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So, what if I told you there's people
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who go through the whole cord cutting
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process? They set a budget, they compare
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the channel lineups, and they return
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their old equipment, but they are still
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barely saving any money compared to
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cable, if anything at all. It actually
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happens a lot more than you might
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realize. 10 years ago, live TV streaming
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services to replace cable cost around 40
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bucks a month. But now, similar bundles
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are approaching or already over $100 a
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month. Today I want to share a real life
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example from a year 1 cord cutter.
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Someone who switched from Xfinity to
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YouTube TV. And this household watches
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fewer than a dozen of the channels from
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the big bundle they've got. Locals,
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sports, and entertainment networks. So
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there is a decent variety in the content
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they watch. And because of that variety,
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this is the type of cord cutter who used
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to be stuck in a big bundle, but not
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anymore. Everything has changed. They
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dropped Xfinity first. Could they drop
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YouTube TV next? To answer that, I asked
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them about what they actually watch on
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each channel. First, I separated out the
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entertainment channels. And it turns out
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this household isn't watching any new
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original series on the networks you see
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here. Instead, they're turning on
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channels like IFC to watch repeats of
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Comfort TV. Everybody loves Raymond. You
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do not have to pay for a big bundle to
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watch reruns. Look here. I searched for
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the show on justwatch.com
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and found that it's available from
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several affordable standalone apps.
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Plus, some of the other content they
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watch is easy to find on free streaming
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services. Tuby, the Roku channel, Pluto,
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even free YouTube. We're off to a good
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start, but what about sports? The main
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reason why people keep a pay TV bundle.
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And by now you already know that ESPN
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has launched its own standalone service,
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ESPN Unlimited. And that would be my top
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recommendation for this household. They
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could bundle that with NFL Plus Premium.
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That gets them NFL Red Zone. And what
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about golf? Well, they just like to
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watch it and told me they don't really
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need the golf channel. You can find a
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lot of golf on broadcast TV networks
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anyway. So that brings me to the local
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stations and another reason why this
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cord cutter could probably drop YouTube
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TV. They are one of the lucky ones
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because even though they pay for a live
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TV streaming service with locals, they
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can get all these channels with an
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indoor antenna once actually hooked up
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on a secondary TV. So, they could move
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that to their main TV, buy a second new
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one, or get a Tableau DVR, which lets
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you use one antenna for the entire
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house. Now, if an antenna does not work
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where you live, it isn't quite as easy.
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That's why I said they're lucky.
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Broadcast TV content, including live
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sports, is available from standalone
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apps and also in some skinny bundles.
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But getting full local coverage that way
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won't be cheap. This cord cutter's last
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YouTube TV bill, $94 a month before
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taxes. The service provides convenient
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one app access to nearly everything they
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watch. But if they value savings over
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simplicity, this may be worth trying.
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Use the indoor antenna on their primary
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TV. Get the ESPN and NFL Plus premium
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bundle and subscribe to Peacock Premium
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for library content. It's just three
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steps and it adds up to around $40 a
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month in savings compared to their
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current plan. So, the bottom line, don't
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make the mistake of trading one
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expensive bundle for another without
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auditing what you're actually watching.
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So, here's what I recommend. First, make
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a list of what you're actually watching.
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Channels and content, not channels
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alone. Second, use free tools to find
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the services you need to stream your
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favorite content. For movies and TV
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shows, I already mentioned
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And for sports, I like this ESPN's where
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to watch tool. Add leagues and teams,
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and then you can see where to stream the
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games across various apps. It's not just
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ESPN. And third, compare the bundle
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price to the DIY route. Will you
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actually save any money? Bundles are
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convenient, and if you decide to stick
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with one, you may still be able to save
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money. Just switch from a big bundle to
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a skinny bundle. It's the year to
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downgrade and save. I'll see you next
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time and on michaels.com.
