Yes, TV streaming. Not our usual subject matter, but hang in there.
Streaming Pioneer
I consider myself a streaming pioneer. My divorce from Charter Cable was finalized in 2009.
I had not been paying attention and was shocked that my cable bill had jumped to $159 per month. It seems like it had always been about $80 for phone (yes, landline) internet and cable TV.
I called Charter and was reminded that I had a 1 year introductory offer and a 2 year commitment. The first year was up.
I said that I just can’t in good conscience pay over $100. How can we get me to somewhere around $90.
I was put in hold and she came back with the great news that for $210 per month, I was qualified for their executive package. I cut her off right there and we revisited the math. It turns out 210 > 90.
Back on hold and she came back with a premier package for $240…
At this point I said that I’d like to make my own package. Let’s cancel phone and cable and see where we’re at. Turns out that got me to $68. Name that tune.
…side note…as soon as T-Mobile wireless internet came to my neighborhood, I dumped Charter home internet and went wireless. I pay $50 per month for unlimited with 300Mbps speeds.
Anyway, prior to cord cutting, I’d been using Netflix for DVD by mail and they had just started with streaming. I had also recently tried an antenna that got some local stations, albeit with a bit of dancing around to find the best location for the antenna. This was more than enough for me.
Cheap
I’m a big fan of cheap. Free is even better. Same with most of my friends. We’re playing golf at a new course on Friday. Golf-buddy Rich texted that he’d found a Groupon. Big savings for all!
I switched to T-Mobile from Verizon not long after the cable cutting and aside from a lower monthly rate and paying off 2 iPhones, I also got Netflix for free.
Somewhere around the same time, Amazon offered prime video free to prime members.
This was more TV than I could ever watch.
…And If That’s Not Enough…
I bought a Roku player years ago. When I created an account, I could access Roku TV. I’m not special. Anyone can create a free account, even if you’ve never bought a Roku device.
There is quite a bit out there streaming for free on Roku.
Tubi
Also free. Don’t even need an account.
Love the Mask. Zodiac was pretty good. There are lots more.
And here are even more ideas from money talks news.
YouTube
The free version of YouTube will teach us to do almost anything and once we start searching, it’s easy to get lost for hours.
I love watching old clips of Jonathan Winters, Rodney Dangerfield, Robin Williams, Bob Newhart, and other greats doing stand-up.
Trials
I also use the free trials.
Apple TV is a great one. I did a free trial a few years back and watched everything I wanted to see in the few weeks I had it.
A year later I bought a new iPad that came with 3 months free Apple TV. I signed up and caught the next seasons of everything.
New iPhone 1 year later. Same play.
And every streamer seems to have a 7-day or more free trial. We can try Hulu, Peacock, HBO Max, Disney+ and see if we like it before we join. If there’s a particular show we want to watch, this is plenty of time to binge a season so where not left out of water-cooler conversations.
Tip: Add an entry to your calendar to remind you to cancel before the paid version kicks-in!
Rotation
I know some of the Netflix originals have been out there for years, but most stuff comes and goes from every service. This was a huge bummer for me when I was watching Justified on Amazon Prime.
Fantastic show and I was really into it. I turned on the TV one evening and found that it would be $2.99 to stream the next episode. Justified had moved. You can see it’s now on Hulu.
I love this feature of IMDB. It tells you where your favorite movie or show is streaming.
This has also worked in our favor. I had been hearing about Yellowjackets and wanted to watch. After a few years, it showed up on Netflix. Sweet!
Switching
I don’t pay anything, so I don’t have to worry about switching. Keep as many free ones as you like.
But if you do pay, most sites make it easy to cancel or pause your subscription. Pause Peacock for a month and go over to Apple TV, subscribe, catch up on Ted Lasso, cancel Apple TV and go back to Peacock.
Beware
As easy as it is to switch, with autopay and simple sign-up processes, it is easy to accumulate a pile of services that while, not breaking the bank on an individual basis, can be quite pricey as a group.
I’d recommend taking inventory. See what you’re paying for and make some hard decisions. This can be tough for a family where everyone has their favorite, but hang tough.
And a Bonus
I’m a big fan of cheap, or free, entertainment. We could spend a fortune to get every streaming service, but there is so much out there for free, do we really need to?
One of the greatest thrills for me in streaming is finding a hidden gem.
Currently my wife and I are watching Fisk on Netflix. It’s really hard to describe except that it’s short episodes, light and laugh-out-loud funny.
Next up is Warren. As you can see, Warren is angry. Always. And scheming.
We saw it on Amazon prime. It’s on Roku and Tubi now.
This is another one we couldn’t get enough of.
Wrap Up
What about sports?
It seems to be on the way, but it scares me a bit that Amazon has some football, Apple has some baseball…will we have to have 10 subscriptions to watch the games we want to see?
For me, the antenna works. I’m not one to sit home and watch sports so it’s not a big deal, but this one is evolving and is something to keep an eye on.
But for entertainment, I can’t see how anyone couldn’t be entertained by the free options out there. Add in some free trial subscription surfing and what more could you need?
…and another thing…watch for deals. Black Friday is a big streaming deal day. One year I got 6 month’s of Hulu for $4.99 per month.
Please post any hidden gems you’ve found. I need something new when we finish Fisk.