My streaming channel lineup (no sports edition)

It's nearly college football season, and that's when I expand my streaming lineup. But it's not college football season yet. I've been a cord cutter since January 2011 when I dropped cable. In those early days, we didn't have as many options as we have today. In a way, that was a good thing. Let me explain.

I learned the hard way how to handle, adapt, and overcome with the limited options we had. I learned how to look at options I hadn't previously considered, and think outside the box (if you'll pardon the buzzwords). I found out that I really had more options that I hadn't considered, if I was willing to work for it. I was, and I saved money. I figured out what I could do without, and decide what things were worth it to me.

When live streaming services came along, I didn't go all in year round. I already knew I had plenty of options to watch what I wanted apart from sports. And I didn't want to pay for sports year-round, only during college football season. I realize this isn't necessarily how you'd want to do it, but the point is you can find a way to do it like you want to also.

Right now, here are my streaming services.

Paid Services

Hulu

Hulu ($6/month) is my "cable company." I was used to recording shows on TiVo for years before cutting the cord, so watching stuff later was normal for me. Hulu lets me watch current seasons of many shows. Yes, it has commercials, but so did cable, and so did the recordings from cable. It's not a big deal. Heck, I might even see something I want.

Paramount+

Paramount+ ($10/month for you, $6/month for me) is the old CBS All Access. I had CBS All Access, so my pricing is under the old tier. I'm listing the current pricing for the service I have. Mine included the local CBS affiliate, but had commercials. That combination isn't available now. To get local CBS you have to have the no-commercial plan. For that reason, I'm listing the no-commercial plan for you.

The service gets me live CBS (which I only used during football season) and a shipload of other content.  Last time I counted, the service had 2,730 movies in its library. Some were great. Some were lame. Just like any movie service. Paramount+ and Hulu covered most of the current TV I wanted to watch.

Peacock TV

Peacock TV ($5/month, free to Xfinity Internet users) is the one I might not have if I wasn't an Xfinity Internet subscriber. For $5/month, it's a good service, but I don't use it that much. Of course, right now, I'm not using Hulu that much right now. Still, I do have it, and I do watch it on occasion. The movie library isn't as large as you might think, considering the overall Universal Studios catalog. Peacock TV had 1,182 movies the last time I counted. It's worth considering, at least as a rotating service, if not full time.

Oh, and since I am an Xfinity subscriber and this service is free, it would still be on the list, but in the Free Services section.

Frndly.TV

Frndly.TV ($6/month) has been something I've subscribed to for some time. It started when family members wanted to watch Hallmark Channel content. I wrote more about it a while back. I found Frndly.TV to be a good little service. I'm not a huge fan of the interface, but it works well enough. The on-demand library isn't as large as other services, but it's good family content.

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video ($10/month based on $119/year) is in the list because I do have it. I don't actually use it that much. I've had Amazon Prime since before there was a Prime Video service. I didn't subscribe to watch the content, but I do watch it on occasion, so I'm listing it here. While I don't watch it much, it is a good service. I don't like the app's interface, and it's not easy to find, mostly because it includes content you have to pay extra for. Weeding through that to find stuff that's included with Prime or that I own makes it a pain. The other services make it easier to find something to watch, and I'd rather spend time watching than hunting for something to watch. That's why if it was only Prime Video and no other benefits, I wouldn't have the service. But I do, so I'm counting it.

PBS

PBS ($5/month for you, $10/month for me) is technically free, but to get the full library, you must be a Passport member, meaning a donation of at least $5/month. I donate to PBS anyway -- more on that here -- so I pay more that you might. I'm not paying for the purpose of watching the shows; I'd only pay the $5/month if that was the case. But, since I am paying, I do use PBS Passport.

Even without PBS Passport, there is a decent amount of content on the PBS app, and I'd have it anyway, only under the Free Services section.

Tablo

Tablo ($5/month, or free) is a great DVR system for your antenna. It's technically free, because you don't need a Tablo subscription to use the service. If a 24-hour guide is okay with you, you don't need the subscription. But it does give you 14-day channel guide. I have the lifetime subscription, so it was one payment and I was done. If you use the service three years, it's better to get the lifetime subscription. I plan to use it three year. Well, more, really. That's why I'm including it in the Paid Services section.

Note: If you use Tablo, you don't really need Sling TV for Air TV. And, if you have Sling TV for Air TV, you don't need Tablo. I have both. But I'm weird.

