The cord-cutting trend that has marked the last several years saw an abrupt uptick with the arrival of Covid, leading to record losses of cable subscribers. While sudden changes in people’s finances can account for much of that sharp increase in people dropping cable television or satellite television subscriptions, it’s also a sign of a rapidly growing number of alternatives.
While streaming TV was once primarily the domain of Netflix, other major players now have their own streaming alternatives, such as Apple, NBCUniversal, and the House of Mouse itself, Disney. If you’re still wondering about the streaming vs cable debate, keep reading for our breakdown of which is better.
Cost
If you’re interested in watching live TV, streaming services are not the bargain they once were. While stream can prove moderately cheaper than cable, it mostly boils down to which cable provider and which streaming services you choose.
What if you don’t care about live TV and just want something to watch on-demand? Standalone streaming services like are still a bargain compared with cable rates. Although, if you stack up enough streaming services, you could end up paying about the same amount.
Original Content
For a long time, original content was the trump card for both network and cable television. While cable still has an edge here, the massive financial backing behind the big streaming services has made original content far more common. Combine that with ownership over beloved intellectual properties and streaming services will only become more adept at creating new content.
Where cable still edges out streaming services is with sports packages.
Contracts and Equipment
One of the things that make people loathe cable companies is that they insist on one or even two-year contracts that lock you in with their service. On top of that, you must typically also deal with another piece of electronic equipment cluttering your living room.
With streaming services, you generally only need a modem, a wireless router, and a computer or smart TV. All things that you can find in most homes. Plus, they generally run on a month-to-month subscription that you can cancel at will.
Cable vs Streaming
Cable offers some perks, but it comes with a lot of pitfalls, like contracts, costs, and equipment. Streaming is easier and potentially cheaper. It can’t compete on sports, however, and often excludes local programming.
Although, you can solve the local programming problem with a quick online search for the question, “What is the best indoor TV antenna?”
Is There a Winner?
In the streaming vs cable debate, there is still no clear winner. Or, if there is a winner, it depends on individual preferences about things like sports channels and live watching.
For the TV watcher who doesn’t care about sports or if they have the latest episodes, streaming services can often meet their needs at a lower price point. If you must see your favorite team play or catch the latest episode, cable still edges out streaming.
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