As a cord-cutter since 2011, I’ve seen the landscape of streaming change dramatically. For years, the trade-off was clear: save money, but sacrifice the convenience of a single, all-in-one platform for live sports. My core streaming habit has always been Hulu. I keep it most of the year, only pausing when all my favorite shows are watched. In the fall, when new shows arrive, Hulu is a must-have for me, and it covers the entire college football season.
Because I was already subscribing to Hulu, it made sense to get the Disney Plus/Hulu/ESPN Plus bundle, as it was a more cost-effective way to get the content I wanted. With that non-negotiable bundle as my foundation, I had to find a way to get the live ESPN and Fox Sports content I needed for college football.
This post will break down the numbers, comparing the cost of my old approach with these exciting new services and other vMVPDs.
The Old Way: A Painful Price Tag
To get all the live college football content I needed, my previous strategy involved a monthly total that was far from ideal. My foundation was the Disney Plus/Hulu/ESPN Plus bundle, which I was going to have regardless. On top of that, I would add the Sling TV Orange & Blue package, which, along with the Sports Extra add-on, provided the full range of ESPN and Fox Sports channels.
The numbers for this method came out to a total of $92.98 per month.
The New A La Carte Approach
The new approach is to subscribe directly to the services you need without bundling them with a live TV service. The new ESPN streaming service, offered at an introductory price, includes all the content of my old bundle, plus the full suite of ESPN linear channels. The new Fox One service, meanwhile, covers all the Fox Sports content I need.
By subscribing to these two services directly, the cost is a total of $49.98 per month. This is a dramatic savings of over $40 every month of the college football season, and it replaces my existing streaming subscriptions with a single, comprehensive solution.
Other Popular Options
To show just how significant this a la carte approach is, let’s look at the price of two other popular live TV services and how their costs compare to this new model, keeping in mind my commitment to the Disney Plus/Hulu/ESPN Plus bundle.
Hulu+Live TV
Hulu+Live TV is a great option because its base price of $82.99 per month already includes the content of my core bundle. While this is a better deal than my old Sling TV method, it's still far from the cheapest option available.
YouTube TV
Another popular choice, YouTube TV, comes with an even higher price tag. Given my preference for keeping my Disney Plus/Hulu/ESPN Plus bundle, my total cost for this method would be $99.98 per month. This highlights the challenge of consolidating services when you have specific preferences that don't fit neatly into a single plan.
A Final Comparison
Here is a summary of the full monthly cost of each option for college football season:
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New A La Carte Method: $49.98
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My Old Sling TV Method: $92.98
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Hulu+Live TV Method: $82.99
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YouTube TV Method: $99.98
The Bottom Line
The launch of these new a la carte services is a monumental moment for cord-cutters who are sports fans. For the first time, it seems genuinely feasible to get all the major college football content you need without subscribing to an expensive live TV package. My Streaming Life has always been about saving money while enjoying great content, and this new pricing structure feels like a game-changer. It's a reminder that as the streaming world evolves, there are always new and better ways to cut costs.
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