This week on TechHive: Price hikes for Sling TV, DirecTV Now, and PlayStation Vue
If you’ve dropped cable or satellite TV in favor of a live TV streaming service, the past week might’ve brought some bad news.
First, Dish Network announced a $5 per month price hike for its Sling TV Orange service, which is currently the cheapest way to get ESPN without cable. The new price ($25 per month) will apply to new subscribers immediately, and to existing ones in August. (Sling TV Blue plans, which offer NBC- and Fox-owned channels but not ESPN or other Disney-owned channels, still cost $25 per month, and a combined Orange and Blue package still costs $40 per month.)
A few days later, AT&T announced a $5 per month price hike for all DirecTV Now plans from July 26 onward, bringing the base monthly price to $40 for all subscribers. PlayStation Vue subscribers weren’t spared, either: All multi-channel Vue plan prices will increase by $5 per month for new subscribers starting July 24, and for current subscribers after July 31, bringing the base price to $45 per month.
It’s tempting to view these price hikes as a sign of some impending squeeze on cord-cutters, as companies like AT&T and Dish Network try to recoup their losses in the traditional TV business. But in reality, rising prices have become inevitable as TV streaming bundles pack in more channels to reach the broadest possible audience. These bundles may still be a better deal than cable for a variety of reasons, but the factors that led to the past week’s price hikes aren’t going away anytime soon. Read the full column on TechHive.
Weekly rewind
Streaming TV service reviews: While I was on vacation last week, TechHive published a couple of updated live TV streaming service reviews I’d written beforehand.
Hulu with Live TV is still technically in beta, but it’s one of the best values in live TV streaming at $40 per month. That price gets you all four major broadcast networks, the big three cable news networks; national and regional sports from ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports Network, and NBCSN; and a slew of entertainment channels. It also includes access to Hulu’s on-demand service (normally $8 per month), so you can watch originals like The Handmaid’s Tale and a sizeable back catalog of network TV shows (Seinfeld, hello!). While Hulu’s menu system is polarizing, it’s improved substantially over the last year, and now includes a live TV grid guide.
I’m not quite as enamored with DirecTV Now, which despite a revamped interface still has lots of little annoyances. But at least it finally includes DVR service, and its live TV grid guide is without equal. While DirecTV Now can be more expensive than other streaming bundles, it also has a broader channel selection, and AT&T wireless subscribers can defray the cost by $15 per month by pairing the TV service with an unlimited data plan.
Et tu, Netflix? This week, Netflix confirmed that it’s testing a new price hike of sorts in Europe, in which users might have to pay more to retain specific features. Currently, Netflix’s $11 per month HD video plan lets users watch on up to two devices at once, while a $14 per month 4K HDR video plan allows up to four streams at a time. Under the plans Netflix is testing, the HD plan would drop to a single stream, while the 4K plan would offer just two streams at a time and would no longer include HDR video. Watching in 4K HDR on up to four devices would require a new, more expensive “Ultra” plan.
In a statement to CNet, Netflix said it’s only trying to “better understand how consumers value Netflix,” and may never offer the specific prices and features it’s testing now. Netflix also just raised prices for U.S. subscribers last fall, and CEO Reed Hastings said a few months ago that the company has no immediate plans to raise them again. Still, it’s no secret that Netflix wants to increase prices over time as its original content costs go up. Charging more for certain features–particularly ones that facilitate password sharing–might be one way to do that.
No Fox Sports networks for Disney: The U.S. Department of Justice has approved Disney’s plan to acquire assets from 21st Century Fox, under one condition: Disney should be required to offload Fox’s regional sports networks first. (The deal already excludes Fox’s national sports channels, news channels, and broadcasting business, which would be spun off into a separate company.)
The stipulation could be good news for cord-cutters and cable subscribers alike. Disney already owns ESPN; owning an additional source of local sports coverage would give the company much more leverage over TV providers, leading to higher prices and even more bloated bundles. That said, Fox and Disney shareholders have yet to approve the deal themselves, and there’s no guarantee Fox’s sports networks won’t eventaully get snatched up by another major media company looking to secure some more leverage of its own.
Verizon’s half-hearted attempt at streaming video is officially dead.
Save more money
Newegg currently has a nice discount on Logitech’s refurbished Harmony Ultimate remote and Hub. These allow you to control streaming devices, cable boxes, game consoles, DVD players, and various smart home devices with one remote. The Hub also works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant so you can control your entertainment center with voice commands to an Amazon Echo or Google Home speaker.
The hub and remote usually sell for $180, but you can get them refurbished for $110. If you already have a Harmony remote and want to tack on the Hub for voice commands and smart home controls, it’s $47 by itself.
Thanks for reading!
The past couple of weeks have brought a lot of gloomy headlines in the world of cord-cutting, and there’s a lot of uncertainty about where things are heading next, but I’m optimistic that we’ll end up in a better place than we were in the cable TV era. In the meantime, please send me your questions, comments, and story ideas so I can help make sense of it all.
One more thing: Last week, I sent out the first members-only issue of Advisorator, my new tech advice newsletter. This issue covers not-really-unlimited smartphone data plans, new tricks for smart speakers, a cheap way to find easily-lost belongings, and more. I’m thrilled and thankful for the response Advisorator has received so far. If you’re still on the fence, I’m now offering a 28-day free trial when you provide credit card info. Subscribe by Monday, and I’ll also send you the latest issue. Click here to get started.
One more one more thing: Speaking of Advisorator, I’m preparing a visual facelift for Cord Cutter Weekly that’s based on the same code. It’s hopefully cleaner-looking for you, and easier to work with for me. Check it out here, and let me know what you think. Check it out and let me know what you think. Barring any major complaints, I’ll likely start using it next week.
