Cutting Your TV Costs

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A couple of years ago I noticed that I was paying a lot of money on my TV bill. I just wanted the local channels and some of the basic cable channels, but it seemed that every six months my bill was going up. So I decided that I was going to cut the cable and use some online alternatives. When I made this choice there were not as many options as we have now, but in case you might also be looking to save some cash, I recommend looking into some of the choices below.

Netflix

By far Netflix’s is the king of video streaming online. They have a vast collection of Movies & TV Shows. They have even started to produce some TV shows such as House of Cards which has won 3 Emmy’s. I would also say that Netflix is the most in tune with their customer for offering plans that can stream up to 4 HD devices at once. Which is a big Plus for me! Since, they have a large collection of movies and tv shows, your biggest challenge is going to be deciding what to watch. When this happens I would recommend giving Netflix Roulette a try.

Hulu

Hulu has many advantages the first is that it is free. Yes, Hulu has some content that does not require a premium membership. There are some draw back’s such as the fact that it plays commercials. I hate commercials, but for free TV, I can live with it. If you are using the free account you, will have to wait a week for the newer episodes of TV shows to be available online. If you are on the HULU Plus membership you, will have to wait a day, but you will still have to sit through those commercials.

Amazon Prime

Since Amazon has its hands in everything these days it is no surprise the online giant also has a streaming service. If you are a Prime Member, you have access to Amazons prime library. This includes many movies and tv shows. Most, of which you can see on Netflix, but they have landed some exclusive rights as well as started to produce their own shows like Alpha House. I am a subscriber to Amazon Prime, but at this time they do NOT have an option to increase the number of devices that can stream simultaneously. The best thing about Amazon’s movie library is the fact you can watch many new release right from your device for a fee. You even have the option to rent or buy these movies so you can watch later. If your a big fan of Sci-Fi I would recommend checking out the Stargate Franchise.

Sling

Is a new service that I am excited about. Sling is made by Dish and will allow you to watch a handful of cable tv channels online with a monthly fee. As they continue to add new programming and packages, it will be interesting to see how this service develops over the course of the year. Currently, they offer about 19 channels included AMC, ESPN, ESPN2, and TNT. Their service is only going to let one device stream at a time which is a little disappointing. They are also offering premium packaging at a higher rate if you want more channels. This service is going to be a live stream of the cable channel so it  does not include an option to skip commercials or record your shows except for certain channels.

CBS All Access

CBS is picky about to putting its content on sites such as Netflix, HULU, Amazon, but they do offer their package for you to get your TV Shows and Movies. The biggest drawback is it does not show all the previous seasons for its shows.

HBO GO

HBO has announced its online stream service will let you sign-up for HBO GO without a cable or satellite provider. This would give all of us Game of Thrones fan a great avenue to watch the show. You can sign-up using a iPad or iPhone. You can also sign-up if you are currently a subscriber of Sling TV, by adding it to your subscription.

Local Channels

Currently, you only have a handful of options to watch local channels online.  The one I found to be the best is KDSK which offers a live stream of their news online. You can also use some private channels on Roku to access this channel as well as other.

 

 

Let us know what Online TV Services you are using?

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