Can you do without a TV subscription? Streaming services probably already offer enough fun, but you cannot escape the fact that you want to watch a TV program every now and then. Do you want to cancel your jet TV subscription to reduce costs?
We spend less and less time on traditional live television. A clear decrease is visible, especially among young people. They watch films, series and TV programs more often at a time of their own choosing and without being bothered by disturbing advertisements. The average viewing time that Dutch people spend on broadcasts via television channels is therefore steadily decreasing. Also read: 18 tips for your Chromecast.
Perhaps it is also worthwhile for you to dispose of the television subscription. What technical consequences does this have and to what extent can (free) alternatives fill this gap?
Cost reduction
If you don’t watch much television, you can consider canceling the television subscription. This way you have more time for other things and of course it provides a nice monthly cost saving. The cheapest subscription with cable provider Ziggo, for example, costs 19.95 euros per month. For that money you have about fifty channels, five of which are in HD quality. In the case of a larger range of channels, Ziggo asks extra money for the television connection, so that many people can save more money (because they do not have the cheapest subscription now). With providers such as KPN, Tele2 and Online.nl, the television subscription is always in combination with an internet connection. By canceling the television part with your provider, you save money.
Cancel cable television
It is unwise to cancel your television subscription at random. Before you post the cancellation letter, you should first familiarize yourself with the consequences. Most cable providers do not provide an internet connection without purchasing analogue television. For example, when you purchase television and internet from Ziggo, you must cancel the entire subscription. In that case you are forced to switch to an ADSL / VDSL or fiber optic provider. Glass fiber guarantees a very high internet speed, but not all households are connected to the fiber optic network.
The only remaining alternative is then adsl / vdsl, which allows a maximum download speed of 100 Mbit / s. That is a lot lower than Ziggo’s promised download speed. This cable provider guarantees a download speed of 1000Mbit / s, provided you purchase the most expensive package including analogue television. If you plan to ditch cable television, first consider whether you are willing to replace the fast cable internet connection with ADSL / VDSL or possibly fiber. In particular ADSL / VDSL subscriptions are very affordable, so that you can save considerably in costs when switching. You can find more about the difference between fiber, ADSL / VDSL and cable here. You can see which internet subscriptions are available at your address via various comparison sites.
Compulsory purchase of analogue television
Many people prefer a fast internet connection via cable, but at the same time the mandatory purchase of analogue television is bad blood. Ziggo and associates pass on these costs to their customers, while you may not be waiting for that at all. Why is the purchase of analogue television compulsory with every subscription? The reason for this is simple. Internet and television run over the same cable with the cable connection. When a cable provider decides to stop transmitting an analog signal, this immediately applies to all customers. There are still many people who watch analogue television, especially in the bedroom. For that reason, cable providers are very cautious about scrapping the analog signal, although they are slowly reducing the number of channels. So if you take out the internet via a cable provider, you will still receive analogue television ‘as a gift’. Only the regional cable company Caiway no longer offers analogue TV.
Cancel an Adsl / Vdsl subscription
If you receive both television and internet via copper wire (ADSL / VDSL), you can easily cancel the television subscription with your provider. In that case, the internet connection will still be active, without it being necessary to switch to another provider. If you have taken out a subscription with a contract period of one or two years, you may still have to pay for the remaining months of the full package. You can find the remaining contract period by logging in to the personal account page at your provider.
Cancel internet subscription
Would it perhaps be an idea to renounce your internet connection in addition to your television subscription? For example, if you cancel a cable subscription, you could of course try it out. If you want to watch a TV show, there are numerous Wi-Fi hotspots available in every city. That sounds better than it really is. In practical terms, it is of course inconvenient not to have your own internet connection at home, and the speed of WiFi hotspots is often low. Not to mention the poor security of public connections.
Alternatively, you could share an internet connection with the neighbors. You agree on a fixed monthly amount and in return you receive the Wi-Fi key from the neighbors. Check in advance whether the coverage in your home is sufficient. You can also decide to only use your mobile internet subscription to watch television. Especially with a 4G signal, the speed is high enough to stream videos. Via the tethering function in iOS or Android, you can easily transfer the mobile internet connection to a computer or laptop. A disadvantage is that you always have to deal with data limits. If you regularly watch television, a mobile internet subscription is an expensive affair.
Live streams
Canceling a television subscription has a significant drawback. The lack of commercial live television is difficult to overcome. Watching afterwards is no problem, but watching a live broadcast of Voetbal Inside, The voice of Holland or GTST becomes problematic. An alternative method is to collect the streams via (illegal) plug-ins in media program Kodi. The reception is sometimes a bit unstable, but with a little art and flying work you can get it going. The public channels are partly financed with tax money and can therefore be followed via free live streams on the internet. On this website you can easily switch between NPO 1, 2 and 3. Additional channels such as NPO Nieuws, Cultura and Politiek are also available. You can also open live streams from the NPO app on your tablet or smartphone. Furthermore, most regional TV stations offer a live stream, such as RTV Noord-Holland, AT5, RTV Rijnmond and L1.
DVB-T receiver
Those who have enough of the public channels can consider purchasing a DVB-T tuner. Many modern televisions have a DVB-T tuner built in so that you only need to connect an antenna. This module picks up the so-called free-to-air channels from the ether. Unlike commercial channels, these channels are not encrypted and can therefore be received by everyone without a smart card. If your television or computer is connected to a DVB-T module, you can watch NPO 1, 2 and 3 digitally for free. You also have access to a regional channel and Belgian broadcasters. The DVB-T receiver uses the same network as Digitenne for this. The quality of digital television from the air is not as good as you may be used to from cable or internet television.
Missed services
After canceling your television subscription, the missed services will of course be your best friend from now on. You can review almost everything, so you don’t have to miss anything. NPO Gemist, RTL XL and KIJK are available on several platforms, so that you can admire TV programs on different devices. The image quality of NPO Gemist is unfortunately slightly less compared to its commercial competitors. Especially older broadcasts are disappointing. Last summer, that service increased the resolution to 576p, so recent episodes are of reasonable quality. Since 2014, RTL XL has been offering broadcasts in HD quality, so that you can enjoy sharp video images. A disadvantage is that you cannot play videos without an account. There is also the necessary advertising. For an amount of 3.99 euros per month you are free of all commercials and you can watch TV programs ahead. KIJK contains programs from SBS6, Veronica and Net5, in which there are also advertisements. However, creating an account is not a requirement.
Download TV shows
If you’re not a fan of streaming TV shows, you can always download them. This requires more actions. For example, you can use the program for this MissedDownloader use. Moreover, many TV programs are available on controversial download networks such as usenet and bittorrent, although downloading from these sources is illegal.
NL sees
NLziet is a joint initiative of NPO, RTL and SBS. This bundled missed service costs EUR 7.95 per month. Why pay when the TV companies also offer free missed services? NLziet offers some advantages. For example, the image quality of the NPO channels is a lot better and you can watch episodes longer. Moreover, there is no advertising anywhere. This joint missed service is available for Android, iOS, Google Chromecast, the web, and some smart TVs.
Conclusion
Do you dare to permanently ‘cut’ the TV cable and save money that way? Probably, because the discussed (free) alternatives ensure that you do not have to miss a single TV program. Only commercial live television is a problem, although you can find these broadcasts fairly soon after the broadcast on RTL XL or KIJK. If you prefer to watch channels like RTL4, SBS6 or Veronica live, you can consider an affordable online television subscription. Also consider via which internet connection you want to stream TV programs and make a trade-off between cable (including mandatory purchase of analogue television), ADSL / VDSL and possibly fiber.
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