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Sep 10, 2024 By Jon Andreassi 6 min read

Megan Ealy decided in July that it was time to leave Dish Network due to the price. Last December, Susan Widdowson and her husband parted ways with their cable package from Xfinity. For Jennifer Markovich, signing up for cable was never a consideration.

With a plethora of options to stream television shows, movies and sports over the internet, more and more people are “cutting the cord” and leaving cable in the past.

According to Nielsen Media Research, in June streaming accounted for 40.3% of total TV usage. Cable was at 27.2%, and broadcast television, 20.5%. A 2021 survey by Pew Research Center found that the share of Americans who watch TV via cable or satellite dropped from 76% in 2015 to 56%.

Since then, many have continued the trend.

Ealy, of Prosperity, said her family was paying $200 a month for a basic package from Dish Network, and about the same for their internet service. Last fall, they upgraded to a smart TV.

“We never had one before. We realized most of our shows are on there,” Ealy said.

Ealy pays for several streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+, Peacock and Paramount+. With the lower priced, ad-supported plans, her family pays about $35 per month.

Trista Thurston

They have not regretted the transition so far. Ealy finds it easier to keep up with shows when she can watch them on her own schedule and not the broadcast schedule.

“I feel like I’m getting what I want because I have time to catch up. I didn’t have time to watch week to week on cable,” Ealy said.

Being able to access streaming accounts across multiple devices is also a big plus.

“We went on vacation and the kids could have it on their tablets. That convenience right there is well worth it to me as well,” Ealy said.

Dish did not respond to a request for comment.

Widdowson has lived in Washington with her husband for the past 36 years. They paid about $250 per month for a bundle of cable, internet and a landline.

However, at the end of last year it was time for a change.

“We are now retired, and we’re on a fixed income. So we wanted to maximize our income and minimize our expenses,” Widdowson said.

Their son gifted them a smart TV, providing more convenient access to streaming apps. Widdowson said their monthly bill from Xfinity dropped to $126 after getting rid of cable and the landline.

“We have lots of options there, why should we pay that high? We don’t watch sports. We have no children. Our viewing was limited. We just wanted to bring down our monthly expenses,” Widdowson said.

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Comcast, the parent company of Xfinity, noted that there are multiple options for customers who may prefer streaming. Its Xumo Stream box, for internet customers, offers access to several streaming services, while other plans offer more limited streaming options or streaming options plus live television channels.

Jennifer Markovich grew up in a house with cable, and her parents still have a landline phone. She and her husband bought a home in California in 2021, and were never keen on equipping it with a cable package.

“When my husband and I moved out and got a house of our own, right away we said we’re not doing that. The internet cost itself was so high. Also, we live in an area that is under a monopoly. So we only have access to Breezeline,” Markovich said.

Markovich said high-speed internet from Breezeline runs them about $150 a month.

When it comes to streaming, Markovich shares accounts with people in other households.

“With password sharing, we don’t really pay a whole lot for our streaming services,” Markovich said. “On top of that what we do is all share the bill for those streaming services. It comes out to being a heck of a lot cheaper than internet and cable.”

Of course, account sharing is a tenuous strategy. While it currently works for most streaming platforms, Netflix is an example of a company that has been cracking down on password sharing. The streamer now stipulates accounts can only be tied to a single household. Certain plans allow users to add households for an additional monthly fee.

Despite Netflix’s best efforts, there are still loopholes in the system. It’s possible Netflix is seeing a steep rise in customers who apparently take frequent vacations.

“You can just say you’re traveling. You say you’re traveling, boom-bam, you have access,” Markovich said. “There are ways around it, for sure.”

One matter that complicates cord cutting is that cable and internet packages usually come with a contract.

Jessa Holland, of Marianna, paid a good deal in cancellation fees last year when she and her wife did away with cable.

“We had started with satellite, which we had for a very long time. Then all of a sudden, huge price hikes.” They switched to cable, which was also expensive, Holland said.

According to Holland, they paid a $350 early termination fee to the cable company, and are now paying about $100 per month for internet from Breezeline.

“My wife kind of sat down and did a ballpark. We were paying almost $400. We pay just under $200 for our streaming services. Right around $150 a month,” Holland said.

Streaming platforms have no contracts or early termination fees (not yet, anyway), and that gives Holland peace of mind in the event of any financial hardship.

“If all of a sudden someone loses their job we’re not going to pay any hefty fines to cut those services off,” Holland said.

Ealy reported that her family paid about $300 to cancel their Dish subscription, about $20 for each month left on the contract.

“We thought long term, that’s saving us how much money overall?” Ealy said.

In Waynesburg, Crystal Garber made big changes last fall to how she connects with the digital world.

Garber said her family paid $125 a month to Windstream for internet and a landline phone, and an additional $150 to Dish Network for satellite television.

“I have a business from home. I’m a dance photographer. It’s very hard to upload my files to my website and things like that,” Garber said.

She and her husband cut off both Windstream and Dish and started getting internet from Starlink.

Starlink is a relatively new option for internet access. Developed by SpaceX, the Starlink satellite is simple to set up and provides high-speed internet even to rural areas.

There is a catch, however. Purchasing the equipment requires $500 upfront. Currently they are offering a discounted rate of $300 until Oct. 5.

“Me and my husband installed it ourselves,” Garber said.

After that, Garber reports they pay $120 per month for what she describes as a much better experience with the internet.

“Unlimited data. Uploads and downloads are great,” Garber said.

Garber pays for live TV from Hulu and Netflix, as well.

Her only regret?

“I wish I had done it a lot sooner. There really wasn’t anything out there for us to switch to,” Garber said.