Free Services

Sling TV (Air TV)

Sling TV (free) is free. It's not the full Sling TV Orange or Blue package. It's a free streaming package that's included with the app. I really only use it because it also integrates Air TV into the interface, and that's a service I use. I can watch TV from my antenna through the Sling TV app, as well as watch some free live streaming services, and some on-demand content. This is one worth having.

Yes, a full Sling TV live streaming package is $35/month, but I'm not talking about that. Maybe in the future.

Note: If you use Tablo, you don't really need Sling TV for Air TV. And, if you have Sling TV for Air TV, you don't need Tablo. I have both. But I'm weird.

Pluto TV

Why didn't I list Pluto TV first? I should have, I suppose, except that I wanted to keep Tablo and Sling TV (for Air TV) together. I use Pluto TV on an almost daily basis. It has a shipload of free content. It's my go-to service for live TV. Unless somebody really wants to watch something on Frndly.TV of course.

The Roku Channel

I'm counting this even though I don't use it a lot. But, as I mentioned recently, I am giving it a more in-depth look, and so far I think I may use it more than I previously had.

Plex

I got Plex to stream my local content to my streaming devices. I still use it primarily for that, but since they've added live and on-demand streaming content, the app is useful even without a local library.

Pub-D-Hub

This little secret has a ton of interesting stuff. I probably should list this in the Paid Services section since I do subscribe, but the $4/year price is so low, that I felt silly putting a service that averaged under 34¢/month. It's never my first choice for watching content. Well, rarely. But, I can always find something to watch.

Others

I don't watch Crackle, Vudu, Tubi, IMDB.TV, or Stirr that much, but I do have them. There's nothing wrong with them. They're good free apps. I just don't use them that much.

Where Are These?

Netflix

I've not subscribed to Netflix in years. Well, mostly. With all the other services, I realized years ago that I rarely watched Netflix. I was paying a lot of money for not a lot of viewing. So, I dropped it. And I haven't missed it. Well, almost.

Netflix did pick up the revival of Mystery Science Theater 3000, and when the two seasons were released, I subscribed long enough to watch the shows, then dropped it again. To me, it's not worth it.

Apple TV+

Okay, I do have Apple TV+, but that's because I have an iPhone, and service came with the device. When the free service is up, will I keep it? No. There's not enough to justify the expense to me. When there is enough of a library built up to justify it, I'll subscribe, watch the stuff, then drop the service. Like with Netflix.

Disney+

I have subscribed to Disney+, but I found I did not use the service. Like with Netflix and Apple TV+, I may subscribe if enough builds up to watch, then cancel when I'm done binging.

Discovery+

This doesn't even rise to the level of Netflix, Apple TV+, and Disney+. I don't see myself subscribing to Discovery+ again. I tried the service. Not just the free trial, but I paid for a month. Didn't watch it enough to justify it. And, here's the thing, Discovery+ is right up my alley. I actually thought I would watch it a lot more than I did. But I didn't. So, I canceled and may not subscribe again.

Paid Live Streaming (Cable Replacement)

I don't use them year-round. It's that simple. The stuff to which I subscribe, plus the free content, means that if I were to subscribe to a service (besides Frndly.TV) I wouldn't watch it that much. Certainly not enough to justify a $65/month price tag that most services have. Looking at you Hulu+Live TV, YouTube TV, and Fubo. Even the cheaper services, such as Vidgo ($45/month) or Sling TV ($35/month) wouldn't be worth it.

The closest, apart from Frndly.TV, which I do have, would be Philo. It's only $25/month. Even then, I wouldn't watch it enough to justify keeping it. That's not a guess, I've actually subscribed. I don't watch it.

If -- note that I'm saying "if" -- I were to subscribe year-round to a service, it would be Philo. It has a lot of the Discovery content, as I've mentioned before. And even then, I'd replace it with a service that carried sports during college football season. Apart from football, Philo would be my choice. But, it's not. I choose to not have a year-round service. I don't need one. I have plenty to watch without it, and I'm not gong to waste the money.

Summary

After seeing this list, I'm not wondering if I'll keep all of these services. I'll probably keep Frndly.TV, but may drop the yearly subscription and go to monthly during part of the year.

Hulu and Paramount+ may get dropped, and only picked up during part of the year. Tablo is already paid for (lifetime subscription) and I'll keep giving to PBS. Peacock is free to me as an Xfinity Internet user. Otherwise, it would go into the Hulu/Paramount+ rotation.

I'll review Amazon Prime service between now and renewal, and decide if to keep the service. If so, I'll also keep Prime Video, since that's included. But if it was only Prime Video? No, I'd drop it now.

