If you read Cord Cutters News every day you know we often talk about how there is no one-size-fits-all solution to cord cutting. Still one of the most common arguments in our comments and social media is what it really means to be a cord cutter. Can you be a cord cutter and subscribe to a live TV streaming service? Is the true meaning of cord cutting just using an antenna?
Today I want to look at what it means to be a cord cutter and why there is no one way to be a cord cutter.
From our experience, you can put cord cutters into three categories based on how they primarily view TV. You can use all three of these options, but we find typically cord cutters use one of them as their primary way to watch TV.
Here are the three types of cord cutters:
Type 1: The Live Streamers
The first group is the newest group of cord cutters, and I call them the live streamers. These cord cutters use a live TV streaming service such as Hulu or YouTube TV as the primary component of their TV viewing.
They may have on-demand services or an antenna but live TV is their focus when it comes to TV viewing.
Type 2: The On-Demand Streamers
The second kind of cord cutters are the most common type. These cord cutters mostly use on-demand services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon to watch their shows. They may not see their shows live, but they are happy with the content they have.
You may find them subscribing to live TV services from time to time. They may have an antenna for live locals but most of their viewing is with an on-demand service.
Type 3: The Hard-Core Cord Cutters
This group is the smallest of all the cord cutting types. The hard-core cord cutters are people who only want an antenna and some DVDs. They don’t want to pay for any service, and they are happy to watch just what their antenna offers and what is available on services such as Redbox.
Some still have home Internet and may stream using free services, such as Crackle or Tubi, but a growing number of cord cutters are also ditching home Internet. With cheap unlimited data plans, I see a growing number of cord cutters just using their phones or tablets to access the content they want without home Internet.
Final Thoughts
Remember not everyone will fit neatly into any one category. Many may mostly be on-demand streamers but subscribe to PlayStation Vue during football season. I have just found over the last five years most cord cutters I talk with fit into these three categories.
So, are you less of a cord cutter if you are a live TV streamer? A hard-core cord cutter? No! Cord cutting can be anything you want it to be. Whatever works for you. Don’t let others tell you what you need to have or do to be a cord cutter.
What type of cord cutter are you? Leave us a comment.
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