TV Streaming Packages

[DenaliDemocrat]

So we finally got highway speed Internet and I am ready to cut the cable cord! I have a budget about $100/month. What streaming packages are the most bang for the buck?

[rzemanfl]

1. Start with your library card. Kanopy and Hoopla are free.

Happy New Year.

[kskiska]

10. Kanopy is great, but you're limited to 5 per month.

Good to have, though.

[Phoenix61]

2. I rotate between Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu.

There’s really no reason to have them all at the same time. There’s only so much content.
I also have Acorn which is mostly British and Australian. Not a lot of content bur it’s all very good and an annual subscription is around $50.

[ananda]

31. BritBox is good too!

And PBS

[underpants]

3. See post 1. Other than that. Sling covers most of what I need.

with Disney Paramount and Hulu filling it out. My wife and daughter tend to handle the remote. Netflix has good original content. I’d start with Sling and see what has what you tend to watch.

I have an HD antenna. Sling here doesn’t include local channels. A lot if sports is covered by the antenna.

[a kennedy]

4. This a great idea......lotsa channels for streaming, but would love to see a list of what's available

and for how much money. Thanks for asking. Now if someone could help us out, that would be great.

[snowybirdie]

5. We joined Wal-Mart

During lockdown and like the convenience of delivered groceries. The subscription ($100 a year), includes Paramount+ as well. I use it a lot.

[TheBlackAdder]

6. Firefox with the "Enhancer for YouTube" plug-in. No more ads, ever again. Watch movies & vids.

[dalton99a]

18. +1

[sarcasmo]

7. HBO Max is the best bang for your buck

[QED]

8. I have youtubeTV

It's ~$69/month with tax. I like the unlimited DVR capability. It also has a bazillion networks that can be added or hidden. The interface can be customized so my favorites are near the top.

In addition, I have PBS passport ($5/month). Disney+, Hulu, and Showtime are included with my Verizon bundle that includes my phone and home internet for ~$114/month. Curiosity Stream to satisfy my inner nerd is $20/year and has science stuff as well as history, archeology, etc.

[CrispyQ]

9. While streaming is much better than cable or Dish, there's room for improvement.

I keep a calendar of which services we signed up for & the date they renew. Be prepared to sign up for a service to watch a particular show/series only to have the service cancel that show/series before you finish it. Also, a service that I currently subscribe to for $5 a month is merging with another service & the price is going to go up. Swell. Another thing that's really annoying is there isn't any standardization on how the apps work. For example, how to set Closed Caption is different on every service. IMO, Netflix has the best user interface. All that said, I do like streaming & I'm pretty sure it will get better.

[Ziggysmom]

11. CNET has a good article here.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/live-tv-streaming-services-list-top-100-channels/

It's a personal preference as to what channels and shows you prefer. Fortunately most apps have a free trial where you can check it out for free, BUT you must cancel within the set time period so you don't get charged.

[iemanja]

12. Netflix for sure

There is also a lot of good content on Apple TV. My current favorite is Slow Horses. All of seasons 1 and 2 are available.

[Prairie_Seagull]

13. It seems simple but it's not.

Make a list of stuff you actually watch. Paying particular attention to the local channels you want. Then find the most economical way to achieve same. I have found that I rarely watch anything that is not on the list and if I do, i just pay for it individually.

The idea of writing everything down, is a good one. Wish I had done it.

Good luck.

[Joe Cool]

14. Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle

Amazon Prime
HBO Max

Those are my top 3.

Paramount + (CBS) and Peacock (NBC) are honorable mentions.

Netflix has some good shows but it is hightly overrated and doesn´t really carry live events.

There are a lot of free streaming services such as Tubi and Plex.

Frndly TV has a pretty good deal for $6.99 a month.

It really depends on what you like.

[Mysterian]

15. YouTubeTV is pretty good

It has your live TV and local channels.

