It feels like every time cord cutters catch a break, we take a step back. We left big cable to now deal with big streamer, and we are getting tired of this. Well if this is you and you need a solution then go nowhere else, this article is for you. This article is designed to help you break away from both big cable and big streamer and still enjoy your content legally.
Rabbit Ears
Over the air channels have come a long way since the days of our parents and grandparents. Where they saw a bunch of fuzz using analog, we are getting crisp high def channels using digital. But where we share is in the channels being free. The number of over the air channels that are available may surprise you. And the cost of the initial set up rivals that of what it cost to set up a local cable box. You just need a high quality antenna, which you can pick up from your local electronics store.
Let’s deal with the Sports
Yes, we will be able to enjoy sports content via OTA (over the air) television, but companies have gotten wise to that and shifted some of their sports content over to specialized channels (ie ESPN, NFL Network, MLB, etc). So for the sports fans out there, we will still need to use a streaming service. But that do not mean we need to pay $50 per month. If you are needing your sports fix, check out ESPN+, for $5 per month you get live sports, as well as original content.
Make use of the free streamers
There are a number of services out there that will allow you to enjoy movies for free (legally). The only issue is that you’re going to have to sit through ads. If you can deal with the ads, then you will get access to movies at no cost out of pocket. Unfortunately, many of the movies are going to be either old or no longer on the popular streaming services like Netflix. If this interests you, then check out Crackle (now Sony Crackle) and TubiTV. And as an added bonus, some of these services have a library of classic shows.
Take advantage of Prime
Though I rarely use Amazon Prime’s streaming service, it is there and have some good content. The number of movies available when added with your other free streaming services will gain you a healthy library of movies and content to choose from. And for a number of us who subscribe to prime mainly for their shipping, we have access to their streaming services as well.
Pick a few of the cheap streamers but be careful
Jump on some of these cheaper services like DC Universe or Disney + (when it is made available). They are around $8 a month and contain a library of movies and original content. Where you will need to be careful is in making sure to not subscribe to so many of these streaming services that you defeat the purpose. One way around that is to maybe go 4-5 months with one and binge what you miss, and switch to the other and do the same. I do this with HBO GO.
Movie Channels are able to be streamed as well
Speaking of HBO GO, you no longer need to be attached to a cable company to enjoy extended cable channels. You can just subscribe to channels like Starz ($8 per month), Showtime ($11 per month), HBO GO ($15 per month), and more. With these channels being more expensive, I will only subscribe to them for a very short period of time (ie Game of Thrones). But if any service I would recommend for the keeps, it would probably be Starz because of the movies.
So there you have it. You do not need to be at the mercy of the big streaming companies turned big cable. If they want to keep increasing the pricing and channel packages to match big cable, then maybe it is time to cut their feed and unsubscribe. There are a number of ways to still enjoy TV without being raked over the coals.
