With more than 200 streaming services available, the options may seem endless and a little overwhelming. But narrowing down your choices to what suits you best is quick and painless.

To find the perfect streaming for you, start by asking yourself a few questions about your TV watching habits.

What are my must-watch TV shows and channels? We all have beloved shows or televised events we simply can’t live without! Rest assured there is a way to stream them. Make a list of the shows and channels you and your family watch regularly. Then, before signing up, browse each streaming service’s channel listing to see if they carry the channels you want.

In some cases you’ll be able to replace your favorite channel programming with a streaming service such as Netflix or Hulu, though many current-season episodes may not be available immediately.

The best substitute for your old cable box is a live TV streaming service. Each offers a package of live channels you can watch on a streaming app that works like cable but better! They include program guides, cloud DVRs, and extras your cable box can’t deliver, including user profiles and mobile streaming. Many of the cable replacement services also offer a free trial period.

Remember, for all of these services you can cancel and restart service anytime without contracts or penalties, unlike with cable. You can subscribe to follow a particular show, for example, and then cancel after a finale.

Are local news and sports important to me? If you like to watch sports, local news, and channels such as NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, or PBS, several services could be a good fit for you. Live streaming services like YouTube TV, HULU + Live TV, Sling TV, or DirectTV Stream let you watch many of the live channels available on your cable box with no contracts to sign, so you can cancel anytime.

Can’t get enough professional sports? You have several options that offer the full gameday experience. Prime Video has the exclusive rights to Thursday night football. Apple TV carries Friday Night Baseball. And services such as ESPN+, Sling TV, FuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, and DirectTV Stream all give you access to a variety of sports.

You can also search for a service or service bundle that includes more sports features. NFL Sunday Ticket is available exclusively on YouTube as a standalone channel or as an add-on to a YouTube TV base plan. You can watch all the out-of-market regular season NFL games with unlimited simultaneous streams at home, real time stats, your Fantasy Football metrics, and the ability to watch four games at once. 

Keep in mind that if you like to chat with friends in real-time during the game, or follow live games on social media, be aware that streaming sports are often delayed compared to the “live” game on cable. The Super Bowl, for example, lags 30 seconds to a minute behind cable.

 Do I use my DVR a lot? You might be familiar with recording shows using an in-home digital video recorder (DVR) from your pay TV provider. However, these might have limited storage or come with a monthly fee. Fortunately, a cloud-based DVR feature is built into many streaming services. Instead of storing your favorite video recordings on a hard-drive device in your living room, cloud DVRs don’t require hardware to worry about and let you watch your recordings on various mobile devices.

Several live streaming services include unlimited DVR. Also, live TV services such as YouTube TV offer both on-demand videos and a library feature where you can add your selected shows for recording and watching later. With on-demand services such as Netflix, Hulu, or Prime Video, you don’t need to record shows in the traditional sense; the video library is already available to watch whenever you want.

Remember, to replace cable TV with streaming you just need a good internet connection to get started. From there, the apps built into your smart TV or running on an inexpensive streamer such as a Roku will give you access to some of the most popular streaming services. Then you can add or change anything you want.

SRT can make your selection even easier. 

You don’t have to memorize which services carry which channels or constantly research to keep up with the latest streaming offers and bundles. SRT has a tool called MyBundle that will help you find everything you love to watch in minutes. Visit Find Your Streaming Service with SRT Communications and MyBundle show you the streaming services that have what you want – plus the best deals.

You can even search for a particular channel, show, or genre, and MyBundle will instantly tell you where it’s available. Try it! Just click https://mybundle.tv/srt/discover and type in the search bar. Do you like the Cowboy Channel? Looks like it’s available on Sling TV and RIDE TV.

Finally, SRT is here to help. We can walk you through and offer you a free in-home setup of the TV streaming service you’d like. We’d do all the work and all you have to do is enjoy watching your favorites.

To get started, click Find Your Streaming Service with SRT Communications or call us at 701-858-1200 for a free streaming checkup.

You can stream TV live or on demand. Either way, the video you’re watching is transmitted over your internet connection while you watch it. In other words, it is streaming.

