Smart City Telecom Blog

Saving Money On TV Entertainment Has Never Been Easier

By Debbie Burke
Cut the Cord
Cutting the cable

There’s never been a better time to cut the cable cord and save on entertainment. Instead of paying $100-200 every month for cable channels never watched, more Americans than ever are cutting the cable TV cord in favor of streaming services like Sling TV, YouTube TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and Hulu. And if you don’t want to pay anything, many services stream free TV shows, movies, and live news.

Sorting through these options isn’t always easy. It requires picking from different hardware options and an ever-growing list of streaming services that can be overwhelming. But cutting the cable cord is much easier than most of us think. It can be set up with just a few pieces of equipment and be active in less than a day.

It’s so easy to cut the cable TV cord.

  1. Review your cable TV bill to see if you are locked into a contract. Determine when it expires and if you owe termination fees for dropping cable.
  2. Set up a home Internet and Wi-Fi plan from your local provider. You will need at least 100 Mbps download Internet service to stream without lag or buffering and a Wi-Fi service plan so your streaming devices can get online from any part of the house.
  3. Choose your streaming path. Keep most or all the channels you currently watch with Sling TV, YouTube TV, or Hulu + Live TV. Or build your own plan through on-demand services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and free video sources.
  4. Use a streaming device. While there are no monthly equipment fees, you may need to purchase a streaming media play such as a Roku device, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast smart TV, game console, or Apple TV.
  5. Test out a Live TV streaming service. While you still have cable TV, compare your must-have channels from your current cable TV to those of your streaming TV choice.
  6. Cancel cable TV service. Be sure to return any rental equipment immediately to avoid paying additional fees.

To learn more about cutting the cable cord, download the “Guide to Video Options” from Smart City Telecom by going to www.smartcitytelecom.com/cutthecord.