I just did a quick calc and I think we might save ~$60 per month with Sling. I’ll need to discuss it with DH, who is hideously reluctant to change anything.
@TiggerDad : Thanks very much for the information.
My Verizon bill was $149 last month for 150mbps internet, 1 cable box/lots of channels (and home phone). I finished my 2 year agreement so I am a free agent. Just before my 2yr cycle was up, I pared down and got rid of extras like DV-R and our second cable boxe, so the bill is not that painful. But, if I could pay $110/moth or less, that would be even better. I already bought a firestick (don’t really like it, but it works for Netflix etc.). Any tips on good satellite antennas, or are they all fairly similar. Does the SlingTV sports have Premier League Soccer?
@firstwavemom - “Dos the SlingTV sports have Premier League Soccer?”
What the website says:
“With Sling TV adding NBCSN to its new Sling Blue streaming service, you can watch Premier League games televised on NBCSN and NBC without needing a cable or TV subscription.”
So long Cable. We ditched it well over a year ago and will NEVER go back.
Our internet is DSL, with no issues at all.
We have an antenna in our attic that brings in a bunch of channels including all of the local networks, and PBS. We have a ROKU stick, and subscribe when we feel like it to Sling…by the month.
We don’t miss cable at all…not one bit. We get much better reception on our local channels with this antenna, and we can watch pretty much anything we want with Sling…for a price.
@VeryHappy are you sure you can’t get what you want with Sling?
So far, based on my research to date, Sling is looking pretty good. I plan to do more research tomorrow.
@TiggerDad Thanks for the info about NBCSN. That is important for my son (but he’s going off to college in August, so not super important to me).
My timeline to ditch cable may have moved up! I just need to be sure that I’ll be able to watch March Madness…
@whitepicketfence , would you please comment on the unlimited DVR service with YouTube TV?
We pay UVerse $222/mo for TV and internet (no phone.) That includes additional charges for four DVR boxes and HD technology fee, plus all taxes. Internet is supposed to be 8 mps with unlimited data but I doubt we’re getting that (haven’t checked speed lately.) The service goes out at least once a month and we lose our DVR recordings a couple of times a year.
Currently, the internet portion of our bill is $67/mo but it would approximately double if we dropped the TV service. Our only other option for internet is Charter/Spectrum which I refuse to do business with ever again. Antennas don’t work here for local channels due to the terrain.
I didn’t realize that Sling doesn’t require a contract. Dh has subscribed to Netflix for a long time, but I just started watching shows on it last year. Once in a while we watch something on Amazon Prime, and dh would keep it even without the shows or movies. Netflix has been slow to load in the past few weeks so I guess it’s time to call UVerse again anyway.
You can get a week of sling free to try it out and you can switch from the blue to orange within minutes of a show you want that is only on the other package. You can switch back and forth without paying more as many times in a day as you want.
What does a Roku stick do?
We have DSL through ATT. It’s a “bundle” with our landline…the only reason we keep the landline. Our bill is under $50 a month for the internet and phone. If we dropped the $5 a month phone, the internet would double. It’s worth $5 …and it gives the telemarketers a number to call ??
It sounds like you have a similar plan to what my sister has. She pays over $200 a month to Uverse and has her internet and something like 200 TV channels. I asked her how many she watched…and she said…4. Huge waste of money…but like @VeryHappy DH, she is stuck and won’t change.
I think the cable companies and things like Uverse are going to have to change their model…it’s clear that folks can get along without their overpriced packages. On my little street…everyone has cut the cable cord…and no Uverse either.
firstwavemom, if this schedule is true you could get it all on Sling: The 2019 March Madness Tournament: Tuesday, March 19 with the First Four on truTV. The first & second rounds March 21-24 on CBS, TBS, truTV, and TNT. The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight March 28-31 on CBS or TBS. The Final Four will take place April 6th and the NCAA National Championship game will take place April 8th. Not sure who will carry final 4 .
What do you need to get Sling Blue or Orange? Do you need any special streaming device or just a smart TV? We have cable primarily for the sports channels, but if we can get that via sling, I’d love to get rid of comcast.
I cut the cord 6 years ago and haven’t looked back! My setup includes:
400mbps internet for $54.95 - I guess I shouldn’t complain about my internet costs after seeing what you all are paying! Yikes!
Digital Antenna - depending on where I have lived I have gotten 30+ channels including all of the major networks. Currently, however, my reception is poor and I only get one major network. It still enables me to watch news/weather so it works.
Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime - I really only use Hulu on a routine basis. Provides me with major network shows. Have not found a need to upgrade to the Live TV version.
Chromecast - can cast to TV using iPad. Works amazing well with many different apps.
I am not a sports person so I don’t know how ditching cable would affect sports watching. However, I can say I have been very pleased not having an outlandish cable bill and feel that I have plenty to watch.
Some newer smart TVs have a Sling app built into them. We found, as one Internet reviewer said, “Sling app is not very good.” Hence the Roku stick. It is a streaming adapter.
I cut the cord last month. I ditched Dish since I could no longer get HBO thru them.
I have a RCA-type digital antenna that gets about two dozen channels plus a Roku Ultra (for my 4K TV). Kids and I share Hulu (one kid pays), HBONow (I pay), Netflix (I pay) and each of us have our own AmazonPrime accounts.
Dish was $128/month. Because my satellite box is no longer hooked up to my landline, I also ditched that and save another $46/month. Internet (CenturyLink–20 Mbps) is $46/month, HBO + Netflix is $28/month.
@lostaccount re: Sling Orange and Blue
"You can switch back and forth without paying more as many times in a day as you want. "
Is this true once you begin the subscription, or just while doing the free trial?
I just checked my bill with RCN. I have 50mb internet, unlimited phone, basic cable for $100/mon. I also have Apple TV where I get Netflix (D2), Amazon Prime (my own), Hulu (brother). I don’t think I could get a better deal than that because I thought about switching.
Basic cable is generally cheap in a bundle. Where Comcast gets folks is the add-ons.
There is no stand alone internet option for my D that is cheaper than the Comcast deal with most basic cable. She doesn’t like ‘unfairness’ of not being able to peel off useless cable and just pay around $50 for internet and is annoyed by games they play with introductory offers that aren’t really long term price. (Welcome to adult life) She is grad student so not a lot of $ to work with. She is in apartment building. Is xfinity stand alone internet from Comcast? If so it is also not available. Would have thought New Haven would be big enough to have better options but we couldn’t find them.
We also have the $200ish cable/landline/internet deal with every possible sports channel (I admit I enjoy having Tennis channel but I would never choose to pay this much). We also pay for higher speed (?) internet since H works from home.
@TiggerDad When I last tried the various services, Sling had noticeably worse picture quality. YMMV I would think with the OLED that PQ would be an important consideration. We have Directv Now on the OLED, but because we are grandfathered in on price, a better value may be elsewhere. I’m super happy with the picture quality we get from it, far better than our cable was, which I had thought was good. If we weren’t getting $25/month off the price, I’d probably go with YouTube TV. I liked that when I tested it and the quality was nearly as good. PlayStation Vue is another one to consider. I haven’t tried Hulu, so I can’t comment on that. If you are in the Apple ecosystem, an Apple TV, while more expensive, really works great.