Cord Cutting, one year later…

I broke up with my cable provider, and I don’t regret it one bit.

In December of 2015, I wrote about being fed up with Comcast’s cable service, and how I cut the cord.  A month later, I wrote an update.  Here are my thoughts today on being cable free, along with some follow-up information.

The Setup

Internet service:  I’m still using Comcast, with the same package (105 Mbps/600 GB/$100).

  • Although I’d like to tell Comcast goodbye, unfortunately they’re still the best internet service provider in my area, hands down.
  • In all fairness, my internet service has always been consistently reliable, even when I had problems with cable.
  • I haven’t even come close to data usage overages.

Home phone:  I still have a home phone, and I’m still with Ooma.  I’m pleased with the service and haven’t had any issues.

  • I’ll probably drop the Premium service in January, which would make my bill $5.35 a month, total.

Antenna:  Still have it, still haven’t used it.

Services

Hands down, I use Netflix the most.  I’ve found some amazing  non-US based shows that I probably would’ve never found if I still had cable.

Hulu comes in a close second, and I pay for the commercial free version.  There’s a minor exception though.  Some popular shows force you to watch commercials, and fast forward is disabled, just like on demand cable services.  However, this happens so infrequently it doesn’t bother me.

  • Hulu has come a long way since the days when you had to watch the same three commercials 15 minutes.  I’m able to watch a lot of current shows within a day or two after they air.  This means I can discuss plot twists with friends in a timely manner instead of shouting “don’t tell me I haven’t watched it yet!”

I still have SlingTV, although the options have changed quite a bit.

  • I’ve been offered some beta versions that have added a lot more channels without increasing my cost ($20/month).  I’ve gained a bunch more sports channels that I still couldn’t care less about, but I’ve also picked up some channels that have eliminated some of my cons.
  • Example A:  They’ve added BET, which I listed as one of my cons a year ago because I didn’t have a (legal) way to watch Being Mary Jane.
  • Example B:  They’ve added FX, so now I can watch American Horror Story (which SUCKED) and Fargo.
  • Both channels, as well as others, offer on demand services, with some channels offering more robust options than others.  The only catch is, much like Comcast cable, sometimes when a season ends, the on demand option will disappear.  Or, they’ll remove the first few episodes but leave the latter.
  • SlingTV has also added on demand movies, including new releases.

I find myself tuning into SlingTV when I just need some background noise while I’m on my laptop.  Which is ironic because I used to get on my laptop and leave the tv on as background noise when there wasn’t anything worth watching on cable.  I get on my laptop now when I don’t have the attention span needed to tune in to a show or movie.  🙂

HBO:  I found that I watch a lot of HBO, so I’ve kept it for the year.  However, I’ve gone through a few different types of access.

  • After my free trial of HBO NOW through the Roku app, I cancelled and subscribed through SlingTV because I didn’t want to use my credit card (the only billing option available for the Roku app).
  • I HATED the interface through SlingTV.  Unless you know exactly what you want to watch, there’s a lot of scrolling involved.  So I went back to using the Roku app.  I was able to set up billing through Google as an alternative to using my credit card.

Speaking of Amazon, I don’t use it.  I took advantage of the free trial and that was it.  On a rare occasion I may rent a hard to find movie.

Showtime:  I’ve subscribed on and off throughout the year, through the Roku app.  I’m currently watching Shameless, but the season is about to wrap up so I’ll probably unsubscribe for a while.  The key is to only pay for what you’re actively using, otherwise costs creep back up.

Something I’ve never done before is pay for television shows.  I have paid for two so far, because I really wanted to see them and couldn’t find another way to watch them.  The first one was Killing Fields, on The Discovery Channel, and the second one was Queen Sugar, which is on Oprah’s channel, OWN.  I used discount codes and I don’t regret either purchase.  UPDATE (1/22/17): The Discovery Channel finally has a Roku app.  I’m telling you, the cord cutting options are changing FAST.

Breaking news, and news in general:  When I want news, I know where to find it, and when I don’t want to be bothered, I don’t have to be.  And THAT is the beauty of not having cable.  For example, during the election, I watched what I wanted to watch.  None of my shows were preempted or interrupted, and I didn’t have to deal with any annoying news ticklers across the bottom of my screen.  When I wanted to know who was in the lead, or who won, I was easily able to do so.

The bottom line

So there you have it, one year later and no regrets.  I think some people have this idea of cord cutting as going back to the stone ages.  Back when we only had four channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS), two dials (regular and UHF), and a set of rabbit ears.  It is SO not that.  Think of it more like tv a la carte.

70s television set, with rabbit ears and UHF dial

Cord cutting is a change, but a very manageable one.  And, cord cutting has gained so much popularity that if there isn’t a way to watch what you’re currently watching through cable, I’m sure they’ll be a solution soon.  The biggest bonus for me?  I’m still spending roughly the same amount per month ($180, including internet access), and I’ve saved a little over $900 over the course of one year by dropping cable.

 

**UPDATE:**  The same day I posted this, I read some interesting news regarding cord cutting so I thought I’d add the information here.

  • SlingTV gave me (the day I wrote this) and many other customers a free, three-month subscription to Epix (three additional channels).  Just to be clear, these are my own thoughts and opinions, I am not getting any type of kick back from anyone for sharing my opinions.
  • SlingTV just added six channels and a true (no additional or special device needed) cloud DVR with NO 28-day restriction.  There are a few channels that will not support the option though (ESPN, ABC, the Disney Channel, and some Fox owned channels).   Additional information is available here and here.
  • Comcast will start charging $5.49 for every tv you use (as if you needed another reason to cut the cord!!!).  This cost is creatively named a “digital adapter outlet fee.”  Don’t believe me?  Read more here.  They’re also raising their “broadcast tv” and “sports” fees again in 2017.

What are you waiting for?  Quit throwing money out the window, and getting trapped in multi-year contracts to save a few bucks, and start paying for the services you actually use, at your convenience (contract-free).

Cord free and loving it,

Angela