Tired of Streaming? Build a Setup You Can Stick With

Not long ago, I was subscribed to nearly half a dozen streaming services. I had HBO Max, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+, with Hulu and Disney+ rotating in and out. There were also times when I was hopping onto streaming TV services like Fubo TV, Sling TV, and Philo. These were long and expensive nights, as I forked over upwards of $77 a month to binge to my heart’s content. (At least I thought it was my heart that wanted all this stuff.)

Eventually, I grew to hate finishing a show or movie, because it meant I’d have to figure out what to watch next. Even with all this content at my fingertips, I still felt crippled deciding if a movie or TV show was worth my time. I never much trusted the internet to begin with, but now I actively resented it.

Eventually, I started over. Over a period of months, I devised a method to refocus my streaming lifestyle and enjoy a simpler set of choices. And you know what? It paid off. Follow my guide below to see how to make sense of the world’s streaming chaos.

The monthly cost of streaming services is going up, and one in four subscribers pays for at least one streaming service they don’t use. Don’t feel guilty if that’s you: If you take action, you can stop the madness now.

So take stock: Make a list of your subscriptions and calculate how much you’re paying each month. Keep the list focused on streaming services for now. (Don’t worry about subscriptions for other things like newspapers/magazines, Substacks, Adobe products, or your beloved Pickle of the Month Club.)

Do some reflecting to figure out which of these streaming services you watch the most. Is HBO your usual go-to every week, but you only check out Netflix once a month before getting bored? Where are you most likely to find a streaming service where you can watch an entire season of a TV series from beginning to end?

Pick out one streaming service that you like the most (or that you’d like to know better). Then, be bold: Cancel the rest of your subscriptions. Just let them go.

Now that you’ve simplified your streaming options, it’s time to learn more about your single preferred streaming service.

Other streaming platforms will make you feel left out with catchy Instagram ads or memes, but don’t take the bait. Even if your go-to streamer is something obscure like Britbox or the Criterion Channel, spend most of your TV time on that one platform. Give yourself a solid month to see how it goes.

How to get to know your streaming service

• Spend 5 minutes a night browsing through the streamer’s app to find hidden gems.
• Look up listicles highlighting the best movies and best shows on the service.
• Keep track of movies/shows that are coming to the service and ones that are leaving.
• Find the latest news on potential price hikes, licensing deals, and other relevant customer info.

In this age of access to everything, it takes discipline to limit yourself. But if you find that you’re not feeling your primary streaming service, don’t worry — just cancel it and sign up for another service instead. The key is to remain (mostly) streaming monogamous.

If you really want to expand your options, then give yourself one additional subscription. However, make that a rotating subscription that you plan to change on a regular basis. This gives you some flexibility and also lets you “play the field” a bit and see if there is a great streaming service you may want to make your primary.

How often to rotate a streaming service

• On a fixed deadline once a month
• After you’ve finished a series or movie
• When a new series or movie is added or removed

After sticking to a single service, you may end up perfectly happy with that one and not be in the market for any others. But I understand if you get bored. We all do: Variety is the spice of life.

The only problem is that spices are traditionally expensive, and so it helps to be on the lookout for the latest deals on spices — er, I mean, streaming services. You can start with your internet provider or cell phone carrier. Increasing synergy between telecom companies and online entertainment means that internet providers frequently offer streaming trials as a sign-on bonus.

Also, while streaming services are definitely cracking down on multiple users sharing the same account, it’s still definitely a thing you can do. I would know, because I’ve been doing this myself for the past few months!

How to save money while rotating between streaming services

• Downgrade to an ad-supported tier to watch commercials (it’s not that bad)
• Look for internet and phone plans that include free streaming bundles
• Set up multiple email addresses that you can use for free trials
• Get a free trial and then cancel as soon as the trial is over
• Invite a friend over to watch a movie they like on an account you don’t have, then ask them to sign in

You can also utilize free live streaming TV services to skip fees altogether. These are also known as Free Ad-supported Streaming Television (FAST) services.

FAST streaming services for TV and movies

• Tubi
• Pluto TV
• Amazon Freevee
• The Roku Channel
• Plex

It’s okay if you’re sick of the streaming world just like I am. We live in a time of information overload, in which endless choices make you feel like you have no good choices at all.

But we still need our TV and movies, don’t we? And there’s still plenty of good stuff to watch, so here are some final tips to add variety to your streaming life.

How to keep streaming interesting

• Set a theme for a movie or TV night (ideas: late ’90s classics, family dramas, musician biopics, award-winning documentaries, horror that isn’t too scary, clowns).
• Keep a checklist of must-watch movies and TV shows, then work through the list.
• Adhere to a 10-minute limit for picking something to watch. If you can’t decide after 10 minutes, turn off the TV and read a book.
• Create a “wild card” user profile where everyone in the household can add content that isn’t in their individual profiles. Select something from the wild card profile to watch once a week.