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. Sign up here if someone shared this newsletter with you.
Heads-up: No Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter next week. I’ll be traveling to Denver for the StreamTV Show and moderating a couple of panels on Thursday. If you’re in the industry and attending the show, please say hi!
This week on PCWorld: Disney’s streaming “perks” are just insulting
Jared Newman | 
I mentioned the new “perks” programs for Disney+ and Hulu in last week’s newsletter, but decided to dig in more for this week’s column. The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I became.
While the company has boasted of “rewards ranging from one-of-a-kind experiences and limited-time sweepstakes to everyday savings and special discounts,” the program is pretty much an empty gesture. It mostly consists of sweepstakes you’ll never win and cross-promotions that are really about getting you to spend more money. If Disney really wants to reward subscriber loyalty and incentivize year-round subscriptions, it needs to try a little harder.
Weekly rewind
Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune unbundle: Starting in September, you’ll be able to watch new episodes of both game shows on either Hulu or Peacock the day after their live airings. Older episodes will be available to stream as well.
Normally I don’t cover new streaming arrivals, but this is a big deal as both programs have previously required either a bloated live TV streaming package or an antenna to watch without cable. I wonder how many folks will be able to cut the cord from this development alone.
Fubo’s Apple TV offer: Fubo is trying a new tactic to keep new subscribers on board year-round, offering a free Apple TV 4K in exchange for a 12-month subscription on its Elite tier. That plan, once you factor in regional sports fees, starts at $108 per month, and is $10 per month pricier than Fubo’s Pro plan.
In other words, the Apple TV offer isn’t really worthwhile unless you want the Elite plan’s extra channels and 4K streaming. If you take the Apple TV and cancel the service before the 12 months are up, you’ll automatically get billed for the streaming box’s full $129 retail price.
More catch-up
- Not just you: TCM briefly stopped working on YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.
- Rumor: Apple wants a piece of MLB’s streaming rights.
- Ars Technica digs into the privacy upsides of an Apple TV box.
- Shocking news: The high cost of streaming sports is leading to more piracy.
- Fubo will start selling pay-per-view boxing and soccer without a subscription.
- Dish keeps investing in satellites as DirecTV shifts more toward streaming.
- Paramount+ is getting every UEFA Women’s Champions League match.
Save more money
This section of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up subscribing to something.
ESPN+ is running a sale that brings the price to $5 per month for three months, down from the usual $12 per month. You won’t get most of ESPN’s cable content, but there’s a lot of college sports and some PGA Tour coverage right now. The sale runs through June 20.
Other notable deals:
- MLB.TV is usually half-off around Father’s Day, so you probably should wait a week if you’re planning to subscribe.
- You can still get three free months of Apple TV+ via this link, or one month via this link.
- What the heck, let’s share a streaming music deal: New Spotify subscribers get a month free.
Remember that I keep a full running list of streaming deals on this page, updated every Friday.
Thanks for reading!
I’m always looking for fresh story ideas, but especially now, when then weather gets warmer and the news cycle starts to slow down a bit. Send me your thoughts by replying to this email.
And remember, no newsletter next week, back on June 20.
Until then,
Jared