In a perfect world, here’s how you’d watch the 2024 Summer Olympics in 4K HDR: Turn on the Olympics with whatever streaming service you prefer, then start watching.

In reality, the process looks more like this: Dig around for press coverage of which streaming services will carry the games in 4K HDR, make sure your 4K TV or streaming player is on the list of supported devices, make sure you’re paying extra for 4K if your streaming service requires it, then hope that whatever event you’re watching isn’t limited to HD and standard dynamic range anyway.

The Paris Olympics are a microcosm of everything wrong with the state of 4K HDR live sports streaming. Figuring out what’s available in 4K and what you need to watch is too complicated, and it’s made worse by the paucity of 4K coverage and the need to pay extra for that coverage in some cases. Delivering 4K video has its challenges, but figuring out when and how you can get it shouldn’t be.

Read the full column on TechHive →

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Weekly rewind

Hallmark’s streaming shake-up: Hallmark, which currently offers a $6 per month streaming service called Hallmark Movies Now, plans to launch a new $8 per month service called Hallmark+ in September. It will replace the old service and will roll in some programming from Hallmark’s cable channels along with some new exclusives, but it won’t include live channel feeds. There’s also a grab-bag of tie-ins with other Hallmark products, such as shopping rewards.

Worth noting: Peacock already includes Hallmark’s live channel feeds and a movie library as part of its $8 per month service, and Frndly TV includes Hallmark (plus a bunch of other channels) for $7 per month, so you may not need a service entirely dedicated to Hallmark either way.

More movies on Apple TV+, maybe? Over the spring, Apple experimented with a rotating selection of Hollywood films on Apple TV+. That little run has now ended, but Bloomberg reports that Apple’s going back to the studios for more licensing deals, citing unnamed sources.

The thinking is that a deeper back catalog will keep folks from cancelling between tentpole original series, though it’s interesting that Apple’s apparently focused on licensing movies rather than TV shows. That’d reinforce the idea that Apple TV+ is more of a modern-day HBO (or at least an HBO for dads) than a direct competitor to Netflix.

More catch-up

• Sling TV starts streaming in 4K at no extra cost.
• Spectrum News unbundles from cable with a free live stream on the Xumo Play app.
• Good read on the rise of free streaming services.
• Netflix to Disney and Warner: We don’t need your stinkin’ bundles. (Except the one it offers with Max through Verizon.)
• The Peacock Price hike (which I’ve written about numerous times already) has finally gone into effect.

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Save more money

Verizon is currently offering one free year of Netflix Premium (that’s the 4K tier) when you buy a year of Peacock for $80. The promo’s available through Verizon’s +play marketplace, which is available to both wireless and home internet customers, and it’s a pretty solid deal given that a year of Netflix Premium alone costs $276.

Some fine print applies, though: It’s only for new Peacock subscribers, and you can’t get it if you’ve taken advantage of similar Netflix offers from Verizon in the past. Here’s a FAQ page with more info.

Other notable savings:

• You can still get a month of Paramount+ via this link, though numerous folks have told me that they’re getting a “contact your bank error.” Using a different email address should work in that case. The offer ends today.
• Roku’s Streaming Stick 4K is still on sale for $30.
• My big list of streaming deals on the Cord Cutter Weekly website is updated every Friday.

Thanks for reading!

Got cord cutting questions for me? Just reply to this email to get in touch.

Until next week,
Jared