This week on TechHive: Why streaming still beats cable

Jared Newman
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December 3, 2021
Hulu with ESPN+

Whenever a streaming service raises prices, it’s tempting to think that you’d be better off crawling back to cable.

You might’ve entertained such thoughts a couple weeks ago, for instance, when Hulu announced a $5-per-month price hike for its live TV service, raising the cost to $70 per month from December 21 onward. That’s a 75 percent increase from what Hulu + Live TV cost when it launched in 2017, and while the service has more channels than it used to—and it will soon include both Disney+ and ESPN+ in its base package—you can’t choose whether to pay for those extra channels or not.

But even a cursory glance at the other side of fence shows that cord-cutting is still a better deal. Cable is getting more expensive as well—Comcast, for instance, announced rate hikes of around $10 per month just this week—and unlike with services such as Hulu, you don’t get more for your money when prices go up. Read the full column on TechHive.

Weekly rewind

Last call for YouTube on Roku: If you have a Roku player and have not installed the YouTube app, I strongly suggest doing so immediately. Last month, Google said it would remove YouTube from Roku’s Channel Store on December 9—one week from yesterday—if the companies can’t come to terms in their carriage dispute, and so far neither company has indicated that a deal is imminent.

The YouTube app should keep working for those who’ve already installed it, and it will likely sync onto new devices tied to the same Roku account. (That’s how it works currently with the separate YouTube TV app, which Roku pulled from its channel store in April.) You can also continue to access YouTube TV through the regular YouTube app.

Roku says Google is demanding special treatment on the Roku platform, for instance by getting more prominent placement in search results and blocking external content from searches that start inside the YouTube app. In reality, this kind of special treatment already happens, and this dispute is largely about two powerful gatekeepers clashing over conflicting interests. Hopefully they can work it out without turning users into collateral damage.

Hulu’s murky future: According to the Wall Street Journal, NBCUniversal is weighing whether to stop supplying new episodes of NBC shows to Hulu, and instead move them over to its own Peacock service starting next fall. The network has a one-time option to make the move per its agreement with Disney, otherwise Hulu will keep the content until at least 2024. Still, the decision would only affect new shows such as “The Voice” and “Saturday Night Live,” whose episodes arrive the day after their original air date. Older shows such as “30 Rock” and “Friday Night Lights” stream on Hulu under separate licensing deals and aren’t in jeopardy.

This is admittedly inside baseball for now, but it ties into what seems like a general state of uncertainty over Hulu’s future. The service relies heavily on licensed content from other networks, and while it does have a growing lineup of original series, some Disney executives want to bring more adult-oriented fare to Disney+, which would further muddy the waters for Hulu.

While the service isn’t in danger—its subscriber base actually grew 20% year-over-year last quarter—I suspect it’ll start to serve more as the glue in Disney’s broader bundle rather than a service that stands entirely on its own. That may help explain the forthcoming price hike for Hulu + Live TV, in which Disney+ and ESPN+ are now mandatory inclusions.

Android TV soundbars are back: Seemingly out of nowhere, Verizon has announced a pair of soundbars that double as Android TV streaming boxes, including a a $400 model and one that costs $1,000. Plug either one into your TV’s HDMI-ARC slot, and it’ll supply both a streaming video interface and audio from Bang & Olufsen. It’s the first Android TV soundbar I’ve seen since the disappointing JBL Link Bar launched in 2019.

I once thought this concept would be the next big thing in streaming, but it’s a weird idea for people to wrap their heads around, and Roku’s the only one that seems deeply invested in it. Roku’s Streambar and Streambar Pro soundbars are solid products, and they’re supported by an ecosystem of Roku subwoofers, satellite speakers, and smart TVs. That’s not the case with one-off soundbars like Verizon’s, or with the odd Fire TV soundbars made by TCL and Anker. Either way, I suspect the idea of a Verizon-powered soundbar will be a tough sell.

More catch-up

Save more money

Chromecast with Google TV

Although Black Friday has come and gone, several streaming devices are still on sale:

In addition, Paramount+ is extending its one-month trial offer through January 3. If you don’t have an active subscription, use the coupon code PEAKSALE at checkout to redeem a free month of either the ad-supported or ad-free version of the service.

Of course, regular newsletter readers know that Paramount+ coupons are routinely available even outside the holiday season, with no apparent limit on how many you can redeem, but at least we know the current coupon isn’t going away anytime soon. If you cancel at least a day after signing up, you can enjoy the full month without getting billed at the end.

Thanks for reading!

I’m pleased to report that I was mostly successful in avoiding work—abbreviated Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter notwithstanding—during the Thanksgiving break, and have come back feeling fairly recharged this week. All the more reason to send me your cord cutting questions and comments, as I’ll surely need some story ideas to stock up on during the lean news weeks of winter. Just reply to this email to get in touch!

Until next week,

Jared

Cord Cutter Weekly is a labor of love by tech journalist Jared Newman. Say hi on Twitter, and spread the word that there’s a better kind of TV out there.