Cord cutters - How many streaming services do you pay for?

Netflix and after Star Trek Discover completes its run next year, CBS All Access for a one month binge session.

 

Netflix and a friend's DirectTV account. The discs get mailed to my mom and I use the streaming. She watches about 1 movie every 4-6 months so that's like 50-60 bucks a movie. HBO finally realized that I was accessing them via an account that was not DirectTV and they blocked me. I figured that was coming, but I watch whatever I want in top quality via a method that cannot be discussed here. I rarely use the DirectTV account. I tried the documentary channel CuriosityStream a couple months ago but I already have way too much to watch so I cancelled.

 

I had Prime for shipping before they started streaming, so it was, to me, a no cost thing. Less than 50 bucks/mo for high speed internet, I have added HBO to Prime and waver on Netflix streaming--sometimes I unsubscribe to the latter. My costs have come down dramatically from the cable/telephone bundles we had- where Internet only service was almost as expensive as the whole package, including phone and 500 channels I didn't watch.
We do have Google fiber here, but they were a huge pain to deal w/-- using Spectrum, which I understand generally sucks, but it gives me decent internet bandwidth, and there was no drama in getting the service. Google made it like jumping so many hoops that I gave up. Now they are soliciting my wife- I told her to try and see if they will show up and do the job according to our needs. The neighborhood was already wired before we bought here.

 

Around 2010 I was paying 60 a month for internet and cable from Optimum. Now they charge me 75 for internet only. My download speed was about 3.5 mps and a few months ago they sent me an email that said they were bumping me up to 60 MBps. At first it went up to about 8 MBps and now it's up to about 11 MBps - not quite 60!

 

No, I have regular landline based internet access. Currently 25mb down, thats as fast as I can get for $50 in my neighborhood.
No convertor required, just a Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon fire box/stick required for HD (not 4K). We do miss DVR capability, rumor has it DIRECTV Now is working on it for sometime next year, some folks have been invited for Beta trials.

 

That sucks. On one of those speed tests, I'm getting low 90s on download here in Texas. But those really don't test real life streaming, where a little bottle neck in bandwidth can cause buffering and drop out. We had Fios in NY and it was good. Not cheap, but good.

 

I have Amazon prime but I've never used it for video streaming. Don't have cable or any other streaming services.

 

I checked the Netflix speed test site and I'm getting 95 so apparently it's my download speed that's the problem, but I'm still pretty happy with the upgrade.

Internet Speed Test | Fast.com

 

Just Netflix and Hulu right now. Those two seem to cover the great majority of TV shows I want to watch and for movies I just get the DVDs from Netflix. I thought about adding Prime and HBO but don't know where i'd find the time to watch anything there because I already have so many shows I want to see on Netflix and Hulu that it will take me a few years to see them all.

 

Netflix, Hulu and Sling and a digital antenna.
Amazon Prime streaming is just a bonus feature.

 

Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. The smattering of movies we purchase a year are generally from iTunes.

dan c

 

Hulu
Netflix
Amazon Prime

 

Netflix
Amazon Prime, which we buy anyways

For reference, the TV portion of our cable bill was $40/month when we were paying for it. Netflix+Amazon costs roughly $20/month

 

The only streaming service I use is Crunchyroll for watching anime, and even then, pretty much every show that interests me on the site is freely available for non-paying customers. Other than that (with some occasional Hulu streaming when I'm at my brother's apartment), I get my TV and movie fix via my DVD and blu ray collection. To be honest, I haven't willingly watched an actual TV broadcast in about a year or so.

 

None...I buy BD and have a free connection to Netflix of which I rarely use...

 

Just Netflix (streaming and discs) and Amazon Prime these days. I also had Seeso until it shut down a couple of months ago. I keep getting tempted to give Hulu another go, but I feel like I barely watch enough TV to justify what I’m already paying for.

 

Timely topic for me. In short, too many as it turned out. We cut the cord about two years ago. Here's the problem we ran into. We started adding stuff. Got a TIVO box but it's $15 a month for the programming grid. CNN is pretty locked down, so we subscribed to Sling a few months ago. Another $20 but you have basic basic cable, at least, with Sling and it's a good value imo. And of course Netflix. And like most wives, she wasn't thrilled with the convaluted way of having to access all this. That, and the costs mounting, I got Direct TV this month and the package is decent for $50 a month, and that included 4 rooms with DVR and you don't pay monthly rental fees. So, cord cutting is possible but you can easily get your bill close to cable and at that point the convenience factor gets you the rest of the way there as far as going back. I will say my local cable provider, however, seems to be living in a different world. They had no interest in giving me any kind of decent bundled deal with my internet service, which was amazing to me. They let me walk. So, I guess it depends on who is servicing your area but for $50, if you want a few decent channels and don't want to be jumping around between apps, it's just easier to be on the main grid. It's getting better all the time though, and when my two year commitment is done I will look into all this again.

By the way, great idea for a thread! Interesting to read what everyone is doing in this regard.

 

Well, and you don't even get much of that any more. They are relying more and more on original content. A slippery slope if you ask me, though I inow they are producing some good shows. But then they might as well be a network station if they are going to purge their film library offerings. We were finding we were not watching Netflix much anymore. Clearly we are the minority based on their tremendous success.

 

That's the fear..they keep jacking up the internet fees to make up lost revenues from cord cutters. Pretty soon it will be the same. This is where regulation really needs to be implimented as clearly there isn't enough competition.

 

So far they haven't stopped adding new dvds. Baywatch, Wonder Woman, plenty of 2017 movies became available on their release dates. I don't know if the Netflix productions themselves are going to be on dvd. So far, The Fundamentals of Caring (a 2016 Netflix movie that I'd like to see) isn't.

edit: judging from the amount of reviews between The Fundamantals of Caring (2016 - 11 reviews) and Wonder Woman (2017 - 235 reviews) I'd say Netflix programming is still a niche market. Two different movies, I know, but one had a huge release campaign to a larger market and the other has Paul Rudd who is a box office draw. This movie is being reviewed as one of his best. I don't think Netflix movies will ever get their due unless Nextfix releases them to the theaters like a normal studio.

 

None for me too...I can pick freely from Rachaelflix, down in my basement. I fired Crumcast last month. I'd get a streaming service if I could get ESPN and the SEC Network. I'd like to watch men's and women's Basketball this winter....I'm gonna face great temptation to get Dish or Direc in the coming months...

 

yes, nothing like picking a movie from the home video library! I enjoy my movies very much...I have no temptations presently. ; )

 

Look at Hulu live, there's a good amount of sports there.

 

Cut the cord years ago as well:
Netflix
Amazon Prime-because it’s included

We do more music listening than TV watching:
Spotify
SiriusXM for my Howard Stern

 

Thanks for the tip! However, as best as I can discern, I think that I can only get Hulu Plus through my OTA Tivo. I don't want Hulu Live any other way.