There are more ways than ever to watch your favorite TV shows and movies with new streaming services being released all the time. You still have the option of using cable too, or even heading out to the cinema. But choice can be a bad thing as well as a good thing and a lot of people don’t know what the best way to watch their favorite content is, especially when trying to save money. So, let’s take a look at some of the options and the relative costs of each. 

 

Source – Pixabay CCO License

Cable 

People like cable because you have access to so many channels, meaning you can usually find whatever it is that you want to watch. You get access to sports channels too, which is a priority for some people. But the big downside to cable is the cost because you can easily wind up paying over $100 a month, which is not ideal if you’re trying to save money. 

 

The other thing to consider with cable is that you don’t get exclusive content made by streaming services. In the past, all of the biggest shows were on cable but as streaming services put more money into producing their own content, a lot of the best shows and movies are now being released straight onto those platforms and people with cable are missing out. 

Cable Alternatives

If you like the idea of cable but you don’t like the price, you should look into the cable alternatives that are out there. There are some great services like Philo that give you a good amount of channels but it only costs $20 a month. It won’t have everything that you get with a full cable package but you get a lot of the big channels. Check out the philo channel list at Frugal Rules to see whether you will get your favorite content on there or not. Most cable alternatives don’t have sports and you don’t get the big movie channels, but when you consider the cost and the content that you do get, it’s a great deal. Plus, you can also subscribe to a streaming service like Netflix or Amazon Prime to get more movies and the total cost will be way lower than cable still. 

Streaming Services

Most people use at least one streaming service and they seem to be the cheapest option. However, comparing the cost of cable or a cable alternative with the cost of a single streaming service isn’t really a fair comparison. The thing is, there are a lot of different services, all with their own exclusive content. If you only have Hulu but you want to watch the great new show City of Ghosts, you can’t get it because it’s on Netflix. This means that you need to pay multiple subscriptions to get access to everything you want to watch and the cost can quickly add up. However, there is a simple way around this because streaming subscriptions don’t tie you in, which means you can switch regularly. Watch everything you want to see on Netflix and then cancel it and get a Disney+ subscription. When you’re done with that, move on to the next one. If you keep cycling around all of them, you can watch all of your favorite content but you only need to pay one subscription at a time. 

 

The best way to watch your favorite content often depends on the platform that it is shown on. However, cable is rarely the best option because the alternatives are cheaper and even if you bought every streaming service out there, the price wouldn’t be much different.