Streaming services and cable TV provide the consumer with more or less similar opportunities and products. However, there are fundamental differences between the two. Streaming services can be of two types. One is a simple streaming service that has online content available for streaming 24/7. The clips, movies, shows, or rather any digital content is available in the library of the streaming service just waiting for you to view it. The other streaming service is the one where you get access to On-Demand live content. This is when you log on to the streaming service to watch a live show or a live match. On the other hand, cable TV is when you have a 24/7 running TV that is not subject to what you want to watch. Each channel has his or her sow listings and hence would stick to it. Though you could watch whatever you want by simply just changing the channel.
What is the one thing that you would be needed, regardless of whether you choose to have a streaming service to fulfill your needs or whether you have a cable TV to fuel your hunger for some relaxation and chill time? The internet. To have a seamless or perfect streaming service experience, you need great internet service. Similarly, you could take a look at internet service providers that bundle with cable TV-like Charter Spectrum. This way you could get the best of both worlds. A great streaming experience through a strong internet connection and a cost-effective option via bundling. If you do want to look at Charter Spectrum, then we have to tell you about another advantage of this service provider. Spectrum Customer Service is available for use 24/7 and is one of the strongest features of the internet and cable TV provider.
Cable TV Vs. Streaming Networks
Specifications | Xfinity 140+ | AT&T TV Entertainment | Spectrum TV Select | FuboTV | Cox Contour TV | YouTube TV |
Price | $50.00 a month | $60.00 a month for 12 months and then $93.00 a month from there on | $45.00 a month | $55.00 a month | $70.00 a month | $50.00 a month |
Top 100 Channels | 61 | 61 | 62 | 57 | 63 | 53 |
Contract Length | 1 Year | 2 Years | 1 Year | 1 Month | 2 Years | 1 Month |
Top 50 Channels | 41 | 40 | 44 | 37 | 42 | 34 |
Total Channels | 114 | 76 | 115 | 103 | 119 | 93 |
Top 25 Channels | 23 | 21 | 23 | 19 | 23 | 18 |
We can see that cable TV packages or plans are way better than what streaming services have to offer. We also see that streaming services like FuboTV and YouTube TV are offering a lot fewer channels in their top 25 list in comparison to cable TV.
Building Cable TV with Internet Tends to Save You a Lot of Money
Specifications | Xfinity 140+ | AT&T TV Entertainment | Spectrum TV Select | FuboTV | Cox Contour TV | YouTube TV |
Internet Cost Plus Per Month TV | $80.00 a month | $60.00 a month for 12 months and then $81.00 a month from there on (TV) Plus $60.00 (Internet) | $90.00 a month | $55.00 Plus $60.00 (Internet) | $90.00 | $50.00 (TV) Plus $60.00 (Internet) |
Estimated Cost per Year | $1198.00 per Year | $1440.00 per year for the first year and then $1692 for the year two and above | $1340 per Year | $1380 per Year | $1287 per Year | $1320 per Year |
Internet Download Speed | Upwards Till 200 Mbps | 74 Mbps | 100 Plus Mbps | 74 Mbps | Upwards Till 150 Mbps | 74 Mbps |
Equipment Rental Fee | $14.00 a month | None | $5.00 a month | None | $11.00 a month | None |
Installation Fee | Up to $70.00 | None | Up to $200.00 | None | Up to $75.00 | None |
As you can see, even though cable TV has a higher price tag associate with it, in the long run, you end up paying a lot more for live TV streaming. The main reason for this is that their costs go up after every year by 3% or 4%. So if you’re trying to save up some money, consider cable TV.
To Conclude
Figuring out which is the best option between streaming services and cable TV is something that is simply not conclusive. At the end of the day, all of it boils down to which service provider has offered the best deal or plan that could entice the customer or consumer to make a shift on to the other platform. The ideology is quite simple; as consumers, we are all but interested in getting ourselves the most perfect deal that we can. This deal often helps us save a lot more money, gives us a higher overall utility from the previous plan or package that we were using, and is overall better for us in the long term. However, this is where things start to get more interesting.
If you shift from a streaming service to another streaming service, then the old streaming service would try and provide a service way better than what the other streaming service can provide. However, when a person or consumer shifts to a whole new and different type of service i.e. from streaming services to cable TV, then there must be a quick check-up of what streaming services might be doing wrong or what cable TV service providers might be doing right.
At the end of the day, all that matters is that the consumer or person who is getting the service should get the very best of what he or she wants from a service.