[nhkim]

You'll need to do some homework before making any switch. First, create a list of all the shows and live programming you watch. Then do an Internet search of what streaming service(s) each one is associated with. Some services are bundled, some are attached to other things (i.e., Prime is attached to Amazon; Paramount+ is attached to Walmart; Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu as a package are attached to my Verizon Wireless plan).

Most streaming services also create their own original content. Both Apple TV and Prime have many excellent original series. No one mentioned Max, which is going to revert to its prior name of HBO Max in June. Hulu is connected to ABC, which means that current shows on ABC are available for streaming on Hulu the day after they first air. CBS is connected to Paramount+. NBC is connected to Peacock (another one no one mentioned).

Most, if not all, of these services have a basic version with commercials and an upgraded commercial version for a few bucks more a month.

Live sports are now filtered throughout various streaming services (NFL Thursday Night Football is on Amazon Prime, for example).

YouTube TV (not to be confused with YouTube) is probably the closest thing to cable TV as we know it. There's a whole list of channels, just like cable, but I'm not sure if you add the cost of YouTube TV and Internet that you'll see much difference in cost compared to cable.

There were a couple mentions of Apple TV. Apple in its infinite wisdom decided to call two entirely different things "Apple TV." One is a small hardware device that plugs into your TV to make it a smart TV. Roku and Firestick devices are competitors of that product. There's also Apple TV, the streaming service, that you'll pay a monthly fee for, whether you have an Apple TV device or Roku or Firestick.

Here's a way to really cut costs, but there's work involved. Every service is a month-to-month contract, and it's easy to cancel and restart subscriptions. A person could be vigilant, sign up for one or two services, watch everything on their list for that month, then cancel those services and repeat with another one or two services and keep rotating around. To make sure you don't forget to cancel a subscription, cancel it the day after you sign up for it. You'll have paid for the month, and you'll still have the service for the entire 30 days, and then it will automatically cancel. Like I said, this requires some work and notetaking, but if I really wanted to slash my costs and have all the viewing options I want, this is what I would do.

Lastly, the good old days of channel surfing are no more, I'm afraid. You can surf through each streaming service separately, but not everything together. I'm hopeful that someday we'll be able to scroll through everything together. However, the good news is that all your apps will keep track of where you are. Say you're working your way through The Wire or The Sopranos on Max, both of which have several seasons. The next time you want to watch it, Max will know exactly where you left off, even if you take a several-month break. And if you're watching a current show like Matlock on Paramount+, if you're caught up, you'll be alerted when a new episode is available. We do this all the time with movies. We'll start a movie, then it gets too late so we stop it and pick it up later.

Good luck with all your research. No matter what, you need Internet unless you're a total Luddite. Then an antenna might be your answer.