Hey there! I’m Jared Newman, and this is Cord Cutter Weekly, my newsletter on how to save money on TV and make the most of streaming. Sign up here if someone shared this newsletter with you.

Channels DVR’s Multiview is a game-changer

Jared Newman   |   September 19, 2025
A split-screen view of four videos playing different sports programs

On Monday night, I watched TV in a way was previously impossible.

Using Channels DVR, I was able to play the Yankees game via MLB.TV on half the screen, with the other half playing Monday Night Football via a local over-the-air broadcast. This was thanks to Channels’ new (and still experimental) Multiview feature, which lets you watch up to four live channels simultaneously on Apple TV 4K streaming boxes. I fully intend to watch local Bengals broadcasts side-by-side with NFL Redzone in the future.

While some individual streaming services have their own Multiview features, Channels is the first solution I’m aware of for TV antenna users. And because Channels can bring in other sources of content—like my MLB.TV subscription—it’s the only way to use multiview across cable channels, streaming sources, and over-the-air broadcasts.

Read the full column →

Weekly rewind

Pluto’s gatekeeping: Free streaming services have become popular in part because of how easy they are to access, but Pluto has decided to add some friction to the process. As noted by Cord Cutters News, the site now requires an account to access certain channels, otherwise you’ll be stuck with “Partial Access.”

Your email address isn’t just a way for companies to nag you with marketing emails, it’s also a goldmine for targeted advertising, so it’s no surprise that ad-supported streaming services want you to hand it over. Using a masked email address would let you access Pluto’s spoils without giving up a key piece of your online identity.

Tubi’s productivity hack: The free streaming service Tubi has come up with a fun little gimmick with its “Productubity” browser extension. Click the extension icon while watching a video on Tubi’s website, and it’ll instantly pause and hide the video, replacing with a generic-looking article about workplace productivity, like this:

Of course, your IT admin might not let you install random browser extensions willy-nilly, and there’s the whole noise factor of watching B-movies and TV reruns in an office setting to consider, but I respect the concept regardless.

Walmart’s Peacock offer goes live: As announced a couple weeks ago, Walmart+ members can now choose Peacock instead of Paramount+ as their complimentary streaming service. You can switch between the two services once per 90 days by following the instructions on Walmart’s website.

Walmart+ costs $98 per year, or $58 for AARP members. It’s cheaper than the $110 annual price of Peacock alone if you’re planning to pay for it year-round and don’t want to wait around for discounts.

More catch-up

Save more money

This section of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up buying or subscribing to something.

Paramount+: Well, the half-off Paramount+ offer I mentioned last week was supposed to end yesterday, but it’s still showing up as valid on my end. Give it a try and see if you can still get a year of Essential (with ads) for $30, or Premium (with limited ads and Showtime) for $60. The discount should appear after you select an annual plan, and as before is for new and former subscribers only.

AmEx offer update: I recently wrote about how you can get credit toward Disney streaming services with certain American Express cards. What I neglected to mention is that you must activate this benefit manually after you’ve received the card. From the AmEx site, head to Rewards & Benefits, select the “Benefits” tab, and from there you can click on the Disney offer to enroll in it.

If you missed it, you can get a $7 monthly credit card statement credit toward Disney+, Hulu, or ESPN with AmEx Blue Cash Everyday (which has no annual fee), or $10 monthly credit with AmEx Blue Cash Preferred (which has some additional benefits but a $95 annual fee after the first year).

Looking for more streaming deals? I keep a big list of them up to date on my website.

iPhone deals and wireless plans compared

This week for Advisorator members, I’ve got a fully-updated guide to picking a cellphone plan, including a comparison of “unlimited” data plans and a breakdown of all the deals on new iPhones (and comparable Android phones).

This resource requires a lot of time and effort to maintain, so I make it available exclusively to Advisorator’s paying members. Subscribe for $5 for a month—an amount that I hope will pay for itself in cost savings down the line—and you’ll get instant access.

Compare carriers and iPhone deals →

Thanks for reading!

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

Until next week,
Jared