How to Save Money on Your TV Bill in 2024

According to Consumer Affairs, the average person spends between $85-$100 per month on a pay TV subscription. As the price of seemingly everything else rises, entertainment spends are often among the first items to be trimmed when annual budget reviews are done, and cord cutters often find they can save hundreds of dollars per year by leaving cable behind.

First Step: Decide What You Value Watching Most

The best place to start when figuring out how to save money on your TV bill is deciding what type of programming you value most. If you’re a person who prizes the ability to watch top cable channels like AMC, Discovery, ESPN, FX, Nickelodeon and others, the first place you’ll want to look is at live TV streaming services.

If broadcast TV networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW are what you enjoy watching most, you’ll want to get an over-the-air (OTA) antenna. These typically cost $40 or less, and they don’t require a subscription or any kind of monthly fee. Most also allow users to watch digital channels as well as broadcast networks.

If premium streaming titles like “Stranger Things,” “House of the Dragon,” Marvel’s “Echo” or “The Bear,” a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service is the way to go. These services typically cost $20 per month or less, and allow the user to cancel any time.

The good news is, there’s no wrong answer to the question “What do I want to watch?” There are plenty of ways to mix and match these services to enjoy every kind of video you want, and multiple price points for every budget are available.

Which Live TV Streaming Services Are Best for Cord Cutters?

If cable channels are your favorite way to watch TV, there are several live TV services The Streamable recommends. Users with a budget of around $75-$100 per month should look into platforms like DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV and Fubo if they value live sports, news and entertainment, as well as YouTube TV. Each of these platforms offers hundreds of channels and most have multiple plans to choose from.

For a budget between $25 and $40 per month, Sling TV and Philo are perfect. Sling has around 40 channels for $40 per month, with the ability to add extra channels in bundles. Philo doesn’t stream top cable channels like ESPN, nor does it carry locals in any market, but at $25 per month it’s a fantastic way to watch channels like A&E, Lifetime and more.

Now, clearly some of these live TV services don’t cost any less per month than a cable subscription, and sometimes they cost more. But most live TV services cut out the hidden fees that are associated with cable, and most importantly they feature month-to-month contracts, so the subscriber isn’t locked in if they decide their service is no longer working for them.

Which SVOD Services Are Best for Cord Cutters?

There is so much variety in the SVOD world. Some services offer livestreams of linear TV channels, while others offer enormous on-demand libraries and host their own occasional live events. If you want to stream live TV channels on your SVOD service, check out Paramount+ with Showtime and Peacock Premium Plus, which offer live streams of CBS and NBC, respectively at $11.99 per month.

If you value live sports alongside on-demand streaming content, Paramount+ and Peacock both offer a wide variety. Paramount+ includes Sunday afternoon NFL action every week and specializes in live soccer, while Peacock carries “Sunday Night Football” in addition to a wealth of college sports, every event of the Summer Olympics in 2024, and much more. Max carries all live NBA, NHL and MLB games appearing on TBS and TNT, and ESPN+ streams tens of thousands of sporting events from the NFL, NHL, MLB and top college conferences every year. Prime Video offers a weekly stream of “Thursday Night Football” during the NFL season.

The pure entertainment lovers out there will be best served with platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu, though to be sure you can find top franchises and blockbuster movies on Paramount+ and Peacock. Max and Apple TV+ are your best bets for prestige TV, and each of these services offers thousands of on-demand titles that the customer can watch any time.

Best for cord cutters is the fact that each of these services starts at $9.99 per month or less. You can stack several of them and not come close to the price you paid every month for cable, and you have the power of choice; will it be ad-free or ad-supported for your family? Do you want the freedom to watch a single show and cancel that streaming service? SVOD platforms put the choice in your hands.

Are Free Streamers the X-Factor?

Free ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) platforms are the closest thing outside of live TV streaming to the traditional cable experience. They often feature hundreds of free ad-supported TV (FAST) channels in a grid-style display that lets users browse, and many channels only offer a single show with a curated list of episodes that air just like live TV.

Free streaming platforms carry content in all genres, both live and on-demand. They never require a credit card to sign up for, and most don’t even ask you to create an account before you start watching. They’re a great way to supplement whichever mode of video you like best at no additional monthly cost.

The Bottom Line

Cord cutting can be intimidating, especially for customers who watched a lot of TV with their cable subscription. But The Streamable has been covering the best ways to supplant a cable subscription ever since 2017, and you can take our recommendations knowing that they include expert advice with real-world experience with the services in question. There are lots of ways to save money on your TV bill in 2024 if you’ve left cable behind, while simultaneously having the best entertainment in the world at your fingertips.