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.

Can’t stand Google TV? Make it look like Roku instead

Jared Newman   |   July 24, 2026

One of the best things about Google’s smart TV and streaming player software is that if you don’t like the standard home screen, you can replace it.

Now, you can even make the home screen look like a Roku, thanks to a free app called Kyu Launcher. This alternative home screen closely resembles Roku’s sidebar and app grid, but without any obnoxious banner ads, and it works on any Google TV or Android TV device.

Switching to Kyu Launcher takes only a couple minutes to set up, and it provides a much simpler experience whenever you press your remote’s home button. But it’s also just one of several ways to swap Google TV’s main menu for one that’s more to your liking.

Read the full column →

Weekly rewind

The NBA’s year of streaming chaos: NBC Commissioner Adam Silver said last week that he expects the league to have a unified streaming hub ready for the 2027-2028 season. This would give viewers one place to sign up and watch their local team (with the exception of some big-market teams that may keep sticking it out on their own).

In the meantime, expect a mess. With FanDuel Sports Networks winding down, every NBA (and NHL) team that relied on those networks is on its own to figure out the coming season. You’ll see a mix of over-the-air distribution, bespoke streaming services, and partnerships with existing streaming providers, plus a scramble to distribute games through traditional pay TV packages. I’ll do my best to wrangle the details on where to watch as the season gets closer.

Nvidia Shield disappears: A story I missed from earlier this month, Nvidia’s tube-shaped Shield TV streaming player is out of stock at every major retailer, and AFTVNews reports that it hasn’t been consistently available on Amazon since April. The $200 Pro model, which has more storage, RAM, and USB ports, remains in stock.

The Shield, whose latest models launched in 2019, is beloved among some tech enthusiasts for its speedy performance and relatively bloat-free software. Nvidia has admirably kept all Shield models alive with software updates, including the original 2015 version, for over a decade. I had the 2017 version in my living room for many years until I replaced it with an Apple TV 4K.

Nvidia says the Shield TV is “out of stock due to demand” but has no updates on future availability. With RAM shortages raising the cost of all consumer electronics, I can’t imagine there’s much taste in finding a way to keep the Shield in production, even if some folks within Nvidia have a soft spot for it.

Fire TV’s new screen setting: Amazon has released a new “Adaptive Display” accessibility setting on its Fire TV Stick 4K Select streaming dongle, making on-screen menu items larger and easier to see. It’s also headed to the latest Fire TV Stick in the coming days.

It’s unclear when (or if) the feature will become available on earlier Android-based Fire TV devices. If you have one of the newer models, you should find Adaptive Display under Settings > Accessibility > Adaptive Display. Note that this only blows up Amazon’s menus, not other apps like Netflix.

More catch-up

Save more money

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

Amazon’s Alexa Voice Remote Pro is $23 at Best Buy, or $17 refurbished from Woot with promo code DEVICES22. This is Amazon’s fanciest Fire TV remote, with backlit keys, two programmable buttons, and a remote finder function that you can trigger through Alexa. If you check Amazon’s product page (where it’s selling for the full $35 price), you can see whether it’s compatible with any of your existing Fire TV devices. The offer ends July 25.

Other notable deals:

  • Paramount+: Sadly no $1 per month codes right now, but you can still get half-off a year of Premium with code SAVEANNUAL50.
  • Reelz+ has a three-month trial with code REELZHEROES. New subscribers only, ends August 15. (Thanks, Joe A.)
  • For my fellow Yankee fans: Use this link for a free month of Apple TV to watch tonight’s game. (Yes, it works for Phillies fans too.)
  • Fire TV Stick HD: The Android-based version is on sale for $20, or $14 refurbished with promo code DEVICES22. (The refurb offer ends July 25.)

As always, I’ve got a full list of up-to-date deals on this page.

This week in Advisorator: I wrote about my 27 favorite Spotify tricks, Apple Music price hikes, and how to tell if something’s written by AI (unlike this newsletter). Read it here →

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Until next time,
Jared