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.

Did someone share this newsletter with you? Sign up to get it in your own inbox.

This week on PCWorld: The problem with DirecTV’s new bundles

Jared Newman   |   March 7, 2025

DirecTV is trying to break up the pay TV bundle this year with cheaper, genre-based packages, but one genre in particular is standing in the way.

When you look at DirecTV Stream’s new MySports, MyEntertainment, and MyNews packages, they all have one thing in common: Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC are included whether you want them or not. Those mandatory cable news offerings are likely adding around $5 per month to each package based on reported per-subscriber carriage fees.

Cable news is still a lucrative part of the pay TV ecosystem, so programmers may be unwilling to break them off from any TV package. But the result for DirecTV is a trio of bundles that still feel a bit bloated.

Read the full column on PCWorld →

Weekly rewind

Cheaper ad-free YouTube: You don’t have to pay for a YouTube Music subscription (or fiddle with ad blockers) just to watch YouTube without ads anymore. The video site now offers a “Premium Lite” subscription for $8 per month, versus $14 per month for YouTube Premium proper. The Lite plan doesn’t include YouTube Music and doesn’t support video downloads, but still offers commercial-free viewing on most videos. (YouTube notes that you may still see ads in music videos and Shorts.)

Unfortunately, there appears to be no family plan option for YouTube Premium Lite. Family plans for YouTube Premium cost $23 per month, so family groups of three or more would be better off sticking with that.

Fubo’s skinny bundle plans: Here’s a nice scoop from Matthew Keys, whose sources say Fubo plans to launch its “Sports & Broadcast” bundle in the third quarter of this year for around $50 to $60 per month. That’d be $25 to $35 cheaper than Fubo’s current starting price while still offering local broadcast stations and national sports networks. Officially, Fubo has confirmed that a Sports & Broadcast package is coming, but hasn’t revealed pricing or timing.

Fubo previously announced that it would sell the majority of its business to Disney, which would operate both Fubo and Hulu + Live TV as a single business but continue to offer the two services separately. That deal is still pending regulatory approval, but Keys’ sources say the skinner bundle is coming either way.

Philo’s Apple tax: If you subscribe to Philo through Apple’s in-app billing system, strongly consider switching over to billing directly through Philo. As of March 4, Philo is adding a $4 per month surcharge for any subscribers who are billed through Apple, presumably to compensate for the company’s 15% to 30% cut of App Store subscriptions. That effectively raises the price from $28 to $32 per month, a price hike easily avoided by subscribing through Philo’s website instead.

If you’re still subscribed to a cheaper legacy Philo plan, do not cancel your Apple subscription first. Instead, follow Philo’s instructions to transfer your account, then cancel your current subscription through Apple’s system. That way, you’ll keep your current pricing. If you’re not sure whether you’re using in-app billing, you can check Apple’s subscription portal.

More catch-up

Save more money

This section of the newsletter has affiliate links, earning me a commission if you buy or subscribe to something in some cases.

Disney+ and Hulu are running a sale that gets you four months of both for $3 per month total. The offer, which runs through March 30, is for both new and returning subscribers, and takes $8 per month off the regular price.

If you want to avoid being auto-billed at full price after the promo period, consider setting up a limited-use card such as Privacy.com, which I wrote more about here.

Other notable deals and freebies:

One last thing: Have you checked out Hoopla’s BingePasses lately? This service gives you free seven-day access to a selection of subscription services and content catalogs through a library card. Each BingePass counts as one checked-out item, with a monthly limit set by your library.

Anyway, Hoopla just added a bunch of PBS collections to BingePass, including the Ken Burns Collection and Julia Child’s The French Chef cooking series. You can also claim BingePasses for Hallmark+, CuriosityStream, and Fandor, among others. Check out the full list of passes here.

Before you go: Check out my honest take on AI and why I haven’t written much about it in this week’s Advisorator newsletter.

Advisorator is my other newsletter for tech advice beyond the streaming world. I’d love it if you signed up!

Thanks for reading!

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

Until next week,
Jared

If someone shared Cord Cutter Weekly with you, consider signing up to get it in your own inbox.