other service offers — including Spanish TV, Mexico, Caribe, Sudamérica, Espana, Hindi, Chinese, Arabic, Brazilian, Deutsch, Francais and Italiano. SlingTV also has added a Cloud DVR feature which gives you 50 hours of space for $5.00 a month. It’s a nice feature, but it’s a little clunky, particularly if you want to fast forward through commercials. SlingTV allows two simultaneous streams and you can watch on your TV, computer and mobile devices anywhere you have an internet connection. If you’re looking for a true a la carte service with the minimal in the way of channels you don’t need, SlingTV is the best option.

Playstation Vue has a comparable service for $45 a month that has most of the SlingTV channels from both the Orange and Blue packages, plus many more including the family of Discovery network channels (TLC, Science and more). What they don’t have that SlingTV does offer are channels from Viacom, including MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon. In fact, most streaming services don’t carry Viacom channels because they just play hardball over money. So if you want your MTV, SlingTV is the one to consider (although some of the Viacom offerings are in Add On packages with SlingTV). Playstation Vue does not currently offer a DVR service, so you will have to add shows to a watch list and catch them when they are made available On Demand. This is what they consider a DVR feature but programs are only saved on your list for 28 days. Playstation Vue allows three simultaneous streams. If you plan to watch on a mobile device away from your home Wifi network, you must activate the device on that network first, or you will not be able to watch outside your home. Playstation Vue is not really meant as a “TV anywhere” service as some networks may also be unavailable away from your home network.

Hulu has recently jumped into the live TV business along with YouTube, however they only offer live local channels in certain markets (in Baltimore, they offer CBS affiliate WJZ, but oddly enough, no other CBS network channels like The CW). They do offer On Demand access to ABC, NBC and Fox, and live access to many cable channels. There is also an unlimited Cloud DVR service for $15.00 a month. If you don’t have an antenna and need your local channels, then YouTube TV is the way to go, offering the Big Five networks in their live streaming package. The drawback there is the rest of their cable offerings are sparse compared to the other services but they do have one of the best Cloud DVR services of the bunch. Hulu offers two simultaneous streams, and you can watch anywhere. YouTube TV offers up to six accounts. Being the new kids on the block, both services have a way to go in what they offer.

I do subscribe to Hulu, but I have not joined their live TV service due to the limited channel offerings. I have given both SlingTV and Playstation Vue a spin and both are fine but that issue of one service having a package of channels I want while the other doesn’t made both of them hard sells for me in the long run. A few months ago, DirecTV got into the streaming live TV game with its DirecTV Now service, but that was limited to AT&T mobile customers. However, the service is now available to anyone regardless of your cell phone provider and for the money, is the best of the streaming services to date, offering a wide range of channels including both Discovery networks and Viacom networks. The only channel missing that I’d like is the Pop channel. What DirecTV Now doesn’t have is a DVR service, yet, but they are said to be working on one. What they do offer, aside from a Watch List and On Demand, is a 72 Hour Rewind for certain shows and networks, meaning if you missed a show live, you have 72 hours to catch it again if you don’t want to wait for it to hit On Demand. That’s a nice little feature to have until they offer a Cloud DVR. DirecTV Now offers two simultaneous streams and you can watch anywhere.

If you’re looking for premium channels, like HBO, Showtime, Starz and Cinemax, they are available as Add Ons to the streaming services, although they are not all available across each service. HBO and Showtime do offer stand-alone subscription services that do not require any cable provider, TV service or a contract, so you can unsubscribe at any time. CBS also offers its own streaming service — which is why they are not on most of the other streaming services — called CBS All Access. The service gives you the option to stream live CBS programming, watch recent episodes and seasons of current CBS shows, access to an extensive library of CBS/Paramount TV shows from I Love Lucy to every Star Trek franchise, access to the 24/7 live Big Brother feeds, and their own original programming available nowhere else, The Good Fight and Star Trek Discovery. As with Hulu, they offer a plan with limited commercials and one with no commercials. The other networks all have ad-supported free access to their shows.

So where do you go from here? We’ve provided a handy batch of graphics to compare each streaming service with the channels they have on offer. Scroll through and find your favorite channels and decide which service is best for your needs. Playstation Vue and DirecTV Now offer several different pricing plans and packages, so we’re going with the ones that are most comparable across the boards. You can check their websites linked throughout this article to look at the lower and higher priced packages as well. Hotchka also has affiliate deals with SlingTV, CBS All Access, Roku and Amazon, so you can purchase your streaming devices or SlingTV subscription through our links and help support our website at the same time.

So take a look at what the streaming services have to offer and save yourself a bundle of cash. You can thank us later!

Pricing for cable services and bundles vary from company to company and new subscribers get substantially better rates than established customers. Depending on the number of premium channels you carry on your plan, that price goes even higher, on the average around $2500 per year. Cutting out the cable service and land line (since most people now have cell phones) can save on average $1000 per year. If you need a land line, there are internet phone services like Vonage that charge $10 a month for the first year and long distance calls are substantially cheaper than your land line phone. Also, most of the streaming services offer anywhere from one week to one month free to try them out, and may offer incentives like free Roku devices if you pre-pay a certain number of months.

 
Here is the breakdown on current streaming service pricing per year:

• SlingTV Orange (28 Channels)* – $240 / yr
• SlingTV Blue (44 Channels)* – $300 / yr
• SlingTV Orange+Blue* – $480 / yr
• Playstation Vue Slim (45+ Channels)* – $360 / yr
• Playstation Vue Core Slim (60+ Channels)* – $420 / yr
• Playstation Vue Elite Slim (90 Channels + Epix)* – $540 / yr
• Playstation Vue Ultra Slim (90 + HBO and Showtime)* – $780 / yr
• DirecTV Now Live a Little (60+ Channels)* – $420 / yr
• DirecTV Now Just Right (80+ Channels)* – $600 / yr
• DirecTV Now Go Big (100+ Channels)* – $720 / yr
• DirecTV Now Gotta Have It (120+ Channels with Starz)* – $840 / yr
• Hulu with Live TV (50+ Channels)* – $480 / yr
• Hulu with Live TV Commercial Free (50+ Channels) – $528 / yr
• YouTube TV (48 Channels)* – $420 / yr

*Adds-on available for this package.

 
For our channel comparisons, we used the Playstation Elite Slim and DirecTV Now Go Big packages.

KEY: DTV = DirecTV Now / SL-O = SlingTV Orange / SL-B = SlingTV Blue / PSV = Playstation Vue / Hulu = Hulu Live / YT = YouTube TV / $ = Add On