Cord Cutter Weekly
At the risk of giving the game away, I will let you all in on a little secret: I’ve been getting CBS All Access since the spring without paying a penny.

Every month—or sometimes more than once a month—ViacomCBS has been issuing coupon codes for a free month of its streaming service. The codes are valid even if you’ve redeemed one before, and they apply to either the $6-per-month ad-supported version or the $10-per-month ad-free version of CBS All Access.

This month’s coupon code, for instance, is FALL. Last month, it was FOOTBALL (or KICKOFF). Before that, it was STREAMMORE, and before that it was MORE (or PLAY). I’ve personally been redeeming these coupon codes since the spring, and the website Doctor of Credit has been updating a list of valid codes since last November.

All of which is to say that you should not be paying for CBS All Access right now. (One exception: If you also want Apple TV+ and Showtime year-round, it’s a dollar per month cheaper to bundle them all together.) While I assume that the giveaways will eventually end, you might as well enjoy them while they last. Read the full column on TechHive.

Hulu loses Fox Sports regionals: Just like YouTube TV last month, Hulu has dropped regional Fox Sports networks owned by Sinclair from its $55 per month live TV service, along with the YES Network in New York and Marquee Sports in parts of the Midwest. The reason is not at all surprising: Hulu didn’t want to pay more money to carry those channels (or “refused to accept … fair and market-based terms,” in Sinclair’s corporate speak), especially while the MLB, NHL, and NBA aren’t playing.

Whether the two sides will make a deal in time for those sports to return is tough to say. Sinclair seemed to leave the door open when YouTube TV dropped its channels, saying it remained in discussions with the service. No such message of hope about Hulu appeared in the statement Sinclair gave to Variety this week.

Sling TV dropped Fox Sports regionals in mid-2019, and FuboTV followed in January. That leaves AT&T TV Now and AT&T TV as the last live streaming services to still carry those channels, with a minimum $80 per month required to get them.

(As an inside-baseball aside, it’s weird to me that we often don’t get press releases from the streaming services when they drop channels. I realize it’s not something to brag about, but you’d think Hulu would use the opportunity for some public posturing instead of, say, dumping the news onto a customer support page.)

Quibi is dead: The short-form video service Quibi is already winding down after just six months in existence. Quibi raised a staggering $1.75 billion to make videos that are limited to 10 minutes per episode, but ultimately couldn’t convince people to pay ($5 per month with ads, or $8 per month without) to watch them.

The conventional wisdom is that launching during a pandemic didn’t help, since Quibi’s whole pitch was on-the-go viewing, but a better-executed version of the concept might’ve at least had a chance, or even thrived.

I’m on record for liking the idea of shorter shows and probably giving Quibi more benefit of the doubt than it deserved, but the company made a lot of stupid mistakes long the way, like forcing people to watch those shows on their phones and trying to punish people for sharing its content on social media. The bigger issue was the content itself, as it quickly became clear no one was giving Quibi their all. As outlined in this damning New York Magazine story from July, the service built up its catalog mostly on projects that were getting rejected elsewhere, or that had been collecting dust in producers’ desk drawers. Good Quibi shows—and there were at least a couple of them—really leaned into the short-form concept, but so much else felt superfluous.

Fire TV’s new voice tricks: Amazon’s made its Fire TV devices easier to use with voice commands from an Echo speaker, so you don’t need a Fire TV Cube for hands-free controls. While you’ve always been able to say things like “Alexa, watch The Last Dance on Netflix” or “Alexa, tune to ESPN on Hulu” (if the app supports it), you can now navigate the interface by voice as well by saying things like “Alexa, scroll left” or “Alexa select.” You can quickly navigate to parts of the Fire TV interface as well with commands like “Alexa, go to Movies,” or “Alexa, open the Channel Guide.” (Over at AFTVNews, Elias Saba has a handy list of available commands.)

To get started, just ask the speaker to play a video, and it should pair with your Fire TV automatically. You can also add or edit your pairings through the Alexa app on your phone by heading to More > Settings > TV & Video > Fire TV > Link Another Device.

One other thing: If you’ll be doing a lot of voice navigation, consider enabling follow-up mode on your Echo. After hearing a voice command, this will make Alexa briefly listen for more, so you don’t have to say “Alexa” every time. You’ll find this setting in the Alexa app under More > Settings > Device Settings > [Your Echo] > Follow-up Mode.

We’ve got a couple of notable over-the-air DVR deals this morning, both at Best Buy.

First is the Tablo Dual Lite, which is on sale for $100. This is the best over-the-air DVR for most people, allowing you to stream live or recorded TV from a single antenna to multiple televisions via your streaming device of choice. It’s fairly easy to set up, and the Tablo app is available on pretty much every major streaming platform.

If you want an over-the-air DVR with better video quality, and you use Fire TV devices exclusively, the Fire TV Recast is a better option. It’s on sale for $130 with two tuners and 500 GB of storage. Like Tablo, you would use the Recast to stream live or recorded TV to other devices around the house, but it’s only compatible with Fire TV boxes and sticks. On the upside, it ties directly into the Fire TV channel guide and supports Alexa for voice commands.

In case you hadn’t noticed, wireless carriers like Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile would really like you to upgrade your phone right now. The launch of Apple’s iPhone 12—the first iPhone with 5G network support—seems to have triggered an outright price war, as each carrier is practically giving the phone way in exchange for long-term commitments.

The latest issue of my other newsletter, Advisorator, will help you make sense of it all. It’s got data plan comparisons for all the major carriers, a list of all the deals they’re offering (fine print and all), and of course details on the new iPhone itself. Sign up for a free trial, and I’ll send you the latest issue.

A number of you have reached out recently to note that my instructions for sideloading Peacock onto Fire TV devices no longer work. I have now updated that article with a link to a newer version of the app, which I was able to install and run without issue. Give it a go and let me know if you run into any problems.

And of course, feel free to reach out with any other cord-cutting questions or comments you might have.

Until next week,
Jared