My total cost for streaming is $18. That $6 for Hulu, $6 for Paramount+, and $6 for Frndly.TV. The others are services I have anyway. I donate to PBS anyway, and the Passport service is a bonus.

And, if I start swapping out Hulu and Paramount+, my cost will drop to $12/month for streaming. I am enjoying the low cost associated with my Streaming Life.

Waiting on the Sling TV update

Sling TV has released an update to their app. It's rolled out on Fire TV devices, and some Roku devices. I have it on my Ultra, but no on other Roku devices. So, I'm waiting on the Sling TV update to come to the rest of my Roku devices.

I have a Firestick -- remember, I got a new one recently that I'm trying out -- on the same TV as a Roku that doesn't have the update. That means I can actually compare the interfaces on the same TV. I need three remotes to do that properly, but I am able to use the old and the new Sling TV interfaces from the same chair.

The interfaces are very different. Well, the home page is different. I may actually like it better than the old one. Here's the new one:

And here's the old one:

I do like the new one better.

The grid is pretty much the same. It's a grid. You can't do much with a grid. But they did make a change. Here's the old grid:

Here's the new grid:

The smaller text means fewer channels can display on screen at any one time. Okay, one fewer channel. But still...

Also, while they are keeping the orange or blue dots associated with the service on which the channel is available, they did forego the designator for the OTA channels. They have no indicator, and look the same as the regular free Sling TV content items.

Overall, I do like the new interface. I haven't given it extensive use, but my first impression is good. I'm ready for it to come to all of my Roku devices. I could get used to it as part fo my Streaming Life.

Cutting the cord, but not the expense

I cut the cord to save money. However, I realize others cut the cord for other reasons. I'm not about to think everyone cut the cord for the same reason I did. But it is the reason I cut. And that colors how I look at others when it comes to how they stream.

There's a study that says a lot of people who cut the cord spend a lot of money on streaming services. Now, I don't know if it's a true reflection, or a manipulation of the data, but spending $85 on average?

Many consumers who dropped their traditional pay TV services are finding that they can still face some hefty monthly bills for OTT services, with new research from Parks Associates reporting that cord-cutters are spending $85 a month on average for OTT services. 

That is roughly $30 less than what they were paying for pay TV services, according to Park’s "Cutters, Nevers, and the Rebundling of Video" research report.

That's a lot of money.I don't understand it. Keep in mind that during most of the year, my streaming cost is $6 for Hulu and $6 for Frndly.TV, which means there is someone spending $158 for every someone spending $12.

Of course, I'm not counting Amazon Prime Video cost because I had that anyway. I've been a Prime subscriber from way back, before there was a Prime Video. So, I'm not counting an existing expense into my cost. If I didn't cut the cord, I'd still have that cost, so it's off the table when it comes to figuring things.

And that's the key to these reports, I suspect. They're counting everything as part of "the cost of cord cutting" even if the cost was unrelated to cord cutting. It's dishonest. So, my cost doesn't include something I had anyway.

And, to me, Netflix is a lot like that. If you already had Netflix before you became a cord cutter, then the cost of Netflix shouldn't be counted. I'm not counting it as an expense because I dropped Netflix some years back. But, even if I still subscribed, I wouldn't count it.

Unless, of course, they are new expenses. If I wasn't a Netflix subscriber, then became one as part of cutting the cord, then yes, it counts. Same with Amazon Prime. But, for pre-existing subscriptions? Nope, it doesn't count.

So, I'm not sure what to think of the report of the average cord cutter spending $85/month on streaming. Maybe so, but I suspect it's inflated with pre-existing subscriptions or costs. Although my motivation for cutting the cord may be clouding my judgement.

Here's the thing, though. Even if it is, so what? If it give the users what they want, and they're happy with the service and the cost, then it's a good thing. Just like if a cable subscriber is happy with the service and the cost, then they're where they need to be.

But, I still suspect the numbers are all distorted. I know my Streaming Life costs nowhere near that much. And I enjoy it immensely.

Epix on the Roku Channel

I said recently that I would be checking out The Roku Channel to see why everyone was so high on it. The Roku Channel gets a lot of love from cord cutter Websites and articles, but it's something I've not done much with. So, I'm trying it out.

Shortly after starting that, I found out this was going to take a lot longer than I thought. It turns out there's a lot to The Roku Channel. The free streaming content is what I have always focused on, and that's understandable. After all, that's one of the features that Roku most often emphasizes. But it's not the only thing they have.

