How To Cut the Cord on Cable for Good

How much is your cable bill? Chances are it’s either higher than you’re comfortable with, or you don’t have access to all the channels you want because you had to settle for a cheaper plan. But that's a problem that the average American might not have to deal with anymore.

Streaming is transforming how we watch television. Most streaming services now offer everything cable and satellite TV providers do, including live TV and cloud-based DVRs that work similarly to the cable DVR you’re used to.

It’s for this reason that more Americans are cutting the cord on their cable TV each year and replacing it with their favorite streaming services. Cord cutters able to take advantage of affordable live TV and video streaming services like Sling TV, which between its Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans, offers live sports, news, and entertainment channels starting at $35/month—with no annual contracts.

There are also several services that have free TV, movies, and news content such as Peacock, Roku Channel, Sling TV Free, and Pluto TV. For services that offer ad-supported account tiers, you'll have the opportunity to reduce the price you pay each month.

It’s getting easier and easier to cut the cord and completely replace your cable TV plan with streaming. Whatever channel lineup you watch, there’s a very high chance you can stream it.

If you’re unhappy with your cable TV service, streaming is definitely worth looking into. If you’re curious about the options that are out there and how much money cutting the cord can save you, use the following steps to see if streaming TV is right for you:

·   Find an Internet Plan with Unlimited Data

·   Choose Your Streaming Service

·   Get a Streaming Device

·   Record Shows with Cloud DVR

·   Consider Using an Over-the-Air Antenna for Local Channels

·   Make Sure You’re Ready Before Cutting the Cord

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Let's take a closer look at each steps and how it can help your household cut the cord for good.

Find an Internet Plan with Unlimited Data

Streaming uses more data than any other activity you do online, especially if you stream in 4K. An Internet service provider that imposes data caps, charges overages, or throttles your speeds isn’t one you should be using whether or not you’re interested in streaming TV. If your cable is bundled with an Internet provider that limits data usage and throttles your speeds, that’s even more reason to unbundle and change your Internet and TV services.

Find an Internet provider that offers unlimited data, and you can stream all you want. Check your address to see if you live in a Tachus service area or request service at tachus.com/getfiber. Tachus offers fiber Internet with unlimited data, lifetime pricing, and no contracts.

If you’re under contract with your current provider, you’ll need to be ready to either wait it out or pay an early termination fee. And make sure your new provider doesn’t use contracts—this should be one of the questions to ask when researching new providers.

If you do plan to replace cable TV with streaming, you’ll likely need a faster connection than you have now. Use a bandwidth calculator to get a better idea of what your needs will be.

Choose Your Streaming Service

You and your family should make a list of the channels you cannot give up.

Where do you watch your news? What sports do you watch? What shows do you watch as a family? What do your kids watch?

Once you have this list, use it to figure out which streaming service fits you the best. One way we recommend doing this is going to tachus.com/tv.

Tachus.com/tv is a service we offer, together with MyBundle.TV, that helps customers shop for the streaming service that's right for them. It's fast, easy to use, and matches you with streaming TV plans that are just right for you.

All you have to do is select all the channels you can’t live without, and tachus.com/tv will show you the streaming services that are the best fit for you.

The best part about these streaming services is that you can cancel and restart them at any time. Some services will offer free trials as well.

Are you caught up on a TV show that’s on a premium platform like HBO or Showtime? You can change your service and spend less money while you wait for the next season to come out.

Are you a sports fan? Learn how you can watch the Houston Astros without using cable.

Get a Streaming Device

If you have a smart TV or game console, you might be able to skip this step depending on which streaming services available to them. If you need a new streaming device, there a plenty of great and affordable options out there like Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Check out some devices our customers and employees recommend.

Before you buy a new device, make sure the streaming services you want are all available on it. Most services will have a list of supported streaming devices if you look them up, so this won’t be hard to find out.

Record Shows with Cloud DVR

How often do you use your cable box’s DVR? Many live TV streaming services offer a cloud-based DVR for any content that isn’t already offered on-demand. Some services’ DVR have more limitations than others, so keep that in mind when looking at streaming services. YouTube TV has one of the best cloud-based DVR services available.

Consider Using an Over-the-Air Antenna for Local Channels

If you’re interested in paying less per month for local networks while streaming, it might be a good idea to invest in an antenna. These aren’t the “rabbit ears” antennas that you had to carefully adjust—these are over-the-air (OTA) antennas and are much more reliable. Depending on where you live, these OTA antennas can give you access to local channels including Fox, NBC, ABC, and PBS.

Some popular and affordable indoor OTA antennas for live local TV include:

·   Channel Master Flatenna 35

·   Antennas Direct ClearStream Eclipse

·   1byOne

If you want to see more options for antennas, check out this list.

Make Sure You’re Ready Before Finally Cutting the Cord

You’ve chosen your streaming services and device. You might have even decided to invest in an OTA antenna to cover your local channels. Before you officially cancel your cable service, make sure you’ve familiarized yourself with all of your new equipment and services and make sure you’re not leaving anything out.

You don’t want to fully make the transition, only to realize later that you no longer have access to a network you thought you did. If you feel like you need to test drive your new streaming setup for a few weeks before cutting the cord, we recommend doing so. Once you’re certain you have everything you need, cut the cord and don’t look back.

While streaming all of your shows and movies might be harder for some people than for others, it’s absolutely worth trying. You can potentially save a lot of money each month, and it comes with no risk. Streaming services’ month-to-month plans make them easy to change or cancel anytime if you don’t like them.

Cutting the cable cord is only getting easier as new options become available. If done right, you can save money, choose the service that’s just for you, and switch services whenever you want to. Give it a chance, and you might never use cable again.

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