July 12, 2021
How my family watches what we love (without cable)
My family loves TV. Seriously, any one of us would be a stellar entertainment trivia partner. But we don’t watch anything over cable. Why? Because we know the best way to watch TV is over the internet — especially over internet that’s both fast and reliable (hint: no buffering, low resolution, or data overages).
Check out each of our streaming setups.
My ad-averse mom
My mom’s movie-obsessed and commercial-averse. She doesn’t believe that critically acclaimed work should be interrupted by a 30-second plea for you to buy something. Which is why she doesn’t mind paying the extra bucks for commercial-free services like Netflix for her binge-watching ways.
She also recently discovered the highly curated movie streaming service: The Criterion Channel — essentially her very own equivalent to striking gold. Her next mission is finding a service that delivers popcorn to couches.
Some other good services if you love film and TV without commercials:
My major league stepdad
My stepdad’s from Boston, translation: He has never missed an important baseball game in what I’m assuming is his entire life. Aside from a well-grilled quesadilla, there’s nothing he cares about more than sports.
That’s why he’s big on services like Fubo TV and ESPN+. And even if he’s not home to catch the game, these services make it so that he can stay up on every play from his phone.
Some other good services if you love live, local, and sometimes not-so-local sports:
My money-conscious girlfriend
My partner is the financial-minded person in our relationship. She saves way more than she spends and is always looking for new ways to stay budget-friendly. That’s why she prefers free streaming services like Pluto TV. She also genuinely enjoys watching commercials … I know — I don’t get it, either.
Some other good services if you don’t love spending money:
My on-the-go bro
My brother is graduating from college this year and will likely be moving around a lot, which makes being roped into a cable bundle way less than ideal. That’s part of why he watches live TV with YouTube TV. It has every major channel he wants to watch and then some — plus, he can watch from anywhere.
And if he’s studying for a test (which he’d better be) and has to miss a live premiere, he can record it with unlimited DVR space and watch it later.
Some other good services if you love live TV without forced bundles:
As for me, I like a lot of different things
From horror, to drag competitions, to documentaries, I like it all. That’s why I go with a few low-cost, channel-specific streaming services like Shudder, World of Wonder Presents Plus, and HBO Max. And since they’re all month-to-month services, I can always cancel if I want a different mix of streaming services for the month.
Some other good services if you love to mix it up:
Oh, and I didn’t forget about my little snack stealer
My dog Vero (a very fluffy Bernedoodle) doesn’t care what’s on TV as long as there’s a spot for him on the couch. Which there always is. There’s usually a few pieces of popcorn for him, too.
Posted by Talia Bootz, Creative and Social Content Manager. When she’s not streaming her faves, she’s likely kayaking, skating around town, or cooking up some vegetarian food.
