Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix and HBOMax are a few of the big names that are leading the charge in the emergence of streaming and the downfall of cable TV. Streaming is an alternative to cable that allows for shows, movies and more to be watched on any device.
Being able to stream rather than simply watching TV on cable offers many advantages to viewers. “Watching TV wherever I am is extremely convenient instead of having to rush home to watch something,” said sophomore Christian Johnson.
The price of cable TV is also vital to what platform the customer is watching on. The average cost of YouTube TV or Hulu Live is roughly sixty-five dollars per month, whereas AT&T’s DirecTV is around seventy dollars. Although it is not a large margin, over time the difference adds up, therefore making streaming the more attractive option.
Additionally, each platform provides different channels for the viewer. “One of the main reasons why I prefer YouTube TV is because I can watch NFL Redzone on it,” said sophomore JD Maske. “I was not able to before, but my family switched and now I love it.” While each platform offers different channels, it comes down to the preference of the viewer and what they would rather watch.
On the other hand, there is one major downside to streaming. It must have strong internet in order to work properly. With average cable TV, Wi-Fi is not necessary to be able to watch, which is a major advantage compared to the streaming alternative. Streaming is extremely dependent on a strong internet connection which when one is not available, becomes very annoying to the viewer. Senior Mollie Meyerowitz said, “My family recently switched to YouTube TV, and overall it has been great, however, sometimes it does not work too well and we can’t always watch what it is we want to because the TV is always loading.”
Another alternative to cable is Roku TV. Roku is a free streaming source that viewers can download and from there download all their favorite streaming platforms. Viewers may then watch any type of TV, paid or free, and use Roku as a link to branch between different platforms. If families would prefer to use more than one streaming platform then Roku would be a great way to easily access them.