Cutting the Cord: Free services offer a lot of content

Yesterday, I offered three tips for cord cutting newbies. I'd like to revisit that and expand on one tip.

Tip 1 was "Assess Your Viewing Habits." The idea was to understand your needs to help you choose the right streaming services to replace your cable subscription.

Most people think of this as picking between a nirtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) such as Sling TV, Hulu+Live TV, YouTube TV, fubo, or even Philo. While that is the route most people will take, my experience is that a pay service isn't always necessary. Today, live major sports channels such as ESPN do require a pay live streaming service. However, it's possible to find a lot of entertainment without a vMVPD service.

Current cable channels with new programming will require one, but when you cut the cord, try asking yourself if you really do need one of those. Check into the free streaming options on your streaming device. Each of the major platforms have their own section of free channels. Additionally, there are apps you can install such as Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, and other free ad-supported television (FAST) servcies that offer a lot of content.

If you feel you do need a pay TV streaming service, go ahead. Consider if you need it year round, or only for a month or two at a time, or just occasionally through the year. The rest of the time, look into the free options. You may find you can save a lot of money and watch a lot of good TV content by using the FAST services. My Streaming Life doesn't cost a lot. Yours doesn't have to either.