My streaming service subscriptions

I've tried most of the subscription streaming services over the years. I subscribed to Sling TV when it first launched back in 2015. I've also used YouTube TV, Hulu+Live TV, Fubo, Vidgo, DirecTV Stream/ AT&T TV Now, AMC+, Starz, Max/HBO Max, Frndly TV, Paramount+/CBS All Access, Peacock TV, Apple TV+, Discovery+, PlayStation Vue, Disney+, BritBox, Acorn TV, Philo, Netflix, Prime Video, and more.

I've mentioned before that I don't get much value from the cable alternatives, such as Sling TV, DirecTV Stream, YouTube TV, etc. To me, those are simply streaming cable, and offer a bunch of things I don't watch. And they're expensive.

Okay, Philo isn't quite as expensive, with a $25/month price for a lot of content. Frndly TV is cheaper at $7/month (though Frndly's $9/month plan with its HD and multiple streams is a better deal in my mind).

I will subscribe to one of the expensive cable alternatives, usually Sling TV, during college football season, but only for those four months. (If you plan it out, you can cover 15 Saturdays with three 30-day subscriptions, with cancellation periods mixed in, plus a month for the bowl games.) The rest of the year, I don't use the services.

I'm watching more FAST (free ad-supported television) content. Those cable alternatives have commercials, so I'm not losing on any trade off.

But what subscriptions do I actually use?

Well, I mentioned Sling TV is only part time (for ESPN during football season). Regularly? A few, but not many.

• Frndly TV - This is exactly what it says it is (ignoring vowels): Friendly TV. Content you can watch with your grandparents or grandchildren. And current content. No local channels, no sports, but family friendly content.
• Paramount Plus - This comes with my Walmart+ subscription. I don't know if I'd subscribe otherwise. Maybe. But with it being included with another service I already have, I'm going to count it.
• Peacock TV - This comes with my Xfinity Internet service, because I redeemed by Xfinity Rewards offer. It used to come free for all Xfinity Internet subscribers, but now is free only if you redeem a reward. I've been an Xfinity Internet subscriber long enough to have the reward to redeem. Would I pay for it otherwise? Maybe. Maybe not.
• Apple TV+ - This is actually ending in a couple of weeks. I got it free with a phone, but that free service ends in mid-July. I won't renew. I'll eventually buy a new Apple device that qualifies for it, and will redeem that. Otherwise, even though it's only $7/month, I don't watch enough to make it worthwhile.
• AMC Plus - This was a subscription for a family member. No longer needed, and will expire soon.
• Starz - Another subscription for a family member that's no longer needed. It will expire soon as well.
• Curiosity Stream - This is my kind of content. However, a lot of the content is available with other services, so I'll probably drop it when it comes time to renew.
• Prime Video - I really don't count this, since I subscribe to Amazon Prime for other reasons. This is a bonus, but with recent cutbacks on the other Prime benefits, I'm considering not renewing in January.
• Pub-D-Hub - I know, public domain content shouldn't cost anything. But they curate a lot of interesting content, and the really cheap price of less than $10/year makes it worth it. Small operation, with occasional glitches, but overