While I love to provide computer training, I have discovered that 80% of my business now involve cord cutting. For those unfamiliar with the term, cord cutting is the process of cutting ties with the local cable or satellite TV provider. These costly services can require contracts, early termination fees and needless bundles including phone,Cable TV, internet and sometimes home security. All you need is an internet connection to save. According to the latest US statistics, 83% of US households have cut the cord in favor of streaming and/or antenna bases Over-the-Air (OTA) digital TV. The transition to ATSC 3.0, also referred to as "NextGen TV" will likely increase these percentages significantly. Antenna-based OTA TV viewing in the US in 2022 has increased to 23% Streaming is often a lower cost or no cost alternative to Cable TV viewing.
Schedule your free cord cutting consult and begin saving now.
How do you begin the process of cutting the cord? I usually recommend that you schedule a free consult where I will demonstrate each of the streaming devices that are available. Most customers choose between Roku, Google TV or Fire TV streaming stick. The next step is to decide if an antenna with or without a wireless digital tuner and DVR are of interest. While there are several options to choose from, the most popular is the AirTV Anywhere which integrates with SlingTV for its user interface which uniquely combines 400 (FAST) Free Ad Supported programs, premium subscription content along with integrated OTA TV content. The other choice is the Tablo Quad which is a stand alone OTA Antenna TV App with nearly 200 (FAST) programs.
Another decision in the cord cutting process is to determine if you want to eliminate your Internet Gateway that you are most likely renting from your cable company at from $12-17/month. The replacement can be either a Gateway or a multi-node Mesh network. A Gateway is a combination modem & router whereas a mesh network is a modem combined with a separate 3-node blended wireless mesh network. The cost is nearly the same but coverage with mesh is generally far superior to that that can be achieved with a Gateway. Equipment payback is typically under 12 months.
The advantage of Streaming over Cable or Satellite TV is that you always have the option to watch free, live and on-demand TV and movies or pay for a monthly subscription streaming package such as Philo, Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo TV or DirectTV Stream. Remember you can cancel or pause your monthly subscription service(s) for added cost savings!
Here is a link to a list of the most popular Streaming Services (CNET reference).
The final step in the process is to estimate your monthly cost savings you should expect from cord cutting. Our custom Cord Cutting Calculator will show you the monthly, yearly and 24 month cost savings by streaming compared with your current cost of Cable TV or Satellite TV. The calculator will factor in optional streaming subscriptions. It will also calculate the number of months it would take to pay off the cost of any initial hardware investments such as streaming sticks, OTA digital tuners, DVRs and network upgrades. Keep in mind most cable and satellite companies charge monthly for their modem/router, set-top-boxes and DVR's.