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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This week on PCWorld: ATSC 3.0 progress (and setbacks)

For the past five years, I’ve written an annual check-in on ATSC 3.0 (or “NextGen TV”), the broadcast standard that’s supposed to greatly improve over-the-air TV. Every year, it’s been a story of baby steps.

As 2025 gets underway, that story hasn’t really changed. While ATSC 3.0 is starting to deliver more of what it initially promised—most notably big events in HDR—you might still need to go out of your way to get a compatible TV or external tuner box. ATSC 3.0’s interactive elements remain limited as well, with one promising effort having stalled over the last year. More on that later.

All of which means that the existing ATSC 1.0 standard, which is supported by nearly all televisions today, will stay viable for years to come. The bigger question is whether over-the-air TV will remain viable along with it.

Read the full column on PCWorld →


Weekly rewind

Fubo price hike: Just a month after lowering its starting prices, Fubo is raising them up again. The live TV streaming service now starts at $85 per month for the “Essential” plan without regional sports, an increase of $5 per month. Plans with regional sports now start at $98 per month, reflecting both the higher base price and an extra $1 per month in regional sports fees, which Fubo does not disclose on its sign-up pages.

The rate hike arrives a few weeks after Fubo and Disney announced plans to merge their live TV streaming businesses, with Disney as the majority owner. We’re still waiting for the cheaper “Sports & Broadcast” bundle that Fubo said it planned to launch, though DirecTV and Comcast have launched their own in the meantime.

Max app redesign: Max’s TV app might look a bit different next time you open it, as it no longer uses a top menu bar for navigation. The upper bar includes subsections for TV series, movies, HBO programming, sports, and news, but now all of that resides in the left sidebar alongside links to search, “My Stuff,” and settings.

Streaming services seem increasingly set on stuffing everything into a left sidebar. My quick check of Netflix, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+, shows that they all follow the same pattern. But there’s room for disagreement: Amazon, which eliminated the top bar from its Prime Video app in 2022, brought it back last year.

PBS on Prime Video: Amazon’s Prime Video app now includes access to local PBS stations in more than 150 markets, along with additional ad-supported feeds for drama, documentaries, and children’s programming. The partnership was first announced back in November, and while PBS already offers its own app with similar programming (including live, local stations), this makes it a bit easier for Prime Video users to access.

DirecTV MySports update: After announcing its $70 per month sports-centric package earlier this month, DirecTV has quietly acknowledged that the package also includes CNN and Fox News. That means it’s not quite as lean as it originally purported, and helps explain the higher-than-expected price. I’ve updated my PCWorld story accordingly.

More catch-up


Save more money

Don’t pay for MLS Season Pass if you’re a T-Mobile or Metro by T-Mobile customer. Apple’s soccer streaming service, which typically costs $99 per year, will be free with all T-Mobile postpaid and Metro plans starting February 18, redeemable via the carrier’s T-Life app.

Remember that I update my big list of streaming deals every Friday on the Cord Cutter Weekly website, including the latest ways to get Peacock and Paramount+ for free. Check it out →

This week in Advisorator, I wrote about my frustrations with the current state of technology and what I’m doing in response. I want to do more to help folks feel in command of technology—not the other way around—and have set out some goals for how I approach things in the year ahead. Please give the column a read and consider subscribing to Advisorator if you haven’t already.

Thanks for reading!

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

Until next week,
Jared

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