YouTube TV alternatives, free Peacock deals
Hey there! I’m Jared Newman, and this is Cord Cutter Weekly, my newsletter on how to save money on TV and make the most of streaming.
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Before we get to the newsletter, here’s the schedule for Cord Cutter Weekly over the next couple of weeks:
- Next Friday: No newsletter.
- Friday, Jan 3: I plan to send a newsletter, but probably an abbreviated one as I won’t have a new PCWorld column that week.
Note that if you’re signed up for my Advisorator newsletter, there’s a separate schedule for that. Thanks for bearing with me as I enjoy some much-needed time off!
This week on PCWorld: How to deal with YouTube TV’s price hike

If YouTube TV’s forthcoming price hike feels like a breaking point to you, you’re not alone.
Over the last week, I’ve heard from a bunch of folks who say the rate hike—from $73 per month to $83 per month, starting January 13, 2025—is the last straw. They’re now seeking alternatives to YouTube TV that will provide comparable channel coverage for less.
Unfortunately, that sort of easy escape hatch doesn’t exist. Like every other live TV service (including satellite and cable), YouTube TV keeps raising prices because TV programmers keep demanding more money for their channels. Unless the entire industry embraces cheaper, more flexible bundles, the bill for all of these services will keep going up.
The only alternative is to ditch your big pay TV package entirely. While this approach does involve sacrifice, the savings can be significant.
Weekly rewind
Possible YouTube TV savings: Okay, there may be one way to avoid the YouTube TV price hike, at least temporarily. Some subscribers say they’ve received a $10 per month discount for six months after attempting to cancel, though you may need to use YouTube TV’s website instead of the mobile app or contact customer service as a last resort.
In the past, I’ve also seen cancellation deals arise for Peacock, Paramount+, and Starz, so it’s never a bad idea to try it with services you’re on the fence about. Worse case scenario is you re-subscribe again.
Peacock’s regional sports plan: According to Matthew Keys’ unnamed sources, Comcast aims to offer NBC’s regional sports networks through Peacock in the first half of next year. The plan is to charge $10 to $15 per month for regional sports in Boston, Philadelphia, Sacramento, and San Francisco, though it’s unclear if a base Peacock plan will be required. Comcast is reportedly negotiating with other regional sports networks to distribute them through Peacock as well.
Most of those other networks offer standalone streaming options already—see my NBA and NHL guides for details—leaving NBC Sports as the last to still require a huge pay TV package. It’s no surprise that Comcast wants to anchor those networks to Peacock now, especially as it plans to spin off most of its other cable channels into a separate company.
More catch-up
- AMC+ raises prices: $7 per month with ads, $10 per month without.
- Netflix nabs Women’s World Cup rights for 2027 and 2031.
- Is Hulu giving you a “network error” on Roku devices? Try changing your profile name.
- Amazon adds some new Fire TV accessibility features.
- Boo: NFL tests ads on Redzone.
Save more money
If you missed Peacock’s Black Friday deal, here’s a chance to get three months for free instead. Just sign up for the monthly ad-supported plan using this link, or apply the promo code PEAGZ7LNYFN44OEJ6. You can also apply the same code to Peacock’s ad-free plan to get three months for $6 per month.
While the sign-up page says it’s only for Samsung phone users, I had no issue getting the deal from my desktop PC. Consider using a limited-use debit card to avoid being auto-billed at full price when your three months are up.
Alternatively, the grocery delivery service Instacart is offering a two-month free trial with Peacock included.
Other notable deals:
- Military and vets with Xfinity internet can get a year of Now TV service for free. (That’s Comcast’s bundle of sports-free channels and Peacock.)
- Fubo is still offering a one-week trial with up to $35 off the first full month. But if you head to your account page before the trial ends, you may see an offer of $2 for the first month instead.
Remember that I keep a full list of deals—including the latest Paramount+ codes, Starz discounts, and more—on the Cord Cutter Weekly website.
See you next year!
This being my final Cord Cutter Weekly of the year, just wanted to say thanks for reading and supporting my work. I started writing this newsletter in 2016—and my first TechHive column on streaming a little over a decade ago—and amazingly there’s still plenty to discuss and help clarify. I look forward to doing more of that in the year ahead.
In the meantime, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Until 2025,
Jared