Are you fed up of your cable provider showing the same thing over and over again? Nothing new to watch apart some football! Is it possible to ditch the cable?
Let’s face it, we go into contract with our cable provider expecting everything from latest blockbusters to newer series but what we get is peanuts!
Around two years ago, I decided to cut the cord and remove my cable service but there was no easy way out of the contract, no early termination fees, so I had to pay around 6 more month of service for something which was rarely turned on. I was extremely happy when this was finally off my list of bills.
During the waiting period, I subscribed to Netflix again! I had a US subscription earlier on, accessing it through a VPN. Cancelled, re-subscribed a few more times and finally when it came to Mauritius, cancelled the US and subscribed to the Mauritius services. To my utmost disappointment, it had barely a quarter of what was available in the US. Cancelled again! I was most of the times watching Amazon Prime as I have a prime membership.
Then came January 2020 and I decided to subscribe again. Netflix has been much better since then but lacks a lot.
The Pros.
Coming back to cord cutting in Mauritius, let’s say the average Mauritian pays around Rs. 1000 for cable TV services excluding internet. That’s around Rs. 12,000 per year. Netflix with its:
- Basic plan at $7.99 per month – Rs. 335.58/m or Rs. 4027 per year (SD Quality)
- Standard plan at $9.99 per month – Rs. 419/m or Rs. 5035 per year (HD Quality)
- Premium plan at $11.99 per month – Rs 503.58 or Rs. 6043 per year (Ultra HD or 4K)
From the above, you could be saving more than half of what you are paying currently.
Another reason to cut the cord is that you can watch what you want when you want! On your phone, your laptop, your TV and your tablet anywhere you want. You can even download and watch while commuting. I am aware of the fact that some cable providers offer the ability to watch recorded shows or watch earlier played shows. They even offer apps for that. However, try to play those shows on another rival network! Hear, Hear!!
The Cons.
There is not much disadvantage for cutting the cord except if you are a serial soap watcher. The Indian type, that might cause an issue as I have not seen those anywhere online. Maybe I haven’t searched enough but I am not a fan. Indian soap does not play in my house!
Before you decide:
- Are there certain shows that I can live without?
- Is your internet speed adequate for streaming?
- Sports Fan? How will you watch?
- Is my house ready for streaming?
If you can answer yes to any three of these, you should be good for cutting the cord. But find a solution for that fourth one!
What streaming services are available in Mauritius?
- Netflix (As from $7.99)
- Amazon Prime ($.5.99)
- Disney+ (EUR 8.99)
These are the primary providers that officially offer services to Mauritius. If you need anything above and beyond that, you will need a VPN. I can recommend Surfshark.
All these services unfortunately do not provide us access to the whole catalog but there are some perks to it, for example, you cannot stream Bing Bang Theory in the US but can in Mauritius. Prime is limited except for Bollywood movies, Disney+, you get Star channel but not in the US. That being said, the US or UK catalog offers much more and most of the time are one season ahead. VPN is your life saver here, but remember none of these streaming services approve the use of a VPN.
Finally, on a personal note, I have ditched cable for almost a year and a half now and never looking back. I had answered three of the questions above and just for football subscribed to the sports pack of my internet provider. Taking that into consideration and adding all my streaming service, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ and my VPN, I am paying around Rs. 1000 more per year than what I would be paying if I still had cable. However, the benefits is just worth that extra 1K per month. The Kids are very happy with Disney+ and I with Netflix and Prime.
