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.

Still on YouTube TV? Start looking at cheaper options.

Jared Newman   |   November 14, 2025

If you’re wondering whether to cancel YouTube TV in favor of a cheaper live TV package, your options are better than they used to be.

Getting local channels, news, and even sports no longer requires a big bundle, with skinnier packages selling for less than YouTube TV’s $83 per month asking price. Smaller packages are also available for folks who don’t care about sports, some of which even include popular streaming services at no extra charge.

With the carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Disney entering its third week—and not ending anytime soon, according to Disney—now’s the time to look at alternatives. Even if the two companies reach a deal eventually, you might be better off taking your business elsewhere.

Read the full column →

Weekly rewind

Get your YouTube TV credit: YouTube TV has finally started offering the $20 credit it promised in case of a prolonged Disney channel blackout, but you may have to redeem it manually:

  • Sign into the YouTube TV website
  • Click your profile icon and head to Settings.
  • Select the “Updates” tab (or just use this link).
  • Click the “Claim credit” button.

Note that only the primary account holder will see the credit offer, and only if you signed up through YouTube’s website. If you’re billed through a different system (such as Google Play billing on Android devices), the credit should apply automatically without having to follow the above steps.

Paramount+ price hike: Paramount plans to raise the price of its streaming service by $1 per month from January 15 onward. That’ll bring the cost to $9 per month with ads and $14 per month for the ad-free tier with Showtime.

In an earnings report, Paramount also indicated that it’s “retiring” free trials and “reviewing discount practices.” The free Paramount+ gravy train stopped rolling a while ago, but I guess this makes it official. I am at least enjoying the idea of David Ellison spending $8 billion on the company and its streaming service, only to realize how many of us weren’t actually paying for it.

NBC Sports Network lives: NBC is reviving its sports channel for pay TV packages, with YouTube TV being the first to get it. NBCSN will carry live sports that would normally stream on Peacock, so if you have YouTube TV, there’s one fewer argument for a separate Peacock subscription.

Integration of Peacock content was a big sticking point in YouTube TV’s recent carriage dispute with NBCUniversal, and this seems to have been a partial concession on NBC’s part. Comcast will also add NBCSN soon, and other pay TV providers will add it over time.

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.

Fox apparently couldn’t wait any longer to announce its Black Friday deals, so here they are:

  • Fox One: $10 per month for two months or $150 for one year. Offer available Nov. 27 to Dec. 1.
  • Fox Nation: $36 for one year. Ends Jan 4.
  • Fox One and Fox Nation: $20 per month for six months or $200 for one year. Ends Jan. 4.
  • Big Ten Plus: $3 per month for three months or $70 for one year. Offer available Nov. 28 to Dec. 1.

One weird quirk: If you were to wait a couple weeks for that Fox One deal and add Fox Nation separately, it would be less expensive than bundling both of them right now.

Other notable deals:

As always, I keep a full list of up-to-date deals here.

Free money for Verizon customers?

I sent this note to Advisorator’s paying members earlier this week, but what the heck, let’s just share with everyone:

Back in June, I wrote about how Verizon customers can save $20 per month for a year by generating a transfer PIN, which is part of the process for switching carriers. Per the folks at Slickdeals, that offer has now returned, and you don’t even need to generate a transfer PIN this time. Here’s how it works:

  • Open the My Verizon app on your phone.
  • From the “Me” tab, head to Profile > Settings > Number Transfer Pin.
  • Look for a message offering $20 per month off for the next year and select “Check Offers.”
  • Tap on the offer (but not the “Details” link beneath it) and hit “Redeem.”

Slickdeals notes that eligibility may vary—I’m guessing you won’t get this offer if you’ve redeemed something like it before—but it’s worth a shot for the chance to save $240.

Your mileage may vary, and you may have to chat with a rep or go through with generating that transfer PIN to get the discount. But I have heard from multiple readers who’ve cut down their bills this way—some even multiplying the discount across several lines. (“That tip has paid for my subscription to your publications for about 20 years,” as one reader put it.)

So, if this tip ends up slashing your Verizon bill, maybe consider an Advisorator membership! I’ll help you save more money and get smarter about tech every week.

Thanks for reading!

Got questions? Let me know!

Until next week,
Jared

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