The best cord-cutting options in N.J.: Did Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus change the streaming game? – AppleTV 4 Jailbreak (appletv4jailbreak.com)
Can you imagine a life without cable television?
For most tube junkies, this would have been a preposterous thought 10 or even five years ago. But with cable prices continuing to climb, many viewers are finding ways to watch their favorite shows and content without having to fork over hundreds of dollars to their cable provider.
The phenomenon is called cord-cutting.
Whether it’s as simple as a Netflix account or more extreme like getting an Amazon Fire Stick or Apple TV, the non-cable options run the gamut.
Are you ready to cut the cord, or should you stay connected to cable? What service is right for you, and what’s the best hardware? And how do the newest streaming services, Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus, change the equation? Here’s everything you need to know about cord-cutting and how to do it in New Jersey.
In 2008, less than 1 million American households were completely reliant on the internet for television viewing, according to Parks Associates. By 2017, that number leaped to 22.2 million.
Convergence Research Group’s “Battle for the American Couch Potato” report stated that OTT (over-the-top, aka cord-cutting services) access revenue grew by 41 percent to $11.9 billion in 2017 and that number is projected to more than double by 2020. Meanwhile, cable, satellite and Teleco TV access (not including OTT) revenue grew just one percent in 2017 to $107.6.
Now in 2019, 14,000 Americans a day are cutting the cord. Bottom line? Cord-cutting services are rapidly expanding, while cable subscriptions have more or less become stagnant.
After extensive research and experimentation with these services and devices, it’s clear that in many cases cutting the cord is worth it. It isn’t always easy or convenient and may take an adjustment period, but almost all content that you would get with a cable subscription is now available with a streaming service that will cost less. And as streaming services get bigger and better, it becomes easier to cut the cord. It just comes down to finding the right service and device for your tastes.
Best overall device: Amazon Fire TV Stick
Likely the most versatile streaming device on the market, and you get tremendous bang for your buck with a price that ranges from $30 to $50. The Fire Stick acts as a vehicle for countless apps that will allow you to stream everything from Netflix to HBO to live television (not to mention the Amazon Prime library), with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that doesn’t take long to learn. It’s super easy to install as well: it simply plugs into an HDMI port (upgraded versions with additional features are also available). If you’re not a tech-savvy viewer, this is a fine option. After a period where it looked like Disney Plus would not be available on Amazon devices, it was announced that it would indeed be supported — only further establishing its status as the best overall device.
