With inflation boosting the price of staples like groceries and gas, you might be looking for ways to stretch your budget by springing into TV Entertainment Savings. Obviously, moving away from cable TV is a great place to start. But what if you’ve already done that?
Here are a few ways to save even more on your TV entertainment bill:
#1 Ditch ‘Big Bundle’ Streaming Services:
Many TV viewers jumped straight from cable to a ‘big bundle’ streaming service like YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, or DirectTV Stream. This provided consumers who couldn’t stomach missing out on their favorite cable TV programs a way to ease into cord cutting.
Because they don’t have sneaky fees or contracts, ‘big bundle’ streaming services are still a better value than paying for cable, but those savings have shrunk substantially over the past couple of years. The average monthly cost has crept up to around $70, so it’s time to re-evaluate your viewing habits if you want to save some cash.
Consider switching to a mix of free Over-the-Air TV from an antenna (for local channels like ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX) and a ‘lightweight’ streaming service like Sling TV or Philo which provide access to a subset of popular live cable channels for as little as $25/month.
#2 Binge, Cancel, & Swap Streaming Services:
If you’re subscribed to more than 2 or 3 paid streaming services, you’re probably feeling like your savings compared to cable have shrunk.
As the number of services has increased in North America, companies are working harder than ever to attract consumers with new exclusive content and keep them subscribed by shifting to weekly releases.
To avoid getting sucked into paying for every service under the sun, first take advantage of free trials where available.
If you do subscribe, cancel the service as soon as you’re done bingeing the latest hit series and move on to a different service. For weekly release series, try to wait until the season has ended to sign up so you can minimize the time you need to stay subscribed.
Setting reminders for the renewal date(s) of your subscriptions can also help keep you on track and save money.
#3 Identify Discount Opportunities:
There are many deals and discounts available for savvy TV viewers.
For example, mobile providers including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon all offer free or discounted streaming subscriptions including Netflix, Disney+, HBO MAX and more with some data plans. (Check with your provider for details.)
Or if you’ve recently purchased an Apple product, you can check out Apple TV+ for free for 3 months.
Paramount+ almost always has a coupon code that will allow you to stream all the new Star Trek shows without paying a dime.
If you are paying full price for a streaming service with multiple service tiers like Netflix, you can also consider moving to a lower-priced tier. Watching the final episodes of Ozark in SD instead of HD could save you up to $120 a year.
#4 Embrace Free Streaming:
Remember when Netflix was chock full of older television series and movies instead of originals? A lot of that content is now available on Free Ad-Supported TV (FAST) streaming services like Pluto, IMDb TV, Tubi, The Roku Channel and Xumo.
Some of these services are even creating free original content! Have a library card? You can also use it to stream movies and TV shows from Hoopla or Kanopy for free.
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