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.
You don’t have to cut cable to save money on TV
Jared Newman | 
Dropping cable or satellite TV isn’t the only way to lower your TV bill.
Even if you’re not ready to cut the cord, you may still be able to find some extra savings through your current pay TV provider. By renting less equipment, bundling some streaming services, and making sure you’re not overpaying for internet, you can save decent money while hanging onto cable’s creature comforts.
While switching to streaming or over-the-air TV can still be cheaper in the long run, here are some other ways to reduce your TV bill before you make the leap …
Weekly rewind
Fubo and NBC make up: NBCUniversal’s channels are heading back to Fubo after a six-month carriage dispute. Fubo says it will restore NBC, Bravo, Telemundo, Universo, NBCSN, and regional NBC Sports networks to its packages, while Fubo’s cheaper Sports package will get NBC and NBCSN for the first time.
Still, some of the details are murky. The only change that’s happening right now is that Fubo’s Spanish-language will immediately regain Telemundo and Universo along with a $5 per month price hike, up to $20 per month.
As for English-language packages, Fubo isn’t saying exactly when it’ll restore NBC’s channels or how much prices will increase as a result. But given that Fubo took $11 per month off its standard plans to make up for NBC’s absence, don’t be surprised if prices bounce back by at least that much.
Tablo’s expiring apps: Tablo is pushing users of its older over-the-air DVRs onto the new version of its app, “obsolete” and “no longer maintainable” technologies in its legacy apps. After September 1, the old Tablo app will stop receiving updates and won’t be available to download.
The new Tablo app has its upsides: It doesn’t require a subscription, supports native broadcast TV quality, and offers dozens of free streaming channels, most of which are recordable for ad-skipping purposes. The legacy app is required, though, for out-of-home viewing, streaming on laptop and desktop computers, and whole-home access for Tablo’s HDMI models.
To be clear, this only affects older Tablo DVRs, not the puck-shaped fourth-gen model that uses the new app already. You can read more about the change here.
End of the line for older Apple TVs: Speaking of discontinuations, Apple’s forthcoming tvOS 27 update will not be available on the Apple TV HD from 2015 or the original Apple TV 4K from 2017. Those devices will still get security updates but will miss out on new features, and streaming services could potentially stop supporting these devices in the future.
That said, tvOS 27 is a pretty minor update, whose main features include a new Podcasts app, performance improvements, and some kind of unexplained download functionality. With a new Apple TV box rumored for the fall, you should probably wait to upgrade until at least then.
More catch-up
- Friend-of-the-newsletter Justin Pot made a handy tool for figuring out which channel the World Cup is on.
- The Google TV Streamer gets Thread 1.4 support, which is something a small number of smart home enthusiasts might care about.
- Disney+ wants you to choose which ad you’re willing to watch.
- Paramount+ and Pluto will likely remain separate services, even if they run on the same tech stack.
- Now you can control some newer TCL TV settings with Gemini voice commands. (Do you have one of these TVs? I’d love to know if you can use voice to turn off the “ACR” setting that monitors everything you watch.)
Save more money
This part of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up buying or subscribing to something.
Just a heads up: With Amazon Prime Day(s) set for June 23 through June 26, we’ll likely see bunch of Prime Video Channels subscriptions on sale soon. Already I’m told that PBS Masterpiece, PBS Kids, and PBS Documentaries will drop to $1 per month for two months from June 15 through June 26, and I suspect similar deals from others will be forthcoming.
Other notable deals in the meantime:
- Disney+ and Hulu: $10 per month for three months. (Saves $3 per month.) Remember that some AmEx cards can help pay for Disney streaming.
- Starz: Back to $24 for one year.
- Paramount+: Still $1 per month for two months of Premium with promo code N8C27L for select returning subscribers.
As always, I keep a full list of up-to-date deals on the Cord Cutter Weekly website.
Free up your phone’s storage
This week for Advisorator members, I published a guide to reclaiming your phone’s storage space. By looking more closely at what’s piling up on your phone, you can avoid unnecessary storage upgrades and possibly save hundreds on new hardware.
Join Advisorator to access the storage guide, my full Tuesday tech advice newsletter, and all the other tech tutorials I publish on my website. It costs less than a monthly beer in a small U.S. city, and I think you’ll find it valuable.
Cord Cutter Weekly turns 10!
On June 10, 2016, I sent out the first issue of this newsletter to a small number of friends and family members.
Cord cutting has changed a lot since then, but I’m still finding new ways to help folks save money on TV, and I’m grateful that you’re still following along with me.
Thanks for reading, for sharing this newsletter with others, for sending thoughtful questions, and for supporting me with metaphorical coffees or Advisorator memberships. These newsletters are still my favorite thing to work on every week, and I’m looking forward to at least another decade of writing them.
Until next week,
Jared