Consumer Reports – September 2019

$103 $102

DISNEY+ $7

HULU $6

HBO NOW $15

NETFLIX 4K $16

YOUTUBE TV $50

STREAMING CABLE

AMAZON

PRIME VIDEO $9

STREAMING VS. CABLE TV

(Cost of cable is national average; prices don’t include

internet service. Disney+ is coming in November 2019.)

RISING COST OF NETFLIX

Monthly cost

RISING COST OF CABLE-

REPLACEMENT SERVICES

Monthly cost

$0

$5

$10

$15

$20

2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

PREMIUM PLAN

$16

STANDARD PLAN

$ 13

$20

$30

$40

$50

SLING TV

YOUTUBE TV

HULU + LIVE TV

PLAYSTATION

VUE

DIRECTV NOW

2017 2018 2019

What It Costs to Watch TV

The legions of Americans abandoning cable TV aren’t

necessarily going on a content diet. Many are “stacking” a

variety of online streaming video services to get an à la carte

combo of channels, shows, and movies. The chart below

shows just how many services you can get for the same cost

as an average cable TV package. Each service scratches a

different itch: YouTube TV has 70-plus live channels; Amazon

Prime Video, HBO Now, Hulu, and Netflix offer original shows

and movies. Cut out a few services and you can save plenty

of money relative to a typical cable bill. But the math is

getting less friendly to streaming. The charts at right show

how several major online video services have raised their

prices in the past few years. One big advantage relative to

cable, though: no tacked-on fees.

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SEPTEMBER 2019 CR.ORG 27