Alternatives to Satellite TV and Cable

The cost of satellite and cable TV has skyrocketed over the last few years. Which is kind of surprising seeing that their competition in most cases is less than half the costs to view the same shows. Nowadays, most people can watch their favorite shows and movies via cell phones, tablets, computer screens and/or Smart TVs by what is called streaming. Streaming is basically “the technology used to deliver content (normally audio and video) to computers and mobile devices using the internet or Wi-Fi” (lifewire.com).

So, what are some of the streaming alternatives to Satellite TV and Cable and how does it all work?

Streaming Devices

If you want to cut cable and/or satellite TV, consider purchasing a streaming device. A streaming device is a device that already has streaming apps (Netflix, Hulu, etc..) and/or streaming services apps (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, etc.…) readily available on it. Examples of streaming devices would be a Smart TV, a Fire Stick, a Roku Stick, etc.…. My favorite streaming device is the Amazon Fire Stick, similar to the Roku. Both have a ton of apps. From Netflix to Hulu, from Starz to HBO, the Fire Stick has pretty much eliminated the need for us to use satellite TV.

The cost of a streaming device will range. Smart TVs vary in prices based on the desired TV size. The Fire Stick or Roku Stick starts at $39.99 on Amazon (which is significantly cheaper than buying a new Smart TV). If you wait until Black Friday or Prime Day, however, you can normally get the Fire Sticks or Roku Sticks for almost have the price. We have a Fire Stick on almost all of our TVs in our home and have not had any glaring issues with ours so far. We even take it with us when we go out of town over the holidays to plug into our parents’ guest room TVs so we can catch up on movies, TV series or others.

Streaming TV Services

Streaming services is what you can purchase to replace cable or satellite. It typically includes plans similar to cable or satellite plans, but instead of hooking your TV to a cable cord or installing a satellite in or around your home, it is works directly from your Wi-Fi/Internet service. Many streaming TV services include Live TV, local channels, and have various channel packages similar to cable and satellite. Examples of streaming services include Sling TV, Direct TV Now, Hulu Live TV & Streaming Services, Vue, and more. Monthly services can range anywhere from $25 for a basic plan (Sling TV) to about $80. Most of these streaming TV services can be accessed via a Fire Stick or a Roku Stick (among others). When pricing, if you are looking for local channels and live TV, call or check to verify the plans and ensure they have the channels you are looking for.

Streaming Apps

If you have a Smart TV, a Fire Stick, a Roku Stick, or even a video game console like PlayStation, you will have access to streaming apps. Streaming apps are the individual applications (apps) you have to access movies, music or shows. Netflix is a streaming app, so is Hulu, as well as Amazon Prime Videos. And now TV channels all have streaming apps (ABC, CBS, NBC, OWN, CNN, etc…). Here, you pay monthly for each individual app. For example, right now we do not have streaming TV services like a Sling TV, but we wanted Hulu, Netflix and HBO. So, use our Fire Sticks (our streaming device) to watch Hulu, Netflix and HBO, and we therefore, pay between $8 to $12 each for those apps. We also have Amazon Prime, which not only allows us to get Free 2-Day shipping, but it includes Amazon Prime Videos, Amazon Music (limited songs/CDs) and an assortment of perks. It costs about $100/year. So, between Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, and HBO we pay about $30/month by using our Fire Stick. Pretty cheap considering many people between $150-$180/month for satellite TV.

What are some of the cons to streaming?

I could not give you the benefits of streaming without giving you the cons. Although, in my opinion, the benefits outweigh the bad, it is still important to share both sides.

First, streaming is internet (Wi-Fi) based. If you do not have a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout your entire house, particularly in the rooms where you will be watching TV via streaming, then streaming will not work well. You may have to upgrade to a better internet plan/company and even purchase a Wi-Fi Extender which is what we had to do to ensure our Wi-Fi signal was strong in every area of the house.

A second con could be, not all streaming services offer local channels. If you wanted to watch your local news and you decided to go with a streaming service who may not offer local channels, you may need to purchase an antenna which you can get at most electronic store. They normally start at $40.

Thirdly, if you only use a Fire Stick and a few streaming apps like us, you will not be able to watch your scheduled shows on the day and time.  Depending on the show, it will normally appear on apps like Hulu the next day. For example, if “This Is Us” comes on every Tuesday at 9pm, you will not be able to watch it until Thursday morning (the next day). It works well for me because most days I am unable to actually watch a show when it is on. I normally have to catch up over the weekend or during the holidays.

A fourth con is since streaming is tied to your internet or Wi-Fi service, if for some reason your internet goes out in your home, you will not be able to access any of the streaming services or apps on your TV since streaming works directly via your Wi-Fi. Although you could stream from your mobile device, if you do not have an unlimited data plan, watching movies on a mobile device can become costly.

All in all, using streaming devices (Fire Sticks) along with apps (Netflix, Hulu) has worked for our family. If you are contemplating getting rid of cable or satellite, do your due diligence, research, compare plans, price-check and ask friends and family members about their experiences. If your cable bill can change from $180 to $80 per month by streaming, I believe it is worth saving that extra $100/month even if it means watching your favorite shows the next day (delayed gratification at its best).

Happy Streaming!