That’s what live and on-demand streaming have in common. But what makes them different?

Basically, on-demand streaming lets you watch individual TV series and movies whenever you want, while live TV works more like cable or satellite by offering local broadcast networks and other live programming.

Think of an on-demand streaming service as a large library of videos you can browse and watch when you want. These services tend to have more movies and older shows, plus exclusive originals produced by the streaming provider. Examples include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Max.

On the other hand, live streaming feels more like traditional TV with news, sports, current shows, and broadcast networks. You tune in to watch a show when it’s scheduled in the TV guide. Live streaming can be a good cable TV replacement. Examples include YouTube TV, Hulu+Live, and DirecTV via Internet.

Whether live or on-demand streaming is a better fit for you depends on your watching preferences. Since streaming is flexible, you can pick, combine, or switch your services easily. When you stream, you choose!

What You Can Watch

If sports, news, and local channels are important to you, consider a live streaming service. Most live streaming providers will have at least some access to live sports, including local sports channels, plus your local news networks.

However, if you’re a movie buff who wants your home to feel like the cinema, on-demand streaming is where you’ll find a greater variety of films. Many video streaming services offer a large library and high-quality audio and visuals.

Both live and on-demand streaming services carry television series, but their availability will differ. Current shows aired by networks like CBS or ABC are usually aired first on live television, then moved to on-demand streaming. But on-demand providers also have their own exclusive shows (and movies) you can only watch on their platforms.

When You Can Watch

Most live streaming services offer unlimited cloud digital video recording (DVR) so you can record live programming to watch later. On-demand streaming is available any time, so there’s no need for a DVR.

Let SRT Help

SRT can walk you through and help you find exactly what you want based on your preferences. We can also offer you a free in-home setup of the TV streaming service you’d like. We’d do all the work and all you have to do is enjoy watching your favorites.

To get started, click Find Your Streaming Service with SRT Communications or call us at 701-858-1200 for a free streaming checkup.

NEXT UP: We’ll talk more about how to choose your streaming services in our next streaming blog post.

Streaming is designed to be portable and flexible so you can watch exactly what you want, when you want. You only need three things to start streaming your favorite movies, shows, and sports, and you might already have one or two of them.

First, get a high-speed internet connection. You need a home internet connection before you can stream, which you likely already have. But make sure your speed is fast enough to ensure smooth streaming. You’ll want to consider a few things about your home, such as how many people are in your household and how many devices you have online at one time. Keep in mind that if everyone in your home is streaming, you might need a faster Internet connection. SRT has high-speed fiber packages to fit your budget and lifestyle, and we can help you determine the best speed for you.

Next, pick a device to stream on such as a Roku, or a smart TV. Most new TVs are smart and streaming-ready, so you might already have streaming apps built-in. But you don’t have to buy a new TV if your current set isn’t “smart.” You can use a device like a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV to connect to your TV and access streaming apps. These devices are relatively inexpensive and are a one-time cost rather than a monthly rental fee. Another option is to use a game console. PlayStation and Xbox, for example, can also function as streaming devices.

Finally, select your streaming services that offer what you want to watch. Services include on-demand options such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, or Max (formerly HBO Max). You also have live stream options such as HULU + Live TV, YouTube TV, or DirectTV Stream, that function more like traditional cable but with more options like searching, creating your own watch list, and sorting your channel lineup. More to come on the difference between live and on-demand streaming in our next blog post.

Remember, you don’t have to purchase TV and internet from the same provider. Streaming lets you start with your Internet connection and then select the streaming you want. There is no need for a traditional TV package that locks you into a bunch of channels you don’t watch. You have more control!

SRT can walk you through your options and help you get exactly what you want based on your preferences. We can also offer you a free in-home setup of the TV streaming service you’d like. We’d do all the work and all you have to do is enjoy watching your favorite programming.

To get started, click Find Your Streaming Service with SRT Communications or call us at 701-858-1200 for a free streaming checkup.

NEXT UP: We’ll talk more about live vs. on-demand streaming.