[AntivaxHunters]

16. Get a ROKU as soon as you can

There's 1000s of channels for free

[Rver]

17. another option

to add is free over the air TV. If you live in a populated area you should be able to get the big 3 plus pbs. There's all of the extra stations too. Metv, grit, h&I and more. Do your research on antennas though. Some are better than others. If you have a roku TV you can add a flash drive and be able to pause live TV. I have Netflix and prime so it's more than enough.
My .02
Happy New Year's

[Genki Hikari]

19. It depends on what you want to watch

Make a list of your "must-watch" TV, or at least type of shows. If they're bunny-ear shows, you can probably get most of them with a simple antenna. It's the cable-type shows that you'll probably need streaming for, and some of the streaming services are better at offering those than others.

I currently have Amazon Prime, but that's because it (and the "two-day" shipping) comes with my cell phone service. I hardly ever watch it. My only real "must watch" with that is Mrs. Maisel. I've thought about getting the PBS streaming service because I do like many of their documentary programs, but I somehow never get around to it. Plus, it kinda toasts my crackers that they want me to pay for something that I can get over the air for free.

I've had Netflix and Hulu, but I didn't watch the former enough to justify the expense, and I loathed how ad-laden the latter was. I utterly despise ads. All of them. The cost to get Hulu ad-free was highway robbery to me.

A big reason why I have no use for streaming, overall, is that my tastes are pretty niche. I tend to like foreign shows, and few streaming services carry any of them. The few that do get run often appear years after the original release. That does me no good. I know about shows I want to see that are running right now in several foreign countries, and I don't appreciate having to wait two years or more for some streaming service to pick it up. If any of them ever do.

I have other means to get those shows, often within hours of the original broadcast, and make use of them.

[DenaliDemocrat]

20. I live on a farm

Rabbit ears are not an option here. It’s satellite or streaming

[Hermit-The-Prog]

26. You might be surprised

I'm in the middle of the sticks and get over 40 channels by way of a home-made Gray-Hoverman antenna.


Check your location to see what stations are near you:
https://www.fcc.gov/media/engineering/dtvmaps

[eShirl]

21. best deal is Pluto TV

0$

[hunter]

22. Our television budget is around $35

My wife and I usually have Netflix and one or two other services, which we shuffle through. One of our kids set us up with Netflix years ago. We also have a large DVD collection. Most of these I bought in thrift stores. We don't have any other television. I have zero tolerance for television advertising. Neither one of us watch any television news or sports.

[helpisontheway]

23. I LOVE YouTube TV..$64/mo and you get more than 100

Channels. Seems like we still have cable. It comes with an unlimited dvr for each person in your household The things you record are stored in the cloud so no info stored on your devices. We cut the cord in Feb but I wish we cut it sooner. We have a few other streaming services and it is still much cheaper than cable. People that visit can’t tell that we don’t have cable. lol

[onenote]

24. Does your budget include the cost of internet access

or is it for services above and beyond internet access?

[madinmaryland]

25. We cut the cord nearly nine years ago starting with Sling, Netflix, and Hulu.

The first thing we did was determine the channels we used. My wife and her friend split six other streaming services so I think we actually get eight or nine streaming services. Paramount, Peacock, hbo max, Prime, Showtime, Acorn and Britbox and a couple others I can’t remember. We watch Acorn and Britbox the most.

[lindysalsagal]

33. Most allow me to turn them on and off at will with a

Simple pc login, so I can join whatever's got a good series, then drop it.

[Rstrstx]

27. If you get a Samsung they have hundreds of free channels

On Samsung Plus. I’m stunned that they don’t charge for it

[mcar]

28. We have Roku

Subscribe to Netflix and Apple+, get Amazon Prime with my annual membership. Pick up Paramount for a few months a year, ditto Starz. $5/month gets you PBS Passport.

We also have access to YouTubeTV and HBO Max via DS. Don't watch much live TV though, just record Jeopardy.

[mockmonkey]

29. There is a Netflix, Streaming Videos & DVD group in DU

Just for future reference.

https://democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1143

[48656c6c6f20]

30. YouTube TV has the most channels and the best features hands down

I've used them all, Hulu TV, Sling orange &+ blue, Plex, AppkeTV on and on
YouTube TV is hands down the best overall.
Around 70 a month.

[lindysalsagal]

32. Sling. Major networks and cable news.

Half the price of any small cable package. Mine's hard-wired, not wifi.