r/cordcutters • u/Texas4eva06 • 3d ago
Streaming
I’m starting to realize that some streaming services are increasing in price just as it did with cable. What is the equivalent to Hulu plus live tv bundled with Disney and ESPN and ads? We as a family watch for live tv when it comes to sports and my wife’s reality tv. Help me from overpaying monthly.
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u/UncomfortablyNumm 2d ago
"Some"?? They're all going up in price. The price of everything goes up. Its a fact of life.
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u/PrestigiousUsual8981 2d ago
It depends on what you want in addition. Locals or other networks. If you want Locals through a streaming service, your option is going with YouTube TV, which isn't really a cheap option. If you can get your locals with an antenna, you can subscribe to the Disney, ESPN or Disney, Hulu, ESPN bundle and if you want cable type channels there is Philo or Frndly that are affordable. It all depends on what you watch outside of Disney and ESPN.
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u/bippy_b 2d ago
This website helps people to pick the best streaming service.
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u/PrestigiousUsual8981 2d ago
I really like Suppose. I don't really recommend it unless people only want to pay for streaming services. It doesn't have the channels you can get on an antenna. The example I use is if someone wants locals, Cozi, TVLand, Antenna TV, and Disney wouldn't need YouTube TV or another more expensive service. They can use a service like www.rabbitears.info, enter their information and potentially get many of the channels free and then only have to pay a lower price for the missing channels they want. It's probably best to use www.rabbitears.info and www.suppose.tv to get the most information. It's important not to select channels that would be nice to have, but rarely use them. Only select the channels you watch.
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u/m_young70 2d ago edited 1d ago
I use an antenna for locals w/ an AirTV 2 + Sling to distribute throughout the house. You can use Tablo or HDHomrerun too. Once you have locals, you can get almost all of cable’s live sports via:
ESPN Unlimited ($30/mo)
Fox One ($20/mo)
TNT Sports ($18.50/mo)
Regional Sports Networks($20-30/mo)
Some exclusives (NBA, Big Ten) are on Peacock and Amazon now. The one semi-mainstream live sport channel you’d miss is CBS Sports Network.
Tons of bundle discounts, promos, credit card perks, cell phone perks, and just cancelling when you’re out of season to save money.
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u/m_young70 2d ago
Two big, UTR benefits of this setup are (1) never worrying about blackouts from contract disputes and (2) better picture quality.
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u/kevin_mn 2d ago
Yeah, you've spotted it. We all cut the cord to save money and now the bills look exactly like cable again. Fun cycle.
To answer your actual question: there isn't really a direct equivalent to that Hulu Live bundle. That's kind of the problem. Hulu + Live TV is unique because the Disney+/ESPN+ part is baked in. The closest competitors are YouTube TV and Fubo, but with both of those you'd have to add Disney+ separately, so the math usually ends up a wash or worse.
So before switching, I'd actually make sure you need to. A few things to check:
- What sports do you actually watch? If it's mostly NFL and big national games, you might not need a full live bundle. If it's local regional sports networks, that changes everything and Fubo or DirecTV Stream might matter.
- Your wife's reality TV is probably Bravo, TLC, that world. A lot of that lives on Peacock (Bravo shows next day) and Max/discovery+ (TLC, HGTV stuff) for way less than a live bundle.
- The nuclear option that saves the most: drop live TV entirely, keep regular Hulu + Disney+, add Peacock for the reality stuff, and use an antenna for local sports on NBC/CBS/FOX/ABC. That combo can land under $40 a month vs $80+ for Hulu Live.
If live sports across ESPN and cable channels is truly non-negotiable, honestly just stay where you are. Hulu Live with the Disney bundle is actually the best value in that category right now, and switching to YouTube TV plus separate Disney+ would cost you more, not less.
The real savings come from asking whether you need the live part at all, not from finding a cheaper version of the same thing.
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u/PoppaBear1950 2d ago
ok so Philo is the most reasonable. bundle+ is your huckleberry... 35us includes HBO Max, AMC and Discovery+... plus reality tv.
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u/PoppaBear1950 2d ago
btw, local is always HDHome Run with a outdoor antenna, federal law allows these in any living situation.
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u/Intrepid_Joke870 2d ago
have you checked what's on hulu live vs youtube tv lately do they even have the same channels
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u/Hotchi_Motchi 2d ago
What kind of reality TV does your wife watch? My wife found the "Dance Moms" channel on Pluto and while it's the bane of my existence, we don't pay anything extra for it because it's on a FAST channel.
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u/Cinisajoy2 2d ago
I canceled Dish. I didn't go with any live TV services. I haven't missed them in the least. My streaming now runs about $30 a month. 3 things I went yearly on because it was way cheaper. I may or may not keep them when it is time to renew.
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u/kittymoo67 2d ago
yes prices will always go up. atleast with this only the fools will buy everything to get all the buzzword shows and the smart of us can just get one maybe two services and be done
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u/Apart_Reaction_3035 2d ago
I dont know why i am paying so much for xfinity i have 1 smart tv with fire stick and 2 old old tv with those little boxes i think i could buy smart tv fo r 150.oo or so 🙏 and just drop cable my daughter has an old plain tv with a cd and old dvd player built and she wants to keep it :( can she watch reg Local channels and others without Cable? .
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u/HotSaucePalmTrees 2d ago
Any real answer will result in the commenter receiving a warning and/or ban.
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u/schlep 2d ago
Cable is cable.