Up next in 10
I've helped thousands of people cut the cable cord and switch to live TV streaming, but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. In today's video, I'll break down 5 reasons why now may not be the right time to cut the cord. This video was inspired by a comment I received on YouTube. For more ways to save, visit MichaelSaves.com!
CHAPTERS
0:00 Cord Cutting vs. Cost Cutting
1:14 The Math Doesn't Work Out
2:35 Contract Considerations
3:53 Missing Channels
5:14 Internet Issues
6:18 Customer Satisfaction
7:39 Are You Making This Excuse?
MENTIONED IN VIDEO:
How to Find the Best Live TV Streaming Bundle With Your Favorite Channels (Quick & Easy!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APEVZObt0is
T-Mobile Home Internet Review: https://michaelsaves.com/reviews/t-mobile-home-internet-review/
Verizon Home Internet Review: https://michaelsaves.com/internet/verizon-home-internet-review/
How to Cut the Cord in 7 Steps: https://michaelsaves.com/streaming/how-to-cut-the-cord/
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
hey what's up it's michael welcome to my channel and believe it or not there are some people who
0:04
maybe should not cut the cord at least not right now let's begin this video with a comment that i
0:10
receive from time to time take a look and this comment is from someone who tried out youtube tv
0:16
and paid around 70 but then dish offered them a deal that was around the same price as youtube tv
0:24
this person says they got all the channels they wanted dvr and no buffering on top of that this
0:30
person got a 300 gift card for signing up with dish so that brought down the monthly price to
0:36
around 60 a month that is less than the starting price for youtube tv downside as you would expect
0:43
a contract two years but the point this person is making and i think it is an excellent one is that
0:48
it shouldn't all be about cord cutting but instead cost cutting one thing i say all the time is that
0:54
cutting the cord can help you save money and also give you greater flexibility those are the two
0:59
main advantages but that doesn't necessarily work out for everyone so i've got a list of exceptions
1:05
that i just wrote down here and the final tip it doesn't have to do with either price or flexibility
1:11
something else you want to think about let's get into it number one you are getting a better deal
1:16
elsewhere as far as i'm concerned this is the number one reason why you would not want to cut
1:21
the cord if you are paying less than the price of what you would get with live tv streaming or
1:27
a mix of on-demand services that works for you then maybe this is just not the time but you
1:32
want to make sure that you are doing a fair price comparison let's take youtube tv for example
1:37
right on its website it shows that there are no contracts long-term commitments or hidden fees
1:43
but with cable you often get those hidden fees as you can see the broadcast tv fee and the regional
1:49
sports fee those are two of the most common ones and they can significantly increase your monthly cable bill with streaming you don have those fees some of the best deals on cable and satellite service they come for people who are moving those new customer sign up offers and you may have to
2:07
sign a two-year contract i don't know for sure but that comment that i showed it sounded like a new
2:12
customer sign up offer because it included that 300 gift card so if you're able to work out some
2:18
sort of a special deal with cable or satellite maybe it could be a savings over streaming or
2:25
close enough that where you don't feel like it's worth it to switch to streaming but keep in mind
2:30
those prices do typically go up after that promotional period number two you are locked
2:36
in a contract so i'll just pick up on the last point for this one let's say that you signed up
2:41
for a two-year contract with a cable or satellite provider just a couple months ago for you it is
2:47
probably not going to make sense to switch to streaming if after the fact you realize oh you
2:52
could save money and the reason is you may be facing early termination fees with your cable or
2:58
satellite provider all of the different cable and satellite providers have different terms and
3:03
conditions some of them toward the end of your contract they reduce the early termination fee
3:08
depending on how much time you have left and you may still save money by breaking your contract and
3:14
paying whatever is left on that fee but if the fee is 300 500 it may not make sense to switch to
3:21
streaming at this moment but keep in mind when that contract expires and your price goes up for cable
3:27
or satellite that is the time when you want to shop around for a live tv streaming service or
3:32
