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What I Learned From My Mother-in-Law’s Cable Bill—and Trying YouTube TV

Photo: Art by Mike Sullivan

It may be hard to believe, but Comcast still charges its cable TV subscribers a $9.95 monthly fee for high-definition TV—the 20-year-old technology that is standard in video-streaming services (and in TV sets). It’s one of a number of fees—also including a $12.60 fee for the right to watch free broadcast networks like CBS and ABC as well as an $8.75 fee for sports channels—that I discovered on my mother-in-law’s cable bill on a recent visit. 

It reminded me of why the number of people cutting the cable cord is steadily growing—and it also made me wonder why more people aren’t trying streaming services like YouTube TV, Sling TV or Hulu Plus Live TV, which offer cheaper versions of classic cable delivered over the internet. I tried YouTube TV the weekend of the Oscars—it was stunningly easy to set up and a joy to use (and easy to cancel). 

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