Regional sports streaming, Netflix price hikes
This week on TechHive: Every regional sports streaming option
In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned a bunch of options that have opened up for streaming regional sports networks without a big TV bundle.
But what I hadn’t yet done—or seen online, for that matter—is a single article that compiles all those streaming options into one big list. As hockey and basketball season get underway, I finally rectified the situation over at TechHive. Check out this week’s column for a rundown of all the options, both bundled and unbundled.
Read the full column on TechHive →
Weekly rewind
Netflix’s partial price hikes: Netflix is raising prices for some of its plans in the U.S. and several other markets. The Basic ad-free plan, which offers one 720p stream at a time, will jump from $10 to $12 per month, while the Premium plan with four simultaneous 4K streams is rising from $20 to $23 per month. Netflix’s ad-supported plan remains unchanged at $7 per month, and its Standard plan with two 1080p streams still costs $15.49 per month.
Never mind what Netflix said back in July about not raising prices for a year (as caught by my fellow TechHive scribe Ben Patterson). The company is looking to squeeze every penny it can from existing subscribers in major markets, which means pushing them toward more profitable ad-supported plans, making ad-free plans pricier, and pestering password sharers. I’m still not sure how sustainable it is to tick off one’s customers in the long run, but it’s what shareholders want to see right now.
(Also, a reminder: While Netflix doesn’t offer its Basic plan for new subscribers anymore, existing subscribers can still switch to it.)
Spectrum drops cable boxes: A couple weeks ago, Comcast and Charter announced the Xumo Stream Box, a new streaming device that they plan to offer to their respective cable customers. Now, Charter says the Xumo device will replace cable boxes entirely for new Spectrum TV customers, who can either lease the streaming box for $5 per month or buy it outright for $60. The box is compatible with Spectrum’s cloud DVR service, which costs $10 per month extra.
While existing customers can still keep their cable boxes and in-home DVRs, they may not want to given that Spectrum charges $11 per month, per box, plus $5 per month more for each box with DVR. Keep in mind, though, that Spectrum also offers streaming apps for Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TVs, and Xbox consoles. I’m not sure what the argument is for Xumo boxes unless Charter starts giving them away, like Comcast does with its Flex streaming boxes.
Are you interested in seeing me review the Xumo box anyway? Let me know and I’ll look into procuring one.
More catch-up
- Best Buy will stop selling DVDs and Blu-ray discs next year.
- The NFL app arrives on Vizio smart TVs.
- MLB and Diamond Sports Group tensions are running high.
- Netflix cuts off support for some decade-old smart TVs. (Learn what to do when this happens.)
- Fubo lets you speed through the channel guide with fast forward and rewind buttons. (I once wrote a whole story on apps that support this.)
Save more money
I’m still working on my reviews of Amazon’s new 4K Fire TV Stick dongles, but if you don’t want to wait, Amazon is offering discounts for select customers. Try using the codes ADD23 or 4K23 on the Fire TV Stick 4K for $25 off, or the code ADDMAX on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $20 off, or just look for the “Redeem” button on either product page. See my previous newsletter coverage for more info.
Other notable deals:
- Boo! Get a 30-day trial for Shudder with promo code HORRORHOUND.
- The latest Paramount+ codes are still MILLIVANILLI, FRASIER, or SURVIVOR45. Learn how to get it for free.
- See my big list of streaming deals for more ways to save. (Apologies for botching the link last week.)
Thanks for reading!
Got cord cutting questions for me? Reply to this email to get in touch.
Until next week,
Jared