MLS Season Pass discounts, Netflix’s password sharing scare
This week on TechHive: Don’t pay full price for MLS Season Pass
MLS Season Pass, Apple’s groundbreaking approach to live soccer streaming, is now available for the 2023 season, and I’m here to implore you not to pay full price for it.
The list price for MLS Season Pass is $15 per month or $99 for the entire season. Apple TV+ subscribers, however, get a discounted price of $13 per month or $79 for the season. The best way to save on on MLS Season Pass, then, is to temporarily sign up for Apple TV+ first. Even a free trial should be enough to secure a $20 discount on the full season of soccer, at which point you can safely cancel both services to avoid automatic billing at renewal time.
MLS season ticket holders shouldn’t bother with any of this, as Season Pass is included for free with season tickets. (If you’re a ticket holder, just keep an eye on your email for that season pass offer.)
For everyone else though, the Apple TV+ subscription loophole is a great way to get the service for less.
Read the full column (and instructions) on TechHive →
Weekly rewind
Netflix’s password sharing snafu: For a short time this week, a support page on Netflix’s U.S. website hinted at much stricter measures against password sharing to come. As spotted by The Streamable, the page claimed that users would need to check in at home once every 31 days or risk having their devices blocked, and would have to request temporary access codes to use the service while traveling. Those are the same measures Netflix has already rolled out in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru.
But now, Netflix has removed those details from its U.S. site, won’t confirm whether they’ll apply to U.S. customers, and won’t say why they appeared in the first place.
So, we’re essentially back to what we knew before: The company is planning some kind of password sharing crackdown in the U.S. within the next couple of months, but it’s unclear exactly what the rules will be or what will happen to users who break them. Once we have actual details, I’ll be sure to explain them in full (along with any potential workarounds).
Free Peacock begone: NBCUniversal has quietly discontinued the free tier of Peacock for new subscribers. Existing Peacock account holders can still watch a limited selection of free content, but the site is requiring a Peacock Premium subscription (starting at $5 per month) for new sign-ups.
Worth noting: You can still use NBC’s apps to watch recent episodes of the network’s shows, and there’s no indication that this will change. In fact, all the major networks offer apps with free, ad-supported shows, though they do little to publicize them.
Paramount+ plus Showtime: Paramount has confirmed that it will merge Paramount+ and Showtime into a single streaming service. Meanwhile, the Showtime cable channel is changing its name to “Paramount+ With Showtime,” which may be the strongest evidence yet that no one cares about cable anymore.
It’s unclear when the change will happen, how it’ll affect pricing, or whether the free coupon code gravy train is in jeopardy. The only certainty so far is cost-cutting, with Paramount already planning layoffs and dumping some Showtime shows.
Sling TV’s partial price hikes: There’s good news and bad news if you’re a Sling TV Blue subscriber who lives in Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, or New York: The service now includes a live stream of your local ABC station, but it’s also $5 per month pricier, at $45 per month.
As Phillip Swan notes, customers in Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, and the San Franscisco area are also getting local ABC, but without a price hike. That’s because Sling Blue doesn’t include local Fox or NBC stations in those areas. In most markets, Sling doesn’t carry any local stations, and its prices aren’t changing, and Sling TV’s Orange tier isn’t affected either way.
The whole situation reminds me of the early days of PlayStation Vue (RIP), when customers in major cities received all four major networks in exchange for a mandatory $10 per month surcharge. Sony eventually expanded local channel coverage nationwide, raising prices for everyone. I wonder if Sling faces a similar fate.
More catch-up
- Fox shows will stay on Hulu for the foreseeable future.
- HBO Max’s dumped shows land on Tubi and Roku, including Westworld.
- But Warner still plans to launch its own free streaming service this year.
- FuboTV drops local CBS channels in many markets, but offers a national feed as consolation.
- YouTube TV loses MLB Network in a carriage dispute.
- Rumor mill: YES Network may launch a streaming service in time for baseball season.
Save more money
For Fire TV users, Amazon’s Alexa Voice Remote Pro is on sale for the first time. It’s $5 off, at $30, and you can save an extra few bucks with an open box model at Best Buy. It’s the only Fire TV remote with programmable buttons, backlit keys, and a remote finder function, and it also has a shortcut to the Bluetooth pairing menu for wireless headphones.
Also, if you missed it last week, Peacock is still offering a year of its Premium service (with ads) for $30, which is $20 off the regular price. Just use the code NEWYEAR23 at checkout to redeem the deal, which is available through February 7.
Lastly, we have new Paramount+ codes (with Showtime, too): New and returning subscribers can use ADVANCE, WEREWOLFESCAPE, or THEPACKISBACK to get another free month. Follow my instructions here.
For more ways to save, check out the big list of streaming deals at the Cord Cutter Weekly website.
Thanks for reading!
Last week was an uneventful one in the cord cutting world, so naturally this week bounced back with an overwhelming amount of news. I’m sorry that a lot of it is grim! I’ll keep doing my best to find ways to save regardless.
Got cord cutting questions? Reply to this email to get in touch.
Until next week,
Jared