I am often asked what my personal at home cord cutting setup is, so I decided to break down what I use. Last week when I shared this list I noticed it was out of date so today I am posting my updated list of devices I currently use. Now remember this list is always changing but as of today, this is the list.
Yesterday I posted the devices I used. Today I am going to post about the services I use.
Now, what services I use is a tough question, because I subscribe to a ton of services for work. I currently have a subscription to every live TV service including Sling TV, Philo, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu’s live TV, Fubo TV, and more.
I also subscribe to many video on-demand services for testing that I don’t typically use. Whether that be testing out a service such as CuriosityStream or Shudder, I often rotate through them so I can do reviews and recommend services I enjoy.
So remember this post is what I use at home, not every service I currently pay for.
Services I Used When I Became a Cord Cutter
When I cut the cord, we already had Netflix and subscribed to Amazon Prime Video. (We had Amazon Prime mostly for the free shipping.) So we added Hulu for a total new cost of about $8 a month. (That is an important thing to remember. Many cable subscribers already pay for one or more streaming services such as Netflix.)
I used the LiveStream app to stream my local news because we lived in an area with no over-the-air reception. I also used Twonky Beam, a free app that would cast YouTube videos to your Roku before YouTube had an official app. (Anyone remember Twonky Beam?) I also used a few other free services here and there, but none really stand out in my memory.
Total new cost: $8 a month (Not counting services I paid for when I had cable.)
Services I Use Today as a Cord Cutter
I still use Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. A few years ago I moved, so I now use an antenna, the 4V from Antenna Direct, and a Tablo DVR to stream it to all the devices in my house.
As for live TV services, if it was not for my work at Cord Cutters News, I would only subscribe to them twice a year. First, during the Walking Dead I would get Sling TV, because it is the least expensive option. Second, I would pay for a live TV streaming service during football season.
During the college football season this year I used YouTube TV for the first time but I also used Sling TV for the Pac 12 Network. I am a huge Big Ten fan, and they didn’t black out the games on FS1. I love that Sling has the Pac 12 Network but, sadly, it does not have the Big Ten Network.
I also use several free services. Pluto TV, Xumo, The Roku Channel, IMDb TV, Tubi, and Crackle all have a ton of great content. I also use NewsON for local news when I want it.
Total new cost: $48 a month (Not counting services I paid for when I had cable.) For that $48 a month I get far more content than I ever had with cable.
So what cord cutting services do you use? (Please only post legal services. Posting pirated services may result in a ban.)
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