Cost savings between cable TV, streaming services is getting narrower

It’s been a little more than a month since Amazon added advertising to its Prime video programming, in an effort to boost revenue. While streaming content once offered an alternative to expensive cable, the savings are getting tighter.

There’s no denying it can be pretty easy to find something interesting to watch on a streaming service, but there are so many choices.

“Just about every major network, and sometimes studios, have a streaming service to offer,” says CNET’s Kourtnee Jackson, who cautions that they almost all come with a rising price-tag that can make the savings hard to find.

A new article from the tech website compares costs between cable and streaming, finding the gap between the two is narrowing. On average, premium cable TV, plus internet, runs $217 a month, nationally. By contrast, live TV streaming, like YouTubeTV, plus internet, costs $135 a month. On top of both, streaming services are frequently added that offer popular programming.

The prices for all of them keep going up, pointing to a tipping-point for household budgets.

“I think we may have reached it already,” says Jackson. “That’s why you’re seeing the rise of ad-based tiers that offers them another stream of revenue.”

There ‘are’ savings that can be found: Credit cards and wireless carriers often have deals to take advantage of, and consider fewer services while rotating through those that offer what you want.

“Maybe choose one or two default services that you want to have, and then cancel the other ones until you know they have something you actually want to watch,” Jackson recommends.

Sports content is another deal-killer, for some, as games can be hard to find without paying another premium for them, and it all adds up. A Forbes survey found the average household pays $46 a month for three streaming services.

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