2023 saw growth in cord cutting with millions of new cord cutters added to the numbers. You have likely seen many recent stories arguing that cord cutting costs more than cable TV or that you won’t be happy with streaming. These arguments are nothing new, and the good news is you can save a lot of money with cord cutting in 2024. So, how can you save money with cord cutting in 2024? We are going to break down a few common ways to do that.
Tip #1 Rotate Streaming Services
The great thing about cord cutting is you can subscribe to streaming services without a long-term contract. This allows you to easily jump between different streaming services without the need to pay for them all at once.
For example, the new Outlander season on Starz just took its mid-season break. This is a great time to subscribe to a month of Starz and watch every episode, plus a ton of other content on for a month. Once you have watched everything you want on Starz, you can cancel and switch to a different streaming service.
Tip #2 Take Advantage of Free Streaming Services
There are a growing number of free ad-supported streaming services that offer high-quality content. Amazon’s Freevee now streams many of its older Original Programs and Pluto TV often streams older seasons of Paramount+ programs. Take advantage of these services as a great way to expand your library of content without needing to add an extra streaming service.
Tip #3 Don’t Subscribe to a Streaming Service for a Single Show
We all have that show we love, and maybe you can watch it on Peacock or maybe it is on Max, but you may also be able to buy a season pass for the show through places like Amazon. If all you want is a single show, consider buying that show by the season through a service like Amazon. This could save you a lot of money compared to a $9.99 a month package on many streaming services.
Tip #4 Use an Antenna
Did you know most Americans can watch HD TV for free with an antenna? I get almost 50 channels where I live in Michigan. Buying an antenna is a one-time cost that can help save a ton of money. Plus, you get all the big networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC in most areas. If all you want is local news, there is no need to pay for a live TV streaming service when an antenna can often give you those channels.
Tip #5 Switch to Ad-Supported Plans
Many streaming services now offer ad-supported plans and other plans are on the way. Disney+ and Netflix both launched new less expensive, ad-supported streaming plans recently. AMC+ has also announced it plans to launch an ad-supported plan this year.
Take advantage of the savings you can get by using the new less expensive ad-supported plans.
Bonus Tip: Take Advantage of Annual or Bundle Plans
If you know there is a service you must have year-round consider switching to a yearly plan. This not only saves you money but it also protects you from price hikes for at least a year.
You may also want to look at the growing number of bundled streaming services. They will reportedly offer discounted prices for multiple services helping you save money if you already use these services.
How Much Will You Save with Streaming?
The average cost of cable TV is $147 a month just for TV. So, what is the cost of a bundle of popular streaming services? Let us look at the cost of Max, Paramount+, Peacock, and Disney+. Four great cord cutting services that can give you a ton of content but have all seen price hikes this year.
- Disney+ starting at $7.99 a month
- Paramount+ starting at $5.99 a month
- Max starting at $9.99 a month
- Peacock starting at $5.99 a month
Total: $29.96
According to a survey of our readers, most cord cutters pay for four or fewer streaming services. Even if you switch all of these to ad-free, they will still cost less than the price of cable TV.
So, what about live TV services? Reportedly, YouTube TV is the largest live TV streaming service, with over 6 million subscribers. It currently costs $72.99 a month.
Adding YouTube TV to the previous number and your new total is $102.95.
What about Internet? Internet is not an exclusive cost to cord cutting—most Americans will want Internet even if they don’t pay for cable TV. There are new less expensive options like Verizon’s 5G Home Internet starting at just $25 for qualifying customers.
So, adding the Internet into the cost, you now have a grand total of $127.95. (Note: The cable TV price above does not include the cost of Internet.)
How much can you save with cord cutting in 2024?
If you subscribe to just on-demand services like Disney+, Paramount+, Max, and Peacock, you could save $117.04 per month, which will add up to a savings of $1,404.48 over a year.
If you want to add live TV on top of all the on-demand services, you will save $44.05 a month, which will add up to a savings of $528.60 over a year.
Do you have a tip you want to suggest? Let us know how you save money with cord cutting.
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