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Should You Cut The Cord? As Streaming Options Flood The Market, Consumers Weigh The Cost

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — To cut the cord or not to cut the cord?

With more streaming options available than ever before, that's the question on the minds of millions of Americans. Many of these options come with a cost, however, and that can make the decision even harder to make.

South Pasadena resident Rob Clyde has subscribed to both satellite and cable. He's already cut the cord once and now he's back with cable. But even after spending months doing research, he's still not sure which way to go.

"The price is not as cheap as you originally thought," Clyde explained.

"I did the same thing a year ago and now I'm doing it again this year. It's a really hard decision. I would really love to be 100 percent streaming," he said.

Still, when it comes down to dollars and cents, Clyde says it gets complicated.

"I thought by going with streaming I could cut my bills maybe in half. There's Hulu Live, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ ... They're 15 bucks here and 12 bucks there. And I'm not saving that much money by, uh, cutting my cord," he said.

C-NET Senior Editor Ashley Esqueda says that like Clyde, you have to do your research. Streaming fees can add up and you have to figure out what you absolutely need and what you can live without.

"There are more services than I could possibly list. If you're subscribing to all of these services, it can sometimes exceed your cable bill," Esqueda explained.

"One thing people have to really be aware of when they're about to cord-cut is their local channels. So for example, if I wanted to continue to watch CBS here in L.A., I would have to make sure that the subscription included either a local live TV access, or I would have to subscribe to a service like CBS All Access, and see live TV that way," Esqueda explained.

You also need to make sure your internet is up to speed to keep your videos streaming. This can also be an additional cost.

Esqueda's number one piece of advice?

"Be willing to let go of something that you don't quite love," she said. "It's kind of an all you can eat buffet. You don't want to overeat, but if you put together a sensible plate full of delicious streaming options, you will be satisfied at the end of the day."

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