A big Apple TV update, Comcast price hikes
This week on TechHive: The new Apple TV home screen almost nails it
As someone who spends too much time thinking about streaming device home screens, I’m pretty excited about tvOS 17.2 for Apple TV.
Apple TV is my pick for best streaming box right now, and its latest software update includes an overhaul for the TV app, which acts as the main home screen by default. It includes a new sidebar for navigation, but more importantly, you can now filter the home screen by streaming service, giving you a more in-depth view of each catalog.
It’s a subtle change, but a notable one. No other streaming platform is doing this, and it brings Apple’s TV app tantalizingly close to being the ideal TV guide for streaming even if there’s still room for improvement.
Read the full column on TechHive →
Weekly rewind
Comcast’s new streaming box: A couple months ago, Charter launched a new streaming device called the Xumo Stream for Spectrum customers in a joint venture with Comcast. Now, Comcast is bringing that same device to its own TV and internet customers.
As with Comcast’s existing Xfinity Flex boxes, customers can get one Xumo Stream box for free, and can lease additional ones for $5 per month. Comcast says the Xumo box is faster and has some new recommendation features, and Flex users can swap their boxes for Xumo ones at no extra charge. (Otherwise, the Flex boxes will continue to work as normal.)
I know a lot of you are interested in the Xumo Stream as a potential cable box replacement. I’m aiming to review it for TechHive in the new year, so hang tight.
Comcast price hikes: In other Comcast news, the cable giant is raising TV and internet prices, as is custom around this time of year. Internet-only plans will jump by $3 per month in most markets, while TV packages could increase by up to $12 per month when you factor in broadcast and regional sports fees. While PCMag cites Comcast company reps for those rate hikes, a flyer seen by Cord Cutters News showed even higher increases across the board.
Keep all that in mind the next time you see a bogus story about how streaming price hikes have made cord cutting more expensive than cable. Here in reality, cable prices are rising at an even faster clip.
Tablo’s new free streams: Tablo has added more than 20 new free streaming channels to its fourth-generation DVR, including content from AMC and others. While the new Tablo is still primarily a DVR for over-the-air channels from an antenna, it does allow you to record from these free streams as well. I’m in the home stretch of my Tablo review and will have more to say about all this very soon.
More catch-up
- YouTube ad breaks will get longer but less frequent on TVs.
- Tucker Carlson launches a streaming service.
- DC films will soon stream for free on Tubi.
- YouTube starts selling Max subscriptions.
- Baltimore says cord cutting is hurting its finances. (Thanks for this one, Roy.)
Save more money
NBA League Pass is currently 50% off, bringing the price to $50 for out-of-market games through the rest of the reason, or $75 for the League Pass Premium tier. The latter offers three simultaneous streams instead of one, and it provides live arena views instead of ads during commercial breaks. (That’s a brilliant idea, by the way.)
Other notable deals:
- The latest Paramount+ codes are COLIN, THRILLER, or BASS. Learn how to get it for free.
- The Roku Express 4K and Streaming Stick 4K are back down to $29 and $39, respectively.
- See more up-to-date deals on the Cord Cutter Weekly website.
Thanks for reading!
One last personal note: Over at Newsday, Verne Gay wrote a deep dive on the cord cutting journey and what you need to know—including quotes and input from yours truly. I enjoyed talking through it all with him and reading the resulting story. (See also: Newsday’s companion piece on cord cutting success stories.)
Got your own questions for me? Reply to this email to get in touch.
Until next week,
Jared