What to look into cable alternatives in Canada, before taking the risk of cutting the cords

There once was a time that we could differentiate between a TV and a monitor screen. If you plug a device into the monitor and open a streaming site, the monitor will start looking like a tv. Now there are a lot of devices and streaming services to enjoy full-time entertainment anywhere you want on any device like Phones, Laptops, iPads, Smart TVs, etc. 

Canada is one of the top countries where users are switching towards streaming services and discontinuing conventional cable tv. In this era of the rising trend of streaming services and cord-cutting, where there are only 51% Canadian are using cable tv and the rest have moved to stream services, if you’re looking for cable alternatives in Canada, read along for some useful tips to consider.

Before you make the jump to a streaming service (which is what everyone’s been doing), it is important to assess your options and understand the risk of cutting cable. Cable TV still has its charm when it roars in the lounge with the 9 o Clock bulletin or 10’o’clock premiere of your favorite show. But you can catch up on your missed shows, enjoy on-demand content, and much more on Streaming services on whichever device you want. For example, if you cut the cable tv you can still watch live tv on YouTube in Canada, with much better incentives instead. 

In this article, we will walk you through a serious number of things to consider before cutting the cable. Each point will take you a step further towards making a smart and informed decision. Let’s get started:

1. Do you have high-speed internet?

Whenever you find yourself in a severe network outage, you can put your trust in cable TV to keep working. But outages are a thing of the past, and if your internet is strong, that’s a plus point for the streaming sites. We don’t want our readers to be taking a baseball bat to their TV when their movie starts buffering at a climax. 

In this pandemic era, one of the biggest earners were internet companies who got an influx of requests for an increase in bandwidth. If you plan to improve your internet speed, you are eligible to cut the cable. You can also get an idea here of what internet speed do you need for video streaming.

2. Do you prefer Smart TV or Streaming devices?

Now that internet’s taken care of, you’re going to figure out your method of connecting. There are two ways you can access a streaming service on TV. One is by accessing the built-in app of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc. The other is by purchasing a streaming device like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, etc.

While the difference may sound insignificant, here are some important ones to note:

• If you have multiple TVs at home, you will have to log off one device to open a screen in another (unless you’ve paid for multiple streams). On the other hand, having a portable device can help you connect with multiple devices at once. 
• If you have your handset on your Smart TV interface, then you can use the built-in app. But streaming devices have a much more user-friendly interface and can make the experience smoother. 
• Some Smart TVs require you to install the streaming service separately. If you have a device, it carries all the streaming apps within it and can give you a simple plug-and-play experience. 

3. Do you have preferred local channels? 

Now that you have understood the difference between the two, let us move on to preference. Not every streaming app offers the same channels. For example, if you’re a sports fan and want to stream NBA, we would not recommend getting Hulu. Instead, we’d want you to get YouTube TV. 

Make a list of your preferred choice of channels, go on the streaming service sites, and see who is offering what.

4. Give the streaming experience a test drive

Before jumping the gun and subscribing to the first streaming service that comes to mind, a first step would be to test the experience. Luckily, there are some streaming services free of cost available that you can give a try right now. They include:

• Pluto TV
• The Roku Channel
• Tubi TV

5. Know what you want

When it comes to online streaming, there are mainly 2 categories to consider:

• Live TV Streaming Services
• Videos-on-Demand (VOS) services

The Live TV option works best if you like to watch sports, news, daytime TV shows, and movies. These would include options like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, etc. If your TV time involves watching movies and series, a much smarter option than cable is having VOS services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Prime Video, etc. 

There’s also a third option of free streaming services like Pluto TV, Tubi TV, etc. So just pick out what best fits your daily viewing and go for it. Also, you don’t need to worry about making the wrong decision here, thanks to their cancellation policies. If you find yourself not enjoying the material, you can get refunded for cancellations before the end of the month. It’s a great saving option and much cheaper than cable TV

Conclusion

Following these 5 steps, you should be able to transition from cable to streaming. Nowadays, the best content is being published on streaming sites and it’s the right time to be cutting the cable.  Make sure you have checked all the above mentioned steps while making a decision.