How to ditch cable, but keep the shows you love, for $25/month

ByNydia Han and Heather Grubola WPVI logo
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Ditch cable, but keep the shows you love, for $25/month
How does spending just $25 a month on TV sound to you? Can you still get the channels and shows you love?

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- How does spending just $25 a month on TV sound to you? Can you still get the channels and shows you love?

Consumer Reports decided to find out!

Daphne Peña and her husband decided to get rid of cable a few years ago.

"We were streaming more and it didn't make any sense to pay for something that we weren't using," she said.

But Consumer Reports' Tech Editor, Jim Willcox, said some people are spending as much money on various streaming services as they were on cable.

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"So, I wanted to see if it was possible to get a good assortment of content and broadcast channels for just $25 a month," said Willcox.

Since every family has different interests and favorite shows, Willcox put together an economical package that could appeal to a wide range of people. It includes a Disney+ Bundle, which offers Hulu and ESPN+ for $13 a month.

"For families with kids, Disney+ has the Star Wars franchise, plus movies from Marvel and Pixar," he said.

Hulu offers content from popular broadcast and cable channels including FOX and ABC, plus classic TV shows, Hulu originals and movies. And ESPN+ adds even more sports to the mix. The CR cord cutting package also includes CBS All Access which has NFL games.

"And you get NCAA basketball and PGA Golf," he said.

It's $6 a month with limited commercials.

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"The last piece of this streaming puzzle is the $5 per month, ad-supported tier of Peacock," he said.

All together that's about $24 a month. And on top of streaming, Pena enjoys free, live broadcast channels.

"We also have an antenna because we like to watch local news," she said.

Some streaming companies also offer promotional pricing or even free access with other services, like music subscriptions. And most also offer free trials, so you can make sure it's the right fit for your family before signing up.