Yesterday, Mix and Match Mama had a blog post asking about TV...have you cut the cable cord and what do you do for streaming? She got SO many comments, and it was interesting to see what options everyone uses for their entertainment. That post inspired me to write about our journey from cable tv to streaming services to YouTube TV over the past 15 years.
2009
Like most people, we had cable/satellite up through the mid-2000's. We had Direct TV for years. Do you remember how cool it was when DVR's came out and we could record shows?
I think around 2016, we ditched the Direct TV satellite service. We hooked up an HD antenna (like this) in our attic which gave us great live video for all our local channels. We also had a Fire Stick for accessing streaming services like Prime Video etc.
This set up continued for many years. Occasionally, we signed up for Sling TV to access ESPN for college football season. And sometimes we used my aunt's cable tv credentials to sign in on the HBO app.
And this style of streaming worked just fine. But to be honest, I missed "flipping through channels" and having lots of shows in one place from the old days of cable.
So a few months ago, we signed up for YouTube TV with a special. And I don't think I'll ever go back! YT TV isn't cheap, but I guess it's not as expensive as traditional cable. Here are the features that I like:
--a guide on screen to scroll through shows
--ability to record shows or watch them on demand
--fast forward through commercials (if it is on demand, sometimes you have to watch)
--access to all the traditional cable channels like TNT, Hallmark, FoodTV, ESPN etc
--several family members can each have their own profile for viewing preferences
--local channels available, with recording capabilities
--access the app through phone, laptop, etc.
--no contract
Because you can have up to 6 accounts and everyone gets own DVR, I can see us using this as a "family" account for years to come. Up to 3 people are able to watch at same time in different locations.
We like YouTube TV so much that we didn't even install the antenna at the new house since we can watch all the local channels.
I guess the big negative for YT TV is the price. If you are paying for lots of other streaming services, it may be over the top to pay for this service too. We are lucky because we don't pay for any other services right now. Here are the other services we have:
--Hulu - a free add-on with the kids student Spotify paid accounts.
--Paramount Plus - comes with Walmart+, which we get free through a credit card
--Peacock - comes free with the same credit card
--Amazon Prime Video - with our Prime Membership
--We also occasionally use the free services Crackle, Pluto, Freevee and Tubi.
We have enjoyed Apple+, Netflix, PBS Passport, and Disney+ at different times in the past. But for now we are really happy with the set up we have now with YT TV and a few additional services. Isn't it amazing how much entertainment viewing has changed in the last 10 years!?
Do you have traditional cable?
Do you have YouTube TV?
What is your favorite streaming service right now?
We have YTTV, Netflix (my fav), Hallmark Movies Now (for old shows they no longer air)....those are ones we pay for, but we also have Hulu, Paramount, HBO, Disney+ and Prime that we don't pay for, but get to use. Things have changed SO MUCH!
ReplyDeleteSame! I love YouTube tv for all the same reasons you said and I even use the app on my phone to watch at least once a day. I love setting all my shows to "tape". We have too many streaming services and really need to weed some out.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have cable. The one thing we missed was being able to start a show a few minutes late via DVR - or 15 minutes late and skip commercials!
ReplyDeleteWe dont have cable. We pay for way to many streaming services with the kids and trying to watch sports. Brian also ends up going to his moms house to watch certain games that are not available on streaming services because she still has cable. (but is talking or getting rid of it)
ReplyDeleteWe still use Spectrum cable, but have been interested in streaming only. We're just afraid of losing our sports channels. My in-laws have YouTube TV and can't get Texas Ranger games. That wouldn't work for us! lol. And we definitely need our college football!
ReplyDeleteWell, we spend more than we should for cable, Netflix,Prime, UP, Hallmark NOw and on and on. Goodness! Might need to rethink this.
ReplyDeleteWe got rid of cable years ago and we have no regrets! We love our YTTV, and we also have Netflix, Disney+, Hulu (B got a great deal on Black Friday last year), Amazon Prime, HBO Max (free with our cell phone service), and temporarily Apple TV. We only got Apple TV for Ted Lasso, and we'll cancel it soon until The Morning Show comes back in September. This all works for us, and it's still cheaper to have all of these than cable!
ReplyDeleteWe use FuboTV which is a streaming service. We use them because they are one of the few streaming ones that has AT&T Network to watch the Astros.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have cable or YouTubeTV and my favorite streaming service tends to change often; usually my favorite is whichever one had the show or shows I am currently loving!
ReplyDeleteTravis talked about getting rid of cable for years...and then we finally started using Hulu probably four years ago. I would say that this point there's no turning back. We also have Netflix...and then just got Peacock for the summer. We've had Apple Tv but usually free for a year when we've gotten a new phone. It does seem like there are so many options that it can be overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteWe still have cable, but are getting close to cutting it. Probably going to Direct TV streaming, I think it is. Our son and DIL have YouTube TV and they really love it.
ReplyDelete