How to save money on TV and entertainment this spring

With inflation boosting the price of staples like groceries and gas, you might be looking for ways to stretch your budget even more.

But is it possible to save even more on your entertainment bill? You bet!

Ditch ‘Big Bundle’ Streaming Services

Ditch Big Bundle Streaming Services

Many entertainment enthusiasts favor ‘big bundle’ streaming service like YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV. This provides consumers a way to ease into streaming.

Because they don’t have sneaky fees or contracts, ‘big bundle’ streaming services are still a decent value, 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 channels for as little as $25/month.

Binge, Cancel & Swap Streaming Services

Binge, Cancel, & Swap Streaming Services

If you’re subscribed to more than two or three paid streaming services, you’re probably feeling like your savings 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, 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.

Identify Discount Opportunities

Identify Discount Opportunities

There are many deals and discounts available for savvy streamers. 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.

Embrace Free Streaming

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.

By Tablo

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