Question from Carla J.: I keep hearing how lots of people are dropping their cable TV and watching all their TV shows online for free. I only really watch 3 shows on a regular basis – Duck Dynasty and HGTV’s Curb Appeal and House Hunters.
It seems like I’m paying way too much just to watch 3 shows! I’d love to be able to tell Charter to stop my service and start watching my shows online, but this just sounds too good to be true. Is it?
Rick’s answer: No Carla, it isn’t. Millions of people around the world now watch their favorite TV shows over the Internet. And yes, many of those shows are absolutely free (not counting the cost of your Internet connection) and many others are available for a modest fee.
But before you call Charter and ditch your cable service, there are some things you need to consider:
1 – Are the TV shows you want to watch available for viewing over the Internet? You can easily find out by visiting a great website called Can I Stream It and typing the names of the shows into the search box (be sure to search TV Shows instead of Movies).
Many shows are available on Hulu or Netflix. Also, some TV networks stream some or all of their shows for free right from their own websites.
2 – You said that you really only watch three shows, but do you also watch specials from time to time? How about live sporting events? If so, these programs might not be available online, and you often won’t know ahead of time.
3 – Would you really save money by dropping your cable TV service? If your cable TV is bundled with your Internet and telephone service, the answer might actually be no.
What I recommend is doing a bit of homework before calling Charter. Make a list of all the shows you really want to watch, including the three listed above and the ones you only watch occasionally but really don’t want to miss. Then check to see if they are available online either for free or at a very low per-episode charge. Actually sit down and watch a few shows online and see how it works out for you.
Also compare the various Charter service plans and see how much you’d actually save by dropping your cable service while keeping your Internet and/or phone service. If it’s just a few dollars per month it might not be worth it. Good luck!
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