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Streaming prices keep going up and some people are thinking about going back to cable. In this video, I compare Xfinity and Spectrum, explain what’s changed, and share when cable might actually make sense for some people.
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0:00
If you've cut the cable TV cord or maybe
0:02
you're just thinking about it, there are
0:04
legitimate reasons to be frustrated
0:06
right now. Streaming, well, it's kind of
0:09
a mess. Prices for the live TV streaming
0:12
services to replace cable, they just
0:15
keep going up. There have been
0:16
high-profile carriage disputes, even a
0:19
blackout between Disney and YouTube TV.
0:22
And outside of sports, the overall
0:24
quality of content on broadcast and
0:26
cable TV networks, it's going in the
0:29
wrong direction. Look, all the reasons
0:31
why you cut the cord are still valid.
0:34
But even though a lot of people hate
0:35
their cable companies, I've been getting
0:37
more comments like this from people who
0:40
say they're considering going back to
0:42
cable. And to my surprise, there's this
0:44
recent study from Teo. It says a greater
0:47
share of cord cutters are going back to
0:50
a traditional TV service. I haven't had
0:53
a traditional cable plan in about 15
0:56
years. So, when I saw that to study, I
0:59
started to wonder if maybe I'm the one
1:01
who's missing something here. Does it
1:03
make sense to go back to cable? Well,
1:06
here's what I found out. All right, so
1:08
let's get to it. I'm going to begin on
1:10
Xfinity's website. You see a handful of
1:13
TV plans available here. I can tell
1:15
right away that a few of them are just
1:17
not a good value. An overpriced plan
1:20
with just locals and a bloated bundle
1:23
way over $100 a month. But this plan
1:26
here, Sports and News TV, is the one
1:28
that really stood out to me. And you're
1:30
about to see why. This isn't a
1:33
traditional cable TV plan. Basically, it
1:36
is a skinny streaming bundle just sold
1:38
from a cable provider. But what about
1:41
all those cable gotchas? Well, that's
1:43
what I wanted to find out next. The
1:46
first thing I confirmed is promising
1:48
because aside from taxes, the price you
1:51
see is the price you pay. You won't find
1:53
a separate broadcast TV or sports search
1:56
charge for this plan, and there's no
1:58
contract required. And rental equipment
2:01
is available, but it's optional. I will
2:03
say as I went through building my cart,
2:06
it takes multiple clicks to opt out of
2:08
the equipment. So, I guess they really
2:10
still want you to pay for that. But as
2:12
long as you bundle with internet
2:14
service, I've confirmed that you can
2:16
skip the cable box. You'll just watch
2:18
through the Xfinity Stream app on a
2:21
third-p party device. Okay, so not
2:24
perfect, but so far this does sound a
2:26
lot more like streaming than cable.
2:29
Wouldn't you agree? We'll see if that
2:31
keeps up. When I scroll down Xfinity's
2:33
website, you see it compares this plan
2:35
to live TV streaming services, YouTube
2:38
TV and Hulu Live. The numbers here are a
2:41
little bit out ofdate, but there is a
2:43
slight savings with Xfinity. And why is
2:46
that? Well, you got to keep in mind you
2:48
are getting fewer channels with this
2:51
Xfinity plan, about 50 of them, mainly
2:54
broadcast networks, plus cable, sports,
2:56
and news. So, it's not an oversized
2:59
bundle full of channels that nobody
3:01
watches. It covers the basics and I
3:04
think pretty well. Now, you can get this
3:07
TV plan standalone, but bundling it with
3:10
an internet plan is going to make the
3:12
most sense. After all, it is streaming
3:15
and you need internet to stream. And if
3:17
you've watched my channel before, you
3:19
may have heard me talk about Xfinity's
3:21
new plans with a 5-year price guarantee.
