This is something that happens in other countries as well, but seems particularly bad in the USA when I speak to some people there. They are paying literally several hundred dollars a month to watch all the TV/movies/sport they want. It’s ridiculous! And in an era of inflation at around 20% or more, many people are reaching the end of the rope with this and thinking about cancelling their service.
You can of course check out the competition and see if anything cheaper is available, but honestly, in the USA, most of the mainstream, well known cable/TV/internet providers are charging a lot for their top end “everything included” bundles or packages.
You’re looking at a couple of hundred bucks wherever you go to get everything, plus even if you would save a little bit by switching, that’s usually cancelled out by the setup/activation/installation costs you’re often charged for getting set up with someone new. Plus, with the main providers, you’re often locked into contracts they won’t let you out of, or cost a fortune to exit early.
That’s why I’m writing this post, because in an era where people are struggling and trying to save money, there IS now a viable alternative TV streaming service on the market in the USA that really is a lot cheaper than most of the mainstream cable/TV providers, and also doesn’t have any of this nonsense of massive set up/installation costs, nor tying you into contracts. It’s a fully flexible, great value TV/streaming/on demand service, and it’s been made as simple and cheap as possible to get started with.
This service is called Cue Streaming.
Who Are Cue Streaming?
Cue Streaming are an American, Christian based streaming service looking to offer all the TV, movies and on demand shows you want in one easy place. They are offering the same service as your current cable/TV/streaming service in giving you a library of channels and shows you can watch live, or access on demand.
They offer a wide range of television, movie, on demand and PPV content all in one service, accessible on all major devices.
In other words, they’re a direct competitor to your current cable/TV provider, as well as streaming services like Amazon Video, Hulu and so on. And they’re massively under-cutting some of them with the pricing, which we’ll cover below. So if the cost of your current TV/cable package is really bothering you, these guys are worth paying attention to.
Some Basic Details About Cue Streaming
Let’s get down to the details readers will want to know about.
- Cue Streaming costs just $59.99/month, and allows access for up to 5 devices (more devices means you’ll need two or more accounts).
- They offer a US channel catalogue of around 4000 channels, pretty much the same or equal to your current provider (more on this below)
- There’s no set up fees, no contract, no commitment, and you can cancel at any time (a big bonus versus other cable providers).
- Almost all major devices are supported, including Smart TVs (Firestick and additional setup required), PCs, laptops, netbooks, iPhones, tablets, Chromebooks (just a downloadable Webplayer app needed for these devices).
- No additional equipment is required for most devices, other than an internet connection, an account, and an app that you download after sign up.
- For TVs, you will also need one Firestick per TV used, to receive the service. See our setup guide which runs through this.
- There’s also a referral program, where anyone that signs up using your own link credits you $6 recurring, plus second tier signups credit you $4 (so with some friends/family referrals, you can effectively pay for the subscription and get it for free).
What Channels Do Cue Streaming Offer?
Straight away readers are going to be wary that a service this cheap isn’t going to offer a great channel selection, but Cue Streaming’s channel catalogue is actually excellent even though they’re a newcomer to the market.
Cue Streaming current offer around 4000 channels in the US, including, but not limited to:
- Entertainment channels
- Movies channels like Cinemax and Hallmark.
- TV series on demand
- All major sports channels like ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, Golf Channel, beIN sports and more.
- Kids channels
- Documentary channels like Discovery, History Channel, Nat Geo and more
- Music channels like MTV and more.
- All the Disney channels.
- Comedy channels like Comedy Central
- HBO
- USA Network and other major networks.
- PPV channels (at no extra cost in many cases)
- All major US news channels
- Local news channels
Here’s a quick snapshot of some of the more well known US channels that are offered:
The total catalogue runs to around 4000 channels for American users. Basically, whatever you currently watch with your current provider is highly likely to also be available on Cue Streaming. Their channel library is impressive despite the low cost.
Readers are understandably going to think this is too good to be true, so it’s best to use their channel catalogue search feature to specifically check that all the channels you currently watch are available on there (you can do this on their website without needing to sign up or sign in).
You’ll find their channel selection is good and most or all of what you want should be on there (explicit adult channels are NOT included, as it’s a Christian based company).
How Do You Need To Get Set Up With Cue Streaming?
Getting set up and started with Cue streaming is way easier than most cable providers. There’s no boxes/routers that need sending, no setup/installation/activation costs, no guys that need to come round.
It’s really simple, you just need:
- An internet connection – REGARDLESS of the device you want to watch Cue Streaming on, you still need an internet connection via a modem/router and a live service provided by an ISP, to receive the service. This may change, but as long as we’re using the “current” internet, this still holds true.
- Firestick (TV Only) – If watching Cue Streaming through a Smart TV, you will also need a Firestick, one for each TV used to receive the service, plus some initial setup steps to receive the service. If you don’t already have these, they are simple, one time purchases on Amazon that cost around $20-40 each. If watching Cue Streaming through any other device (desktop, mobile, tablet etc), Firesticks are NOT needed – just the device, and internet connection, a subscription and an app that you’re given instructions how to download after sign-up.
- Subscription – You need to sign up to the Cue Service on their website and pay your monthly subscription to use the service. There’s no commitment and you can cancel at any time. 5 devices are allowed per subscription.
If you do need to get a Firestick, there’s two compatible models:
- Firestick 4K Max
- Firestick Lite
And that’s it! No messing about with routers, boxes, “hubs” or anything else. The Smart TV set up is a little more in depth, but it’s not really that hard – you just have to follow a set of about 12 steps to configure the Firestick attached to the TV to receive the service. We produced a simple, step-by-step guide with screenshots on how to do this, so you can get it set up quickly.
It Seems Too Good To Be True. What’s The Catch?
Honestly, I tried to find something wrong with Cue Streaming, but I really can’t. We’re all prone to being cynical nowadays and thinking there must be a catch to something this attractive, but if there is, I can’t find one.
Why would you pay three or four times what you need to, to watch all the TV you want?
Cue Streaming are offering a similar or identical channel selection to most other cable/TV providers, at a fraction of the cost. You’ve also got no setup/installation costs, and no contract. Why wouldn’t you switch if you can? Everything’s in your favor.
If you’re really cynical and cautious, I would use their channel search feature (no account needed) to check absolutely every channel you want is on there. Also email their Customer Support with any other queries you’ve got. I’ve tried to answer a lot of the basic questions on this blog as well.
Also, your current package might have the internet bundled in with it, and it can’t be separated. Therefore, to cancel your TV, you’d have to cancel your internet as well, but you still need internet to access Cue Streaming, so it’s a bit of a catch 22. You might have to wait out your contract if your provider won’t let you out of it early.
But otherwise, there’s no reason not to switch over to Cue Streaming if you can – you’ll save a lot of money long term.
Getting Started With Cue Streaming
If you decide that everything you want is on Cue Streaming and want to save some serious money versus your current TV/cable package, getting started with them is pretty easy.
Here are the steps again:
- Make sure you have an internet service/connection, plus one Firestick per TV you want to use with the service.
- Go to the Cue Streaming website
- Click Sign Up and fill in your details
- Pay your subscription ($59.99/month, 5 devices per account, no contract, no set up fees, cancel anytime).
- Run through some easy initial setup depending on your device (TVs take a little longer)
- You’re good to go, watching most or all of the channels you currently watch.
