Did your cable bill go up recently?
 

Did your cable bill go up recently, if so, are you doing anything about it?
Xfinity and Spectrum had increases as of January.

Yes, but Xfinity told me about it in advance. Am I doing anything about it? No.

YoutubeTV also increased in price.

People still have cable?

Cable
 

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have cable. With an average age of 69, younger people seem to be the ones who stream.

I still have cable, but I would be glad to switch to streaming if there was a good reason to do so. Every time I do the math, the cost savings is minimal (about 10 percent less), and the cable service is better than streaming. With YoutubeTV, I would lose the Lifetime channels, which we watch a lot, and the History channeI. I also get a great deal on my cell phone service, that is only $21 per month.

Did you look at SlingTV? They have the lifetime channels. YouTubeTV is very popular here in the Villages but there are other streaming services available.

LMN and History are both available on HuluLive. (NFL Sunday Ticket is not which is why I have YTTV). You might also get a better DVR capability if you make use of that.

Even if you drop cable channels you will still need an internet provider which might also get you the great deal on your cell phone.

But comfort and inertia matter. If you are comfortable with what you have and any additional cost is worth it to you to not have to learn a new system then it makes sense to stick with what you have.

You are right. I forgot about HuluLive. That's also a very good streaming service.

I know several Villagers who were "comfortable" with cable but after a while the price kept going up and it was enough to get them to switch and stream. The change can be stressful at first but eventually these streaming services interfaces are not that much different than what the cable companies are offering making the transition easier. I also know many that don't want to switch their phones so they couldn't get the cheaper price with that bundle.

It can be a tough decision. I had one person who was tired of the slow and varying internet service from Xfinity which caused them to change.

I guess everyone has their own unique situation.

Haven’t had cable for more than 7 years. Maybe large percentage of posters are the same. So good reason for not many responses

I currently have Sling (just the blue side) for three months on a $38 per month deal. Got it initially to catch some college football playoff games and Fox News. It will carry me through NCAA March Madness. Then I will probably cancel it. Just don't watch it enough. But that is one advantage of streaming packages over cable/satellite. Easier to turn on/turn off, and you can watch from anywhere with your user ID/Password. Same with other streaming platforms I have (Netflix, Britbox, Amazon Prime, ESPN+ etc.). I stream with Quantum, I got in on their $35 for life deal. So far, so good. And it's also month to month so if it becomes not good, I can quickly dump it.

I also put up an antenna that allows me to get all of the networks and several other stations out of Orlando. All told, about 60 channels, with about 30 that have anything you really care to watch. But after the initial investment of $150 for antenna/booster, it's free. Can't beat that.

A final tip - if you have specific platforms you like/want to try, many offer Black Friday deals around Thanksgiving. I picked up Paramount+ and Peacock on an annual subscription for a few dollars each month. Not much there that I watch, but for the price, it was worth it. If I can't get a similar deal when it expires, I'll dump it. Just make sure to mark your calendar so it doesn't autorenew!

Congrats on getting the Quantum $35 deal. I was telling so many about this and they weren't interested then when it ended, they missed it. Maybe they will do it again next year?

Comcast internet did and after+ 1 hour I got it reduced. Terrible to deal with.

Same at our house. Did it go up, YES, doesn't it always ! ? Are we doing anything about it ? No, just as Xfinity hoped ! Tired of playing all the musical chair games; limited offers, specials, etc. etc. with all the providers. Constantly changing, getting used to a new format, or equipment, or wiring.

We don't have cable. The lady across the street just installed Dish. Several neighbors have cut the cord here on the historic side.

YouTube TV went up, and Hulu+ was less expensive for the first time, and offered more. I called YouTube and complained, they knocked the price back down to what I've been paying all along. Took ten minutes.

I'll do the same with Xfinity internet in March when it's time for them to raise my prices again. Once a year, I call the providers and complain. I do the same with phone service at AT&T.

Total inconvenience to me is around 2 hours per year. I'm okay with that.