The Complete Guide to Cord Cutting, updated

Jared Newman   |   May 2, 2025

A little over a year ago, I published my Complete Guide to Cord Cutting, covering everything I’ve learned from the past decade of helping folks ditch cable and satellite TV.

My plan has always been to improve the guide over time, and so I just finished updating it with the latest information. I’ve also added new details, including an image gallery of all the cable replacement services to consider.

If you’re still not sure how to get rid of cable or want to revisit your cord-cutting strategy, please consider getting a copy, which you can read both online and in PDF form. I think it will answer all of your questions and then some.

As before, this guide is available under a pay what you can honor system with a suggested price of $10. (That’s a one-time purchase, not a subscription.) Throw in a bit more if you’re feeling extra appreciative, or set a price as low as $1 if need be. (Can’t pay at all right now? Let me know and I’ll take care of getting you a copy.)

For folks who previously bought the guide, there’s no need to pay again. You should’ve received an email yesterday with a link to the updated version.

Again, my goal with this guide is to leave no questions unanswered. If you have any questions or feedback for future revisions, please let me know. Thank you!

This week on PCWorld: Roku Decision Flowchart

While covering the new Streaming Sticks that Roku announced last week, I mused about updating the Roku Decision Flowchart that I put together a few years back. So this week, I went ahead and did that.

Roku’s device lineup consists of a half-dozen streaming players with varying quirks and capabilities. If you’re looking to replace an old Roku player or upgrade the smarts on your TV, the flowchart’s a fun way to distinguish between all the options.

Check it out →

Weekly rewind

Cable schadenfreude: After a quarter in which Comcast lost 199,000 home internet subscribers (60,000 more than expected), the company acknowledged that it’s losing business to less expensive 5G home internet options from the likes of T-Mobile and Verizon. Comcast previously tried scaring people into thinking they don’t want cheaper internet, while also inventing the term “10G” in hopes that a higher (but unrelated and misleading) number would look more attractive.

Those strategies haven’t worked, so now it’s on to actually trying to compete in earnest. As I mentioned last week, Comcast’s started offering five-year price lock deals for new customers (and those who call to opt in), and it has a much cheaper offering under its “Now” sub-brand. Even if you’re not in Comcast’s footprint, it’s fun watching the company squirm after years of price hikes and unnecessary data caps.

Peacock drops Hallmark: As of yesterday, Hallmark Channel is no longer available on Peacock, which started bundling the channel’s live and on-demand content in late 2022. Hallmark presumably wants to push its own $8 per month Hallmark+ service instead, though your dollar will go further by subscribing to Frndly TV (which includes Hallmark and more for $7 per month) or seeing if your library provides Hallmark+ via Hoopla.

Tablo DVR updates: Didn’t get to mention this last week, but Tablo has added 45 streaming channels from Warner Bros. Discovery to its fourth-gen over-the-air DVRs. There’s a catch, though: Unlike Tablo’s other free streaming channels, you can’t record these new ones and skip the commercials. I hope that doesn’t set a precedent.

On the bright side, my Tablo review unit has been running without interruption for more than three weeks now, and the Roku app issues I covered in early April have been fixed. I’m really hoping the fourth-gen product has turned a corner on longstanding reliability issues and that I can write a more positive review than the one from late 2023.

More catch-up

Save more money

This section of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up buying to something.

Not entirely sure how long this will work or if it’ll even work more than once, but I’ve got a new Paramount+ promo code. Use 9E1JQFB1YA at checkout to get 30 days free, even on the ad-free plan with Showtime.

If that doesn’t work, you can still try the free month link that I’ve shared previously.

Other notable deals:

As always, I keep a full list of streaming deals updated every Friday on the Cord Cutter Weekly website.

Thanks for reading!

And thanks again to everyone who’s purchased my Complete Guide to Cord Cutting so far. Let me know if you have any feedback on the guide or this newsletter!

Until next week,
Jared