I often talk about what it means to be a cord cutter and what is not a cord cutter. If you have ever been on any cord cutting group at some point you would have witnessed an argument about what is cord cutting and what makes a cord cutter.

I would argue that there are three different types of cord cutters and all of them are cord cutters. Remember, cord cutting is about getting what you want not what others want you to watch.

Type #1: The Live Streamers

The first group is the newest group of cord cutters and I call them the live streamers. This is the group of cord cutters who use a live TV streaming service such as DIRECTV NOW or Sling TV as the primary component of their TV viewing.

They may have other services but live TV is one of their main focuses when it comes to cord cutting.

Type #2: The On-Demand Streamers

The second kind of cord cutters are the most common kind. These cord cutters are the ones who mostly use on-demand services, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon, to watch their shows. They may not see it live, but they are happy with the content they have.

You may find them subscribing to live TV services from time to time. They may have an antenna for live locals but most of their viewing is with an on-demand service.

Type #3: The Hard-Core Cord Cutters

This group is the smallest of all the cord cutting types. The hard-core cord cutters are people who only want an antenna and some DVDs. They don’t want to pay for any service, and they are happy to just watch what their antenna offers and often use services, such as Redbox, to get DVDs.

Some still have home internet and may stream using free services, such as Crackle or Tubi, but a growing number of cord cutters are also ditching home internet. With cheap unlimited data plans I see a growing number of cord cutters just using their phones or tablets to access content they want without home internet.

Final Thoughts

Now remember not everyone will fit neatly into any one category. Many may mostly be on-demand streamers but subscribe to PlayStation Vue during football season. I have just found over the last 5 years this breaks down most cord cutters I talk with.

So are you less of a cord cutter if you are a live TV streamer vs a hard-core cutter? No! Cord cutting can be anything you want it to be. What works for you is great. Don’t let others tell you what you need to have or do to be a cord cutter.

So what type of cord cutter are you? Leave us a comment.

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