I often get asked what cord cutting devices and services I use. Yesterday, I talked about the devices I use. Today, I want to go over 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 beta, and Fubo TV.
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 during football season.
During the college football season I typically use DIRECTV NOW. (I still have the $35 Go Big promo deal.) 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 has a ton of great content, and I use NewsON for local news when I want it. Crackle and Tubi TV are great ways to watch a ton of free content.
Total new cost: $43 a month (Not counting services I paid for when I had cable.) For that $43 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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