Cheapest way to get cable TV

Photo illustration by Slate, images by iStock.

With the announcement of Sling TV at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, it’s become clear: The era of cord cutting is here to stay. The new service will provide consumers who’d rather not pay for cable TV with live streaming of ESPN, TNT, TBS, CNN, and some other cable channels for $20 a month. Together with two other services that will launch this year, PlayStation Vue and HBO streaming, Sling TV will expand the universe of à la carte digital-media consumption beyond Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. But how many of these services can you subscribe to before you’re paying more than you would with cable? To answer that question, Slate brings you this calculator:

1. How much is your cable plan with TV and Internet?

Enter the cost of the plan you would get if you had both basic cable and Internet. Default: Time Warner's 200-channel, 50 mpbs "Preferred TV" package's 12-month promotional cost, $89.99.

$ per month

2. How much is your cable plan with just Internet?

Enter the cost of the plan you would get if your household depended more on the Internet for streaming. Default: Time Warner's 50 mbps "Extreme" Internet plan's 12-month promotional cost, $34.99.

3. Select streaming services to subscribe to.

Prices reflect the cheapest payment schedules.

Results

TV and Internet without streaming services:

Internet and streaming services without TV:

Of course, can’t decide what’s best for you. Cable TV and online streaming services are different products. Subscribe to all the streaming services, and you still won’t get all the live channels you could get on some cable plans. And our calculator omits a third, cheaper option: going outside.

Related facts

Do you like to communicate with other people? If you do, you probably have already appreciated the advantage of communication over the Internet. You haven't to go anywhere, you haven't to think about your schedule... You stay near your PC or laptop, and you chat with people who are maybe thousands of miles away from you. Nowadays, you can choose any chatroom you want, according to your interests and desires. Do you like watching TV? Welcome to freetvchat! Register, and find new friends to discuss interesting topics!

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