Here's our cost breakdown:
Antenna = zero cost per month after initial installation of about $100.
Verizon Fios internet 75mbps = $57.99/month (we've had no issues with speed)
Sling Blue = $30/month
Netflix = $8.99/month but is included for "free" with our T-mobile cell phone account.
So our monthly cost is $87.99
Our Rebuttal to ABC’s Latest Anti–Cord Cutting Story
ABC just can’t seem to help but attack cord cutting. As cord cutting grows, we are increasingly seeing more attempts to slow it down. This time it comes from an ABC affiliate owned by Grey Television with the title “ABC 12 investigates cutting the cable cord: is it worth it?”
So, let’s break down this post and why cord cutting is still really worth it.
Issue #1 Internet Is Not an Exclusive Cord Cutting Cost
One of the main arguments of the ABC story is the fact that you need Internet. According to this story, Internet will cost about $45 a month. Plus, they worry about the $14 modem fee or the cost to buy your own modem.
The truth here is even with cable TV most Americans still want home Internet. This idea that if you had cable TV you wouldn’t need home Internet is weak. Most cable TV subscribers also have Internet for gaming, streaming, or just surfing the web.
Issue #2 Overstating the Cost of Cord Cutting
One common tactic many anti–cord cutting stories use is to overstate
the cost of cord cutting. For example, multiple studies have shown that
cord cutters subscribe to four or fewer streaming services. Yet ABC
pushes this idea that you need so many different streaming services that
it will add up to more than cable TV.Many of these stories push the idea that you will need every service. According to our readers and other research groups, most cord cutters subscribe to less than four streaming services. When we surveyed our readers, more than 91% of them pay for four or fewer services and more than 70% of them pay for three or fewer services.
Plus, ABC included Internet as an exclusively cord cutting expense, pushing the idea the cable TV customers don’t need home Internet.
Issue #3 Claiming Cable Will Give You All the Content You Want
I
find this to be the biggest issue with this story. According to ABC, if
you went back to cable TV’s basic package you would happily give up
Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and more. Yet the cable TV package they use does
not include most of the content from these services. For example, the
Disney Channel won’t give you the content that will stream on Disney+.
Would you really give up Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon? Most cable TV
subscribers wouldn’t! Over half of all cable TV subscribers also pay for
a streaming service like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon. Now you have to add
that cost on top of the cost of cable TV.So, would you really give up Stranger Things and The Handmaid’s Tale to go back to cable? What about HBO and Starz? Leave us a comment and let us know.
Final Thoughts
According to Spectrum, the average cable TV and Internet customer pays over $180 a month. So, even if you accept that all of these services would be needed with cord cutting it would still save cable TV customers $55 a month compared to what the average Spectrum Internet and TV customer pays. Even with a $45 home Internet bill you can still save a lot of money with streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.
Finally,
do your own research and decide if cord cutting is right for you. Don’t
take my word for it and definitely don’t take the word of stories like
this one from ABC to make your decision. We suggest you check out our Cord Cutting Beginners Guide to help you decide if cord cutting is right for you.
