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Whether you sign up for Sling TV, Hulu’s new offering, Play. Station Vue, You. Tube TV or any other live- TV service, you probably wind up paying for some channels you don’t want. But the amount of money you pay and the number of unwanted channels you get should both still be lower for streaming services than what you’d get from cable or satellite. At Comcast (CMCSA), for example, the“Economy” TV bundle — starting at $6. HBO — includes more than 1. But since those don’t include ESPN and AMC, among many other name- brand channels, you’ll probably need to pay an extra $1.

Starter” bundle of 1. At Direc. TV, the floor is even higher. The AT& T (T) subsidiary’s $5.

Select” bundle packs in more than 1. Dish Network’s (DISH) service Sling, meanwhile, includes just 3. Sling Orange bundle. Direc. TV Now’s $3. You. Tube TV—note that this $3.

Google (GOOG) service is only available in a few cities—includes 4. And the Sony (SNE) Play. Station Vue service doesn’t make you buy more than 4. And those bundles, unlike the cheaper options on many traditional pay- TV services,do include ESPN, withregional sports networks available for just $5 or so more a month. So, yeah, it’s a bundle, but it’s less bloated and better balanced.

It costs almost as much as a cable when you add up all the different services. ANovember Bloomberg Businessweek story provides a typical example of this argument by suggesting that a cord cutter would need to sign up for Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, Sling, Amazon (AMZN) Prime, You.

Tube Red and HBO Now, for a total monthly cost of $7. It’s true that online TV services each have their own gaps. Some don’t have Comedy Central.

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Some don’t include local channels. Some have exclusive content you can’t get elsewhere, Netflix being the canonical example. Comcast’s pricing, for example, punishes internet- only subscribers by turning the $4. Mbps connection to $7. Hulu’s service, already on the expensive side, may not save you any money unless you watch it on multiple TVs. But most of the time, you can cover your bases with just two or three services. In my case, we pay for Sling and Netflix, for a total cost of $2.

We also watch the occasional show on Amazon Prime — but the real reason we pay for that is the service’s free two- day shipper. Our local channels are free via over- the- air broadcasts. The lack of contracts in online- TV services also allows you tosign up for one, binge- watch a favorite series, then drop that service. But wait, there’s more — all the add- on fees with cable or satellite. With Comcast, for example, “Broadcast TV” and “Regional Sports” fees add another $9.

An HD tuner is free for the first TV, but a DVR will run $1. TV incurs a $9. 9. HD technology fee” and a $5. Traditional pay- TV companies are strangely reluctant to mention these fees. I have probably received 1. Comcast and Verizon (VZ) touting their TV offerings since wecut the cord in 2.

I can’t recall any of these promotional mailings breaking out their add- on costs. Story Continues. And the promotional rates you usually see generally rise after a year unless you’re consistently good atthreatening to quit the service if they don’t keep that discount in place. That $6. 0 Comcast price I quoted jumps another $1. Direc. TV rate ascends to $9. Don’t forget the cost of the broadband service you need“It still requires internet service from a cable or telco provider” was one of the lines questioning Sling TV’s chances in a January 2.

Variety piece. I see thisall the time, and it is by far the silliest objection to online TV. Broadband is pretty much a requirement of modern life at this point.

Suggesting it’s an extra we’d only get for online video is like writing a recipe that warns that you’ll need to pay for electricity or gas. It is true that many cable companies price standalone internet service to minimize your savings compared to taking a bundle of internet and TV service. It’s also true that many people don’t like their cable company, so continuing to pay them for one service can feel like a form of defeat. Butthe lack of competition in American broadband is a much deeper problem than the pricing details of TV and internet services, and it’s not something you’re going to be able to fix yourself—especially not when. Washington acts like that’s not really a problem. But saving money by cutting the cord is something you can do on your own, and it will probably be easier than you think.

More from Rob: Email. Rob at rob@robpegoraro. Twitter at @robpegoraro.