We’ve been thinking about this forever. Every time we get bills. Every time we talk to the kids. Every time we stream on our laptops, we ask…
...why on earth are we still paying for cable TV?!
There’s just no good reason!
So, Tarun finally pulled the plug and cut the cord. We got rid of our cable connection and we couldn’t be happier.
Cable inevitably starts with a deal that gives you the channels you want at a price you like. A year later, when the cable company has you in a headlock, you realize you are paying far more than you planned for. Then you see an advertisement - from the same provider! - for a lower-cost bundle. Excitedly you call them to find out that the offer is for new customers only. Old ones, be damned.
A month ago, we canceled our subscription and returned our boxes. The TVs went dark. No more Shark Tank, Deal or No Deal, and Tiny House Nation. That made me sad.
It also meant no more CNN and Fox. That made me ecstatic!
When the Olympics started, we wanted to watch the events on our big screen. Tarun got the Peacock app and now we are streaming and casting our favorite events from Tokyo at our convenience. He also bought an antenna. If you are imagining rabbit ears, think again. Ours looks like a large post-it on a stand and it gives us access to 40 local channels including ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS.
For everything else there is Hulu, Netflix and Prime. These services cost money but we save by sharing accounts within the family to the extent allowed. Plus, smart TVs with built-in streaming contributed to our rethink.
Here are the startling statistics.
The percentage of Americans who use cable or satellite has dropped from 76% in 2015 to 56% in 2021.
71% walked away because they can stream desired content, 69% because cable is too expensive, and 45% because they don’t watch TV. Only 28% of view time is attributable to cable, 69% to streaming.
What a relief it is to stop paying Verizon for coax content delivery and to get rid of the bulky set-top boxes!
If you've been thinking about cutting the cord, just do it. If our kids don't have cable, neither should we. It’s that simple.
Sources: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/17/cable-and-satellite-tv-use-has-dropped-dramatically-in-the-u-s-since-2015/ and https://techjury.net/blog/cable-tv-subscribers-statistics/#gref