Roku is really big on buying stuff. Most companies are. And Roku wants you to buy subscriptions using Roku Pay. I've already said I'm not a fan of Roku Pay, but I do understand it's a revenue stream for Roku, and that there may be valid reasons for it to be the way for you to go.

The Roku Channel offers subscriptions to premium services. I subscribed to Epix in order to try it out. And, quite honestly, it worked pretty good. But not perfect, you might note.

First, and this isn't necessarily a bad thing, is that when you subscribe to a premium service through The Roku Channel, a separate app is actually loaded on to your Roku. An app called "Epix on The Roku Channel" appeared. Again, not a bad thing. If I want to watch Epix content, it's all right there. And, it's also available within The Roku Channel.

The two problem I had with Epic on The Roku Channel were the lack of a search feature and the limited content.

The search is kind of a big deal, but then again, there's a workaround. The Epix app, the real one, with a separate subscription directly to Epix, has search capabilities, unlike Epix on The Roku Channel. The workaround is that you can still search within The Roku Channel, just not the Epix on The Roku Channel app.

The limited content is the big thing with me, and I didn't find a workaround. What I'm talking about is that not everything that's available from Epix is available through Epix on The Roku Channel. Oh, and I'll call it Epix/TRC to differentiate going forward, okay? Anyway, Epix/TRC didn't have everything. If you go to the various categories of content, say, science fiction or comedies, you'll see up to 40 titles in the category on Epix/TRC. You'll see everything on Epix on Epix.

Apart from that, the Epix/TRC app is easy to use. It worked as expected. No crashes. It's fine. Just not all the Epix content. And it's the same price as a stand-alone Epix subscription, so you're paying the same thing for less.

Of course, if the missing content isn't something you want, then they're actually doing you a favor by not cluttering things. But, you don't know if you care about that content unless you know what the content is.

The other issue with Epix/TRC is that you are limited to watching it on a Roku device. You can't watch the content through The Roku Channel on, say, a Fire stick. Yes, The Roku Channel is available for Amazon Fire TV, but Epix content -- like all premium content to which you subscribe via The Roku Channel -- isn't available on the non-Roku platforms.

One thing I really liked, and I wish more would do this, is that when I approached the end of my free trial (it comes with a 7-day free trial) Roku did email me. That allowed me the option to cancel before I was charged. Most services won't do this, and leave it entirely up to you, the consumer, to keep up with all of that, hoping you'll forget and they get to charge you for a month you really don't want. Roku isn't like that. And I found that a welcome change.

So, Epix on The Roku Channel? It works well enough. If you're all in with Roku, it's a good choice. If you want to be able to use it on a non-Roku platform, then don't subscribe to it; rather, subscribe to Epix directly and get the flexibility you want.

Oh, and it did help up my opinion of The Roku Channel a little, which is how this whole thing started. I can see more usage of The Roku Channel happening in my Streaming Life.

Fire TV again

I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of Amazon Fire TV devices. I've used a Fire TV box and the Fire Stick. Or is it Firestick? Let me check.

Oh. It's Fire TV Stick. I'll try to remember that.

Anyway, I've had Fire TV devices, including the box, the Stick, and even a television with built in Fire TV. I've not liked them.

Part of the problem is the blending of Amazon into the interface. I get why it's there, since it's an Amazon device. I wouldn't expect it to be all iTunes or Google Play. Of course, Apple TV integrates iTunes or Apple store content into the interface, and Google integrates Google Play Store into the Android TV/Google TV interfaces. So, it's not like Amazon is doing something different. However, it just seems more obvious to me, too "in your face" to my liking.

I could, of course, be wrong. And if they are promoting Amazon content over others, so what? If the device is easy to use and gets the user what is wanted, that's actually a good thing.

But that's the lesser issue I have with Fire TV devices. The main issue is the responsiveness of the Fire TV devices I've used.

Now, the actual TV with Fire TV built in doesn't fall into that category. The TV I used was responsive. There were other concerns, that really weren't Amazon's fault, but rather the TV manufacturer that was the problem.

However...

It's been some time since I've used a Fire TV device. And I've read reports that the new Fire TV Stick 4K is a good device that is responsive, as it should be. So, I'm going to try one.

This will be the fifth or sixth Amazon Fire TV device I've had over the years. If this one is actually as good as I've read, then it will finally be something useful.

I ordered a Fire TV Stick 4K and it arrived yesterday. I'll be using it off and on for the next bit. Maybe I'll be happy with it. Or at least not as disappointed as I've been.

Fingers are crossed. Maybe this will be a useful addition to the hardware I use in my Streaming Life.