Video Streaming Services Update Part 2

Last time we went over the prices and tiers of some of the most popular video streaming services. This time we’ll cover bundles. Some of us need to conserve our funds as much as possible, others are just interested in a good deal, still others want to conserve funds and are pretty much always interested in a good deal. I’m including Xfinity/Comcast in the streaming bundle discussion because they are a recent entrant to the streaming arena. But Comcast is not alone! If you use a different cable provider I suggest you check out their site for any streaming deals they might offer. All of the bundles from cellular providers are fairly complex but I’ll do my best to break them down and give you the basics. As always, I recommend you speak with a representative to make sure you’re getting the deal you think you should be getting.

T-Mobile bundles

T-Mobile offers lots of things but they don’t offer bundles. Rather, if you have one of their Go5G plans you can get a video streaming service or two “ON US”. Their most inexpensive Go5G plan is just called Go5G. Their next most expensive plan is Go5G Plus and the most expensive is Go5G Next. And if you’re 55 or over they have an equivalent 55 plan (e.g Go5G Next 55) which is a bit cheaper than the associated non-55 plan. Each of these cellular plans offer different things and I suggest you go to their site or talk with a rep to decide which is best for you.

That said, they offer Netflix ON US, Apple TV+ ON US, and Hulu ON US. You can get Netflix Standard with ads for free if you have 2 lines on Go5G/Go5G 55 or 1 line on either Go5G Plus/Go5G 55 Plus or Go5g Next/Go5G Next 55.

If you have Go5G Next/Go5G Next 55 you can get Apple TV+ and Hulu (with ads) for free. So, note that the only freebie that you can get with Go5G or Go5G Plus is Netflix Standard with ads. Apple TV+ and Hulu (with ads) both require their most expensive plan but you can potentially save on the cost of all 3 video streaming services.

See https://www.t-mobile.com/tv-streaming for more details.

Verizon Bundles

Verizon requires you to have one of their “unlimited” bundles but note that, while the lowest cost phone plan does provide unlimited data, your service might be slowed when the network is under heavy load. Also note that your streaming resolution is limited with the lower cost cellular plans. Once you’ve signed up for one of those plans, you can choose which bundles you want to include (see https://www.verizon.com/plans/unlimited/).

The Disney+ bundle includes Disney+ Premium (no ads), Hulu (with ads), and ESPN+ (with ads). That bundle will currently add $10 to your bill and currently saves you $8.99/month over getting the bundle at Disney+ (see https://www.disneyplus.com/welcome/disney-hulu-espn-bundle).

You can also add Netflix and MAX, both with ads, for an extra $10/month with a current expected savings of $6.98/month. For that you get Netflix Standard and MAX, both of which you can upgrade to a higher level of service if you desire.

There are other bundles available which I won’t cover because they are not video streaming services so I suggest you go to the Verizon page I mentioned to see all of the offers as well as the terms of service.

AT&T Bundles

From what I can tell, AT&T Wireless doesn’t offer any video streaming service bundles but they do offer a complimentary subscription to MAX (with ads) through Cricket with Cricket’s $60/month unlimited plan (see https://www.cricketwireless.com/max).

Comcast/Xfinity Bundles

Xfinity offers streaming bundles. If you’re an Xfinity TV or Internet customer you can add Xfinity StreamSaver to your plan. For an extra $15/month you get Apple TV+, Netflix Standard with ads, and Peacock Premium. If purchased separately they would cost you $24.97 so you save $9.97/month. See https://www.xfinity.com/learn/digital-cable-tv/streaming-services#Pricing&otherinfo for this offer as well as the next one plus a LOT more info on their various streaming offers.

If you’re a customer of Xfinity Internet but not TV you can get NOW StreamSaver for $30/month which, in addition to the the services I list above, includes over 40 channels including A&E, Animal Planet, BBC America, several cooking channels, several Hallmark channels as well as others (see https://www.xfinity.com/nowtv but you might have to dig a bit to see everything that’s available/included).

Streaming Uses bandwidth!

I can’t stress this enough. Regardless of which services you’re using to stream anything - music, video, whatever - you’re using bandwidth! And if you have a newer TV it is likely a 4K TV. If you stream to it you should be aware that a 4K stream uses a LOT more bandwidth than a 1080p stream (also known as full HD). A 4K stream uses 7.2GB (GigaBytes) per hour whereas a 1080p stream uses only 1.5GB per hour. 1.5GB is still a lot so you can step down to 720p and only use 900MB per hour. Most services will let you select the resolution you wish for your stream. You can read more about resolution and bandwidth needs at https://www.highspeedinternet.com/resources/4k-guide but, I’m warning you, it gets pretty detailed.

Make sure you are aware of your monthly bandwidth limits. Every service, be it cellular or home internet offers you ways to keep track of how much data you’ve used. And just because you’re on an “unlimited” plan doesn’t mean that you won’t see a reduction in speed if you go over a certain limit. Speak with your provider(s) and make sure you understand your limits, what can happen if you exceed those limits, and how to keep track of your current usage.

That’s it for this week

I hope this helps you get started understanding the current pricing structure for the most popular premium video streaming services and bundles available. Don't hesitate to write to me if you have questions!

As always, my intent is to help you understand the basics and equip you to search for more detailed information.

Please feel free to email me with questions, comments, suggestions, requests for future columns, to sign up for my newsletter, or whatever at [email protected] or just drop me a quick note and say HI!

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