I don't use cable anymore and haven't for a couple of years. Television is horrible anyway so there's nothing I ever want to watch. I can get on Netflix through my laptop hooked up to the television. My in laws have a subscription so we just use their login and watch for free. I don't really like HULU but there are other services online we have used for free. There's a good selection of shows on Netflix and you don't have to wait for the show to come on at a certain time like with cable. You can watch it whenever and wherever. I love it but I wish they would expand their inventory. Sometimes I search for a movie or show that they SHOULD have, but don't. Netflix can be kind of stingy with what they offer.
I would love to 'cut the cord' but haven't. My neighbor did it and just used Netflix for a few months, but his wife missed some TV shows that she watched on cable, so they went back to cable with Netflix. I have DirecTV and it works for me, although I hate hate hate commercials and advertisements. I'll frequently record a show so I can fast forward and not listen to the ads. I supplement it with Netflix, which I love.
Between Netflix, You Tube, Internet streaming sites and downloadable TV shows, I have no use for cable. I paid like $100 a month to get Dish a few years back and it was a total waste.
We have cable and nothing else in our home. You got to pay for what services you need and want we feel. I saw the commercial for the antenna you buy and you should get free cable stations, but it works only in certain areas and my Mother will have nothing of it. We get good cable service with TimeWarner Cable in Hawaii.
We just got rid of our cable subscription 4 months ago and it was one of the best decisions that we've ever done. We managed to save money, and we can still watch our favorite shows because they're easily accessible online and on youtube. The only negative thing is that I don't get to watch live basketball games anymore because BTVs gone. I'm considering on subscribing to league pass but there's lot of negative comments about them and I'm taking my time.
I'm upset at the thought of having to pay $20/month more for my internet if I cut the television service. It's an 'unbundling' fee, which is ridiculous. I wish we had more competition here, but there are only two providers to choose from, and the one I have is the better of the two. As far as television, I could actually go with Dish Network if I wanted, but there always seems to be issues with them. I'd considered DirecTV, but they are now part of AT&T, so there's no point in switching, since that's who I have currently. If/when I cut the cord, I'll have to buy new antennas (at least 2), plus a streaming device. I have a blu-ray player on one television, but it's older, and although I can stream Amazon, Crackle and a few others, I can't stream YouTube on it. I've decided on Roku, but I'm not sure whether I want to just get a stick or the actual Roku 3. Price is always a consideration. I'm expecting to go back to Netflix and add Hulu once I make the transition. I'd like to make it through Christmas with Hallmark Channel, but that might not happen.
We still pay for cable because it's still worth the money for us. We have a lot of channels that wouldn't be available for us elsewhere as the only alternatives out now are mostly geared towards English movies and TV shows, and I personally don't watch that many series so it's not worth it for me to make the jump. I watch a lot of movies but that's not really why we pay for cable since if I wanted to I'd just stream it or download, and mostly we are just paying bale for the few local cable and network channels as well as a few other interesting foreign ones. My only gripe is that a lot of these channels are still not offered to us in widescreen.
Well cutting cable was really one of the first major decisions that I made when I decided to really buckle down and start saving money, and it was a great decision and I will probably never go back. That said, I was lucky to have done it when the streaming services were available so that might have eased the pain a little bit. It does seem like there is not much use for them anymore, and maybe that is why prices are so high now.
What about sports enthusiasts, does Hulu and Netflix cater for them in a meaningful way? These are some of the subscribers to whom cable TV is still relevant. They would wish to see their favourite event live when there is time. I don't believe Hulu and Netflix are facilitating anything like this just now.
