My Cord Cutting Setup: Services I Personally Use


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Cutting the cable connection to coax connector illustrating retired people cancelling cable TV service

Cutting the cable connection to coax connector illustrating retired people cancelling cable TV serviceOne of the most common questions I get is what cord cutting services do I use. Today I want to give an updated list of all the services I use.

What services I use is a tough question, because I subscribe to a ton of services for work. I currently have a subscription to every live TV service including Sling TV, Philo, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu’s live TV, and Fubo TV.

I also subscribe to many video on-demand services for testing that I don’t typically use. Whether that be testing out a service such as CuriosityStream or Shudder, I rotate through them so I can do reviews and recommend services I enjoy. I also try to stay up to date on what is new in the world of streaming.

So remember this post is what I use at home, not every service I currently pay for or have at the office.

Services I Used When I Became a Cord Cutter

When I cut the cord, we already had Netflix and subscribed to Amazon Prime Video. (We had Amazon Prime mostly for the free shipping but had already been enjoying the streaming.) So we added Hulu for a total new cost of $8 a month. (It is important to remember that many cable subscribers already pay for one or more streaming services such as Netflix.)

I used the LiveStream app to stream my local news, because we lived in an area with no over-the-air reception. I also used Twonky Beam, a free app that would cast YouTube videos to your Roku before YouTube had an official app. (Anyone remember Twonky Beam?) I also used a few other free services here and there, but none stand out in my memory.

Total new cost: $8 a month (Not counting services I paid for when I had cable.)

Services I Use Today as a Cord Cutter

I still use Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. A few years ago I moved, so I now use an antenna, the 4V from Antenna Direct, and a Tablo DVR to stream it to all the devices in my house.

As for live TV services if it was not for my work at Cord Cutters News, I would only subscribe to them twice a year. First, during the Walking Dead I would get Sling TV, because it is the least expensive option.

Second, during the college football season last year I used DIRECTV NOW. (I still have the $35 Go Big promo deal.) I am a huge Big Ten fan, and they have the Big Ten network. I love that Sling has the Pac 12 Network but, sadly, it does not have the Big Ten Network.

(Side Note: This is a good time to point out you can rotate. During the year you can rotate services. I typically have Sling TV but during most of the year I would have Sling TV but during football season I get DIRECTV NOW or some other service with the Big Ten Network.)

I also use several free services. Pluto TV has a ton of great content, and I use NewsON for local news when I want it. Crackle, The Roku Channel, and Tubi TV are great ways to watch a ton of free content.

I also heavily use YouTube. (YouTube not YouTube TV.) In the last year or so I have found a great amount of my viewing moving over to YouTube especially if I am in the office and want some background noise.

Total new cost: $43 a month (Not counting services I paid for when I had cable.) For that $43 a month I get far more content than I ever had with cable.

So what cord cutting services do you use? (Please only post legal services. Posting pirated services may result in a ban.)

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