3:24
Equipment included, unlimited data, and
3:26
no contract. So, no more gotchas. This
3:29
is the cheapest option where I live. 300
3:32
megabits per second, $55 a month with
3:35
autopay, and the paperless discount. And
3:37
with this deal, they're also throwing in
3:39
a year of mobile phone service for a
3:42
single line. So, take a look at what we
3:44
got for this Infinity Cart. The regular
3:46
price total is $125 a month for the TV
3:50
bundle and internet. That can change at
3:53
any time, and there may also be limited
3:55
time deals. The only thing extra are
3:58
taxes, and those vary depending on where
4:00
you live. Nobody broke up with their
4:02
cable company because they were paying a
4:04
price like that, $125 a month for TV and
4:08
internet. Some of you may have been
4:10
paying double that price. So, while this
4:12
plan isn't really the best for me, I can
4:15
see how it is best for someone and it's
4:18
not a bad deal at all. The fact that
4:21
this option exists shows that the cable
4:24
companies are on the defensive and
4:26
they're trying to show that they're all
4:28
in on streaming, too. All right, so in
4:30
areas where there is no Xfinity, you may
4:33
have Spectrum Cable available and it's
4:35
leaning into streaming in a different
4:37
way. The service is still marketing
4:40
traditional cable TV plans at pretty
4:42
high prices. Most of these here have
4:45
three digits starting at over $100 a
4:48
month. But here's that difference with
4:50
Spectrum. It's worked out deals with
4:52
content partners to include streaming
4:55
apps with your subscription. HBO Max,
4:59
Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, Peacock,
5:02
more here too. Not all streaming
5:04
services, though. I don't see Prime
5:06
Video or Netflix listed here. So, this
5:09
one's a convenience play. Live TV and
5:12
standalone apps on one bill. Will it
5:15
actually save you any money? For most
5:17
people, I don't think so. Who really has
5:20
time for a big bundle and all these
5:22
services, too? Here it says $100 a month
5:25
in value, but you're only getting that
5:27
value if you use every single app. And
5:31
of course, that figure is based on the
5:32
regular pricing for the apps. And many
5:35
people never pay full price for
5:36
streaming because they wait for deals.
5:39
To me, Spectrum's approach is more about
5:42
simplicity than actual savings. I'm
5:45
going to talk about the big picture and
5:46
what's really going on here. This
5:48
shifting landscape, the TV competition
5:51
from streaming services and internet
5:53
competition from phone companies. It's
5:56
forcing the cable companies to be a lot
5:58
more competitive. The fact is, they're
6:01
losing both TV and internet customers.
6:04
So, they're doing whatever they can to
6:06
win your business back, particularly on
6:08
the internet side. And I know for a lot
6:11
of you, it's just too little, too late.
6:14
I get it. But I certainly wouldn't blame
6:16
viewers like this one for getting cable
6:18
again. TV and internet only $122 a
6:22
month. Now, if you are considering going
6:24
back to cable, don't do it because
6:26
you're nostalgic for the way that TV
6:28
used to be. What I've shown today proves
6:31
that even these cable companies have
6:33
recognized streaming is here to stay.
6:37
It's never a bad time to re-evaluate
6:39
your setup. So, here's what I do. First,
6:42
add up what you pay for streaming TV and
6:45
internet. You may want to throw in
6:46
mobile phone, too, if you would consider
6:49
getting that from a cable provider. This
6:51
becomes the number that you want to
6:53
beat. Second, think about how much
6:56
you're actually watching live TV. Now,
6:58
plans that include broadcast, sports,
7:00
and cable news networks are always going
7:02
to be the most expensive, no matter
7:04
where you get them. And as long as you
7:07
have a big bundle, expect a price
7:09
increase about every year. And third, to
7:12
avoid renting equipment, make sure that
7:14
your cable company's app is available on
7:17
your smart TV or streaming device. Don't
7:20
give them any more money than you have
7:22
to. And fourth, remember why you canled
7:25
cable in the first place. These
7:28
companies are evolving, but they haven't
7:30
changed their ways completely. So, you
7:32
always want to read the fine print
7:34
before you sign up for any TV plan. I
7:38
just went through all that myself while
7:39
putting together this video, and I don't
7:41
see myself going back to cable anytime
7:44
soon. For me, streaming still wins on
7:47
price and flexibility. I'm okay rotating
7:50
streaming services to save money. I've
7:53
got reliable 5G home internet service
7:55
and I pay only 25 bucks a month for my
7:58
phone plan. Let me know in the comments
8:01
what you think about what I shared today
8:03
and if you've considered going back to
8:04
cable. Thanks for watching.
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