A couple of years ago, the answer was "anything your little heart desires." But in early 2025, not quite — not even remotely. As streaming nears universal penetration in American TV homes, costs have climbed accordingly. Both of the major live TV streamers, or Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributors (vMVPD) — Youtube TV and Hulu + Live TV — recently raised their monthly rates by $10, with each now averaging about $83. And to paraphrase the song, there's no stopping them now. Price hikes are expected to be a part of this world going forward, much as they have been for cable all these years.
A 2024 CNET survey of six cities found the average monthly cost of basic cable plus internet at $144, with streaming live TV (vMVPDs) plus internet $135. That's only a $10 spread, although the CNET survey noted that cable add-on fees typically add an additional $30 to $50 per month to the figure.
So the advantage goes to streaming. Nevertheless, the bottom line has shifted. Streaming may still be cheaper than cable because of all those add-ons and fees that crop up on your monthly bill, but that $100 still doesn't buy what it used to.
➤➤➤ SEE MORE @ NewsDay