The average American spends nearly $200 a month on streaming and internet. Chances are, you’re paying for shows you don’t even watch. Here’s how to audit your subscriptions, cut the fat, and still catch every show you love.
AI ads incoming: Roku is rolling out generative AI tools so even the tiniest business can slap together an ad in minutes. Roku has hundreds of advertisers, but they want 100,000+. Streaming’s booming, ad slots are open, and AI sludge is about to fill the void.
$1.5 billion
What Paramount+ is coughing up for the streaming rights to South Park. Trey Parker and Matt Stone just pulled off the media heist of the decade: five years, $300 million a year. And yes, it’s still a cartoon about poop jokes.
Online privacy isn’t a maybe, it’s a must: ExpressVPN hides your IP, encrypts your data and keeps snoops out of your business, whether you’re streaming, shopping or scrolling. Fast, secure and simple to use. Get four extra months here.
💻 Revive that old laptop for free: Got a dusty Mac or PC lying around? Install ChromeOS Flex and turn it into a Chromebook-like machine that runs smoothly on minimal resources. Perfect for email, browsing, calls and streaming. Bonus: Google Docs works offline, too. All it takes is a USB. Here’s how to do it. Yea, this tip alone was worth the price of this newsletter.
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🎧 Spotify hits a high note: If you’re a Premium subscriber, you might now have lossless streaming, aka CD‑quality 24‑bit/44.1 kHz FLAC audio. I say “might” because it’s rolling out gradually. To turn it on, go to Settings > Audio Quality and choose Lossless under streaming options.
🕳️ The web’s falling apart: Google just told a judge the web’s in “rapid decline.” Advertisers are bailing for streaming and shopping platforms, leaving websites high and dry. Basically, the internet’s breaking up with quirky blogs and small sites for someone hotter, richer and way more into retail. It’s kind of like watching your favorite diner get replaced by a Sweetgreen.
Whack-a-stream: Cops just shut down a massive Streameast copycat that pulled 1.6 billion visits last year, more traffic than Twitter. The site streamed 10,000 illegal sports events and laundered $6.2M through a fake UAE company before Egyptian police raided it and arrested two guys. Plot twist: the real Streameast? Still online. Still streaming.
Lost the remote? You don’t need one
Tired of struggling with your smart TV or streaming stick? Here’s how to use your voice to find shows, control captions, and even locate a lost remote.
Walmart vs Amazon, round 92: Walmart+ just lobbed a grenade at Prime with its new offer of free Peacock streaming for members, starting Sept. 15. That’s Real Housewives, NFL and SNL, bundled into Walmart’s $98 plan, cheaper than Peacock’s $109.99 annual price. You can also swap between Peacock and Paramount+ every 90 days.
🍏 Turn off iPhone auto-renewals: Subscriptions like streaming apps can sneak up and hit you with surprise charges if you forget to cancel. Go to Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions, then find the ones you want to stop under Active. Tap Cancel Subscription. FYI: If you’ve prepaid, you’ll still have access until the listed date.
🏈 Free NFL on YouTube: This year, YouTube is streaming the first Friday game between the Chiefs and Chargers on Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. ET. You can watch on the YouTube home page or the official NFL channel. Bonus: month-to-month NFL Sunday Ticket plans. New fans: $85/month. Returning fans: $115/month with YouTube TV, or $145/month on YouTube. New is better, obviously.
🏈 Benched: Before you get all excited that Yahoo Sports is launching a free, ad-supported streaming channel about sports, know the fine print. They’re shows about the NFL, NBA, MLB and more. Nope, not the actual games. Let me tell you, there’s such a gap between men’s and women’s sports. The difference is nuts! 🥜
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Streaming music or my podcast but need to save battery? Turn on Low Power Mode on iPhone or Power Saving mode on Android. The trade-off is a dimmer screen.
Bundles are making a comeback
The cord-cutting revolution gave us freedom from bloated cable bundles. Now streaming companies are quietly putting the pieces back together. Are we heading right back to where we started?
💻 Buying a new computer? Know the specs you need. For basic browsing and streaming, look for at least a dual-core 2.0 GHz processor, 4-8 GB of RAM and an SSD for quick loading. For heavier stuff like gaming or video editing, get a recent multi-core 3.0 GHz+ CPU, a dedicated graphics card and 16 GB+ RAM. Click here for 20 laptop and desktops I trust. You’re welcome.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
Streaming’s newest power couple: Fox One ($19.99) and ESPN’s new DTC ($29.99) launch Aug. 21, but on Oct. 2, there’s a $39.99/month bundle. You get the NFL, NBA, Big Ten and 47,000 live events a year, aka the “you’re not leaving the couch” sports fan package. Pay less than cable, yell at your TV just as much.
📺 Just what we need, more streaming services: First up is Howdy, an ad-free Roku channel for $2.99/month with old shows and movies from Warner Bros., Discovery, Lionsgate and more. The catch? You’ll need a Roku device (25% off). Then on Aug. 21, Fox One drops for $19.99/month with live NFL, MLB and news.
We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.
46%
How much of all U.S. TV use went to streaming in June, topping both cable and broadcast combined. Streaming is eating TV’s lunch, breakfast and dinner. And yes, Netflix is back in its hot girl summer era with 13.5% growth. Traditional TV? It’s giving “landline.”
Trump’s crypto push — July 5th, Hour 1
Will the U.S. be the world’s crypto capital? Here’s what to know before you invest. Plus, streaming fails, Taylor Swift vanity phone numbers, and a viral airport theory. Holly from Phoenix says her brother lost $400K to a Jennifer Aniston deepfake scam.