other streaming services and during the last couple months that you have your cable or satellite
3:37
service why not test out your options for streaming TV you can sample what is available on the streaming
3:44
market while you're still a cable or satellite subscriber to make sure that one of the options
3:49
out there is going to be a suitable replacement number three you can't get all of your must-have
3:55
channels live TV streaming services like YouTube TV sling TV and Hulu live they have fewer channels compared to the big bundles you would get with a cable or satellite provider
4:07
But I still think that maybe 85-90% of people will find everything they want in one of the bundles that's available with live TV streaming
4:16
Now the exception is usually sports fans. While the live TV streaming services have lots of sports networks, a number of them are leaving out regional sports networks at the time of this recording
4:27
Only AT&T TV offers the Valley regional sports networks. So the key here is to do your research and find out if any of the live TV streaming services have your must-have channels
4:38
And I've got a strategy that I talked through in a separate video on how to do that
4:43
It starts here with the Sling TV service optimizer tool. With this tool, you can just plug in your favorite channels, the ones you've got to have
4:51
and it will suggest a bundle for you. It'll also tell you if that channel is not offered with Sling TV
4:58
That is just an indication that Sling TV doesn't offer that channel. But if other services like YouTube TV and Hulu Live also do not
5:06
it could be a sign that maybe you need to stick with cable or satellite
5:10
to get whatever the channel is you're having trouble finding. Number four, your internet connection is not fast enough. This is a problem mostly in rural areas
5:20
because in cities and in suburban settings, you will see the major internet service providers
5:25
offer about 300 megabits per second. Sometimes that is as low as $50 to $75 a month, but in some
5:33
places you're not getting anywhere near that speed. For most households, I recommend download speeds
5:37
a minimum of 50 to 100 megabits per second. And that way you can have multiple people in your
5:43
household using their devices and you shouldn't encounter any problems with buffering or error
5:48
messages so if you live in one of those rural areas where you don't really have great high speed
5:53
internet there is hope and i want you to check on two websites one for t home internet and the other for verizon home internet these services are expanding and they focusing a lot on rural areas so you can plug in your address and find out
6:09
if there is high-speed internet coming to you these services both use wireless networks and
6:14
5G connection to deliver faster speeds and number five you are very satisfied with your cable or
6:21
satellite provider. Now, I don't hear from a lot of people who love their cable or satellite
6:26
providers, but I know there are some of you out there. And if you are so happy with your service
6:31
that you couldn't imagine living without it, then maybe you should just stick with it. And instead
6:37
of looking at a live TV streaming service, call up your cable or satellite provider and get a better
6:43
deal on the service that you love. So here's how to do it. Call up your cable or satellite service
6:50
provider and ask for the retention department then present an offer from a competitor including some
6:56
of these live tv streaming services and ask them for a lower rate saying that you are happy with
7:01
your service but that you are thinking about streaming because of the cost savings and along
7:06
with this last tip if you're someone who is satisfied with cable or satellite and you watch
7:10
tv all the time it's your chief hobby i understand why you may not want to rush into cutting the cord
7:17
but just know that eventually you may have to cut the cord because the industry is shifting to
7:22
streaming and at some point the high price of cable and satellite it may just not make sense
7:27
compared to streaming especially as people decide to drop live tv streaming altogether and instead
7:33
have a collection of on-demand apps for a more affordable monthly tv bill and now for some final
7:40
thoughts if you are someone who is on the fence about cutting the cord just make sure that you
7:46
who are not making the excuse not to cut the cord because you're scared to or are intimidated by the process
7:52
because it is really not that difficult. I've been helping thousands of people cut the cord since 2016
7:57
And on my website, I've got a guide to help you cut the cord in just seven steps
#Online Video
#Service Providers
#Cable & Satellite Providers
#People & Society
#Entertainment Media Rentals
#TV Networks & Stations
#Media Streaming Devices