Hey folks,

Before we get to the newsletter, heads up that my Advisorator New Year’s sale ends this week. That means it’s your last chance to start getting my weekly tech advice newsletter at $1 for your first month (instead of $5) or $40 for a full year (instead of $50).

While Cord Cutter Weekly is where I write about all things streaming, Advisorator is where I stretch out and cover the wider tech world. Check out what I wrote this week about switching to a cheap wireless carrier, for example, or my column last year about the hidden powers of a good password manager. Each week I’ll help you make the right tech purchases, discover useful apps, protect yourself online, and have a better overall understanding of an increasingly-confounding tech world.

Subscribe

Your support means a ton and allows me to spend more time writing these newsletters, without having to rely on things like ads and sponsorships. Sign up this week to get one month for $1 or one year for $40. This deal ends on Sunday, January 26.

Thanks for considering it! Your regularly scheduled Cord Cutter Weekly continues below.

This week on PCWorld: Can you go without Netflix?

Jared Newman   |   January 24, 2025

Netflix is metaphorically flexing its muscles and spiking the football this week, announcing both record fourth-quarter subscriber gains and price hikes for nearly every one of its plans.

In other words, the streaming giant has you right where it wants you. It’s the world’s most popular paid streaming service, with cancellation rates well below industry averages. Its crackdown on password sharing has been a resounding success, and its foray into ad-supported streaming is boosting revenues. As it dumps money into more expensive sports programming—like those Christmas NFL games—it’s confident that you’ll help pay the bill.

Hence the price hikes: The Standard with Ads plan is now $8 per month, up from $7. The Standard no-ads plan is now $17 per month, up from $15.49. And the Premium plan with 4K video is now $25 per month, up from $22.50. The only plan that isn’t increasing is the optional $7 surcharge for adding an authorized password sharer to your account.

What can you do about it? While Netflix believes most everyone will stay put, price hikes are always a fine time to reevaluate the value of a subscription. I’ve got some pointers on that.

Read the full column on PCWorld →

Weekly rewind

Comcast’s sports bundle: First came DirecTV MySports, now comes Xfinity Sports and News, a $70 per month TV package with all four major broadcast networks, national sports from ESPN and Fox Sports, the big three cable news networks, and Peacock. There’s also a $10 per month add-on with NFL RedZone, NFL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV and NHL Network. The service has no extra fees, and you can use Comcast’s free Xfinity apps instead of leasing a cable box. It’s only available in Comcast’s cable markets, but with no discounts for bundling internet at present.

Like DirecTV’s sports bundle, there are omissions: TNT and TBS are absent, which is surprising Warner’s CNN is included on the news side. Regional sports are excluded as well (with the exception of NBC Sports in Philadelphia), as these networks are increasingly becoming unbundled or moved to more expensive pay TV tiers.

This won’t be the last service of its kind. Between MySports, Comcast’s new offering, and whatever Fubo cooks up, we are quickly seeing recalibration of pay TV around leaner packages with sports as the focus. I suspect we’ll see more to come.

Channels DVR changes: Let’s get nerdy for a moment and discuss Channels DVR. This is an app that runs on a computer or NAS box, which can record from streaming sources and an over-the-air antenna (when combined with a compatible tuner). It’s not for everyone, but it’s a nifty solution for power users and I’ve written extensively about it over at TechHive.

Anyway, Channels is paring down its list of supported server platforms, and it no longer recommends running a server on a Raspberry Pi. It’s also put together a list of recommended server hardware, which should help prospective users get started. Check out my own primer for more on what the setup entails.

More catch-up

Save more money

Amazon has started offering a new add-on bundle for Prime Video subscribers, combining Max and Starz (both with no ads) for $21 per month. The two services sold separately would cost $28 per month total ($17 per month for Max, $11 per month for Starz), though Starz regularly offers its own discounts for new and returning subscribers.

In any case, the companies say it’s a limited-time offer, but haven’t specified when they’ll stop offering it. Note that you’ll be billed through Amazon, and will need to access Starz through the Prime Video app. (With Max, you can either use Prime Video or the regular Max app.)

Other notable deals:

Thanks for reading!

Thanks again for considering a subscription to my Advisorator newsletter, starting at $1 for a limited time. I really appreciate your support!

Got cord cutting questions for me? Just reply to this email to get in touch.

Until next week,
Jared