How to ditch TV bundles, Frndly TV review
This week on TechHive: How to ditch your streaming bundle
If your definition of cord-cutting is narrow enough, last week’s YouTube TV price hike might make the whole endeavor seem pointless.
After all, YouTube TV now charges $73 per month for a big bundle of local channels, cable news, live sports, and entertainment. The next-cheapest option is Hulu + Live TV, at $70 per month, and other services are even pricier, such as Fubo at $86 per month and DirecTV Stream at $75 per month and up. Cable and satellite TV might still be more expensive, but the price advantage for streaming TV bundles has shrunk.
So, now’s a fine time to remember the alternative: Instead of paying for a big TV bundle—even a streaming one—you can abandon them and choose your streaming services a la carte. You might have to give up some specific cable channels and cut down on live sports coverage, but you’ll also save a lot more money, which is why a growing proportion of cord-cutters have been going this route.
Read the full column on TechHive →
Weekly rewind
Frndly TV review: Also at TechHive this week, I’ve finally written a proper review of Frndly TV, whose bundle of live TV channels starts at just $7 per month. You won’t get any sports, news, or broadcast channels with this package, but its mix of classic TV, reality shows, faith-based programming, and other forms of TV comfort food could make it appealing to some cord cutters.
I do wish Frndly TV’s interface was more conducive to channel surfing, and its DVR (which costs an extra $2 per month) has one big limitation: You can’t start watching a recording until after the live airing is finished. But as an antidote to huge bundles like YouTube TV, I love the concept and wish there more services like it. Read the full review.
FTC eyes sleazy subscriptions: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has proposed new rules that would take the hassle out of cancelling cable and satellite TV (and other subscriptions as well). Subscription services that offer easy online sign-ups would also have to offer simple online cancellation instead of mandatory phone calls. They’d also have to let customers bypass any “wait, don’t go!” offers and jump straight to the actual cancellation page.
Some states have similar “click to cancel” laws already, which is why DirecTV Stream lets you cancel on your own in some states, but requires an online chat or phone call in others. The FTC’s rules would apply nationwide, assuming they can make it through through a public comment and approval process. While some cable providers do let you cancel online without hassles—credit where due to Comcast on that front—others will need to be forced.
T-Mobile is ending its YouTube TV deal, which gave customers a $10 per month discount on the service. Those who’ve already redeemed the offer will still get up to 24 total months of discounted payments—presumably based on YouTube TV’s new price of $73 per month—but it’s no longer available to anyone else.
More catch-up
- By me: Frontier is trying to be a more likeable internet provider.
- Dish Network’s ransomware attack has left customers are in the dark.
- Want to skip the wait for YouTube TV’s new Multiview feature? Just ask.
- Interesting read on emulating film aesthetics in the streaming age.
- Amazon expands its line of televisions with Fire TV built-in.
- FuboTV changes its name to just plain old Fubo.
Save more money
Last week, I wrote about how you can get three months of Apple TV+ for free through either Target or Best Buy, even if you’re a returning subscriber. I’ve since discovered that you may be able to redeem these offers more than once.
I’m 99.9% certain, for instance, that I’ve taken advantage of the three-month trial for Target Circle members before. On a whim, I decided to try signing up again last week, and surprisingly enough, I got another three months Apple TV+, just in time for Ted Lasso and Friday Night Baseball. (Of course, I immediately cancelled the trial after signing up to avoid being auto-billed at the end.)
As long as you don’t have an active Apple TV+ subscription, give it a try via the links above and let me know what happens.
Other notable savings:
- The Roku Express 4K is $10 off, at $30.
- New Paramount+ codes are WHERESMADDIE and SURVIVOR44, but most of the old ones still work as well.
- T-Mobile subscriber? Remember to get a free season of MLB TV on Tuesday.
- I’ve got a bigger list of deals on my website, updated weekly.
Thanks for reading!
In response to last week’s newsletter on Verizon’s +play subscription marketplace, I got some interesting comments from reader David H., who started using the service back in December. After running into a glitch with his NFL+ subscription, he had no luck getting help from the NFL and could only interact with Verizon through online chat agents, who couldn’t fully solve the problem:
“The biggest issue for me was that no one would take ownership of my issue … [A]fter providing a lot of feedback and spending considerable time on support chats, it just didn’t seem like anyone at Verizon cared.”
That’s one more knock against third-party subscription marketplaces in general: Companies like Verizon want all the upside of managing your subscriptions—including a cut of the revenue—but not so much of the responsibility when things go wrong. Thanks for the info, David!
Got your own feedback or questions on cord cutting? Just reply to this email to get in touch.
Until next week,
Jared