Cutting the cable TV cord? You have options

SAN ANTONIO – Think you’re spending too much for cable TV?

Close to 800,000 Americans dropped their traditional pay TV package in the first three months of this year.

If you are interested in cutting the cord, Consumer Reports reveals some options that deliver savings.

"You really need to get together with your family, write up a list of channels that are must-haves and then look at the different packages and see which of those companies are providing the channels that your family really needs," said Jim Willcox, Consumer Reports' electronics editor.

There are also cable replacement services designed to replicate what a cable TV package provides, but at a lower cost.

"The most recent ones are YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV. They’re very similar, typically going to spend anywhere from say $35-40 a month and you’ll get anywhere from 40 to 50 channels," Willcox said.

A package with internet, phone, Hulu with Live TV, Netflix Standard and Amazon Prime would cost you about $128 a month.

Someone who doesn’t need that many options could survive with an antenna for local stations, Netflix Basic and HBO Now.

That would cost about $86 a month, including Internet.

If you’re really interested in watching online-only content, you can just add some pay-per-view options from iTunes and Amazon Video for about $78 a month.

But Consumer Reports said some people are finding when they add up all the services they’d need to get the shows they want, they’re not saving as much money as they thought and may be better sticking with a typical cable bundle.