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| This week on TechHive: Bundles are back (and better than before) |
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| On Monday, Apple instantly transformed its Apple TV+ streaming service from an also-ran into a compelling Netflix alternative.
But it didn’t do so on its own. Instead, the company announced a new bundle for current Apple TV+ subscribers: For an extra $10 per month, customers can add both Showtime and the ad-free version of CBS All Access, which normally cost $19 per month together. (Apple TV+ itself costs $5 per month or $50 per year, effectively bringing the bundle price to $15 per month.) Those who subscribe to this bundle can then access it not just on Apple TV streaming boxes, but through the Apple TV app on Roku, Fire TV, LG TVs, and Samsung TVs.
Squint hard enough, and this offering looks like the beginning of a new kind of TV bundle, one that’s a lot better than bloated cable packages. While you’ll still have the option to pay for individual streaming services, you’ll also have some opportunities to string certain services together at a discount. Read the full column on TechHive. |
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| Weekly rewind |
| Verizon’s Disney bundle: Although I also mentioned this in my column, it’s worth pointing out separately that Verizon is now including the Disney bundle (Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+) with two of its unlimited data plans. The cheaper of the two plans, called “Play More Unlimited,” costs $80 per month for one line, $70 for two, $55 for three, or $45 for four (plus taxes and fees). The Disney bundle normally costs $13 per month on its own.
Keep in mind that Verizon raised the price of its wireless plans by $5 per month last year, so if you’re grandfathered into an older family plan with more than a couple of lines, these bundles may not save you any money. They do seem like decent deals for newer subscribers, though, and a better alternative to bundling a bloated cable TV package with your home internet service.
HBO Max bulks up: AT&T’s restructuring of WarnerMedia last week—and its corresponding plans to focus more on HBO Max—is already having an impact. According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO Max is inheriting all of DC Universe’s original programming, rather than just the couple of shows (Doom Patrol, Harley Quinn) that it carries currently. While DC Universe will live on, it sounds like it’ll become more about comics and fan communities than exclusive video content. Less clear is whether WarnerMedia will be bringing DC Universe’s older movies, shows, and animated series to HBO Max, but it’d be foolish not to.
FuboTV’s regional sports fees: FuboTV has become the first live TV streaming service to tack on a regional sports fee. As Matthew Keys reports, the $5 per month surcharge only applies to new subscribers in Houston, where the service is now carrying AT&T Sportsnet Southwest.
I don’t have an issue with regional sports fees in streaming services per se. If some markets’ sports channels are more expensive than others, it seems fair for customers in those markets to pay more than everyone else. (The alternative is YouTube TV’s approach, where everyone pays the same even if they don’t get regional sports at all.) The problem is that FuboTV isn’t being transparent about its new fees. I checked the sign-up process with a Houston zip code, and I asked the Houston Chronicle’s Dwight Silverman and some other helpful folks on Twitter to check as well, and we all saw an advertised price of $65 per month with no mention of extra fees.
Fubo was already dabbling in cable-style sales tactics when it automatically opted all customers into a more expensive “Family” plan earlier this month, and its entry-level $60 per month plan remains impossible to sign up for through the Fubo website. With revenue in the red and subscribers stagnating, one gets the feeling that desperation is setting in. |
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| Save more money |
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| Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K is back down to $35 through Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. It’s not a record low—it was $10 cheaper on Black Friday—but it’s still a decent deal on a streaming device that’s been selling for full price more often than not lately. Here’s my review from 2019.
If you want a more powerful Fire TV device that also responds to hands-free Alexa voice commands, the Fire TV Cube is also on sale for $100, which is $20 off the regular price. (That’s also $10 higher than Black Friday pricing.) Here’s my review. |
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| Whenever someone sends me a question about how to fix their Wi-Fi, I wince.
It’s not that I dislike like helping people with their router problems. In fact, there are few geeky endeavors I find more rewarding than fixing connection issues at a friend’s or family member’s place. But Wi-Fi has always felt more like a dark art than a science to me, one that’s hard to conjure without being physically present.
In my tech advice newsletter Advisorator this week, I dive into how to diagnose your own Wi-Fi problems just like I would in person. That way you can figure out what’s wrong and decide whether it’s time for a new router. Sign up for a free trial, and I’ll send the latest issue your way. |
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| Thanks for reading! |
| Hey folks, just a heads up that I’ll be taking next week off to rest up before the kids go back to school and the fall gadget season gets into full swing. As such, there will be no newsletter next week, and I’ll be back in your inbox on September 4. (I may, however, answer some emails while I’m out, so feel free to reply to this email with questions and comments.)
Catch you in a couple weeks,
Jared |
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