Hey folks, quick reminder that I’ve just updated my Complete Guide to Cord Cutting with all the latest info and strategies on ditching cable and satellite TV.
This guide is available under a pay what you can honor system, as I want anyone to be able to use this info regardless of budget. The suggested price is $10, but you’re welcome to adjust that down (or up!) as you see fit.
(Want access to the guide but can’t pay right now? Let me know and I’ll take care of you.)
Now, onto the newsletter.
Netflix’s TV app redesign
Jared Newman | 
Netflix is finally pushing out the major TV app redesign it started testing last year, with a top navigation bar and new recommendation features. It’s also experimenting with generative AI and TikTok–style vertical video clips on mobile devices.
Netflix first teased the new TV app in June 2024, and it’s unclear why the rollout has taken this long, but Netflix says users will start seeing it in “the coming weeks and months.”
(I wasn’t able to write a PCWorld column this week due to a personal matter, but filed this for Fast Company earlier in the week and it seemed appropriate to slot in here.)
Weekly rewind
A bogus Roku story: If you came across any stories this week claiming that Roku’s smart TVs are injecting “pause ads” into video from external HDMI inputs, you should know those stories are false.
As Matthew Keys reports, the bad game of telephone began with a Reddit post, complaining about a full-screen ad that appeared while pausing a video in the Discovery+ app on a Roku Streambar. A site called Tech Issues Today wrote about the post, noting that Roku had previously filed a patent for pause ads on external HDMI inputs. Cord Cutters News misread that story, and in turn claimed (wrongly) that Roku TVs have started showing pause ads “even when watching DVDs or video games” on external inputs. Numerous other sites then rewrote the same bogus story.
I’ve written plenty about how ads are becoming more intrusive on Roku’s platform, and pause ads are absolutely a thing that many streaming services are adopting. (Roku even has them on its own Roku Channel app.) But the company is not messing with video from external input devices hooked up to its smart TVs.
(Also: Tech company patents hardly ever become actual products or features. I ignore patent stories like this one, and you should too.)
More catch-up
- Walmart releases—then unreleases—a new $30 streaming player.
- Optimum starts offering six months of Disney+ and Hulu for pay TV customers.
- You can rearrange the Frndly TV channel guide now.
- Roku users complain of washed-out HDR video; the company is investigating.
- YouTube tests a two-person Premium plan for ad-free video in some countries (but not the U.S.).
- Versant: The name of Comcast’s cable TV spinoff company, or a new drug to ask your doctor about?
Save more money
This section of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up buying something.
Usually MLB.TV waits until Father’s Day to run a half-off deal, but this year the moms are getting some love too. Sign up now and pay $70 for the remaining season, half-off the regular price.
Remember that MLB.TV only covers out-of-market baseball, so any games happening in your market will be blacked out. It’s a good option for baseball superfans or folks whose favorite team plays in another city. Otherwise check my guide to watching your local team.
Other notable deals:
- Paramount+: One month free (with Showtime and no ads) using this link or promo code 9E1JQFB1YA. New and ex-subscribers only.
- Crunchyroll: $2 per month for two months via Amazon Prime.
- Check my big list of streaming deals for all the current discounts I’m aware of.
Thanks for reading!
Got cord cutting questions for me? Just reply to this email to get in touch.
Until next week,
Jared