Cord Cutter Weekly
These days, you can stream pretty much any TV channel without a cable or satellite subscription, assuming you’re paying for a live TV package. But there’s still one popular live channel you can’t get, and it’s one that technically shouldn’t cost you anything.

I’m talking, of course, about PBS, the non-profit home to programs such as Nature and Masterpiece, along with popular children’s shows like Wild Kratts and Sesame Street. While it’s possible to stream many PBS shows on demand (more on that shortly), you’ll most likely need an antenna to watch your local station live without a cable- or satellite-TV subscription.

Why isn’t PBS available in live TV streaming services such as Sling TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Now, and PlayStation Vue? It turns out bringing live PBS stations online involves a lot of challenges. Some are similar to what other TV networks have dealt with; others are unique to public broadcasting. While there’s talk of some PBS stations going live toward the end of this year, most Viewers Like You will have to wait longer. [Read the full column on TechHive]

More Disney+ details: Disney’s streaming service will have more than just Disney-owned shows when it launches later this year. In a quarterly earnings call, CEO Bob Iger said Disney+ will pad out its catalog with movies and shows from other studios. The goal over time is still to lean heavily on Disney properties such as Star Wars and Marvel, but the company isn’t planning to bring over any of its current cable programming, and producing lots of new streaming exclusives will take time.

It’s unclear what the non-Disney part of the catalog will consist of, and Disney hasn’t said exactly when the service will launch or how much it’ll cost. At most, we know that Disney+ will be the exclusive streaming home for the studio’s future films (starting with Captain Marvel), and we’ve heard a little about the original movies and shows that are in the works. Disney plans to brief investors on the service in April, so perhaps the company will announce more specifics then.

FuboTV’s Apple TV TV app ties: This week, Fubo TV added support for Apple’s TV app. If you’re subscribed to Fubo’s $45 per month bundle of live TV channels, you can use the unified guide on Apple TV to jump directly into shows and sporting events. Because the TV app also supports other video sources such as Amazon Prime and Hulu, it’s a good jumping-off point when you’re looking for something to watch.

Fubo is just the second live TV streaming service to integrate with Apple’s TV app, the first being PlayStation Vue. Fubo also plans to support Apple’s single sign-on feature soon, so you’ll be able to use individual TV network apps without having to repeatedly enter your Fubo credentials.

Speaking of Fubo, it’s also now the first live TV streaming service to carry AT&T SportsNet in the southwest. That means you no longer need cable or satellite TV to watch locally-televised Houston Rockets and Houston Astros games.

Spectrum’s rising broadcast TV fees: After raising its hidden “Broadcast TV” fee to $10 per month in November, Spectrum plans to increase it again in March, this time to $12 per month. The fee generally reflects the rising cost of carrying broadcast channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, but because Spectrum and other cable companies don’t include the fee in their advertised prices, it also helps them trick new customers into thinking they’re paying less. In addition, breaking the fee out separately allows Spectrum to raise prices even for folks who are locked into a promotional rate.

As Cord Cutters News reports, the $2 per month fee hike will also apply to Spectrum TV Choice, an a la carte-style streaming service that the company quietly offers to its Internet-only customers. (It includes local channels, plus a choice of 10 cable channels, for $22 per month before the fee.) The broadcast fee for Spectrum TV Choice is still much lower than the full cable package at $5 per month, but I wonder how sustainable that’ll be given that broadcast channel lineup is the same.

It’s slim pickings for good deals today, but it looks like some Walmart stores are still liquidating the second-generation Chromecast for just $9. The deal only applies in stores, so plug your zip code into the Brickseek inventory checker to see if it’s available near you. The second-generation Chromecast isn’t a major downgrade from the current model, so this isn’t a bad way to add smartphone controls to your TV on the cheap.
The latest issue of my tech advice newsletter Advisorator went out on Monday, covering a better way to backup your phone, a neat app for sketching out ideas, free money for iTunes users, and more. For $5 per month or $50 per year, you’ll get the biweekly newsletter, deal alert emails, and personalized tech advice when you need it. Click here for a free trial.
If you send me an email last week and I haven’t responded, I promise I’m going through them and responding right now. And if you haven’t, you can add to the pile by replying to this email. Your feedback and story ideas are always welcome.

Until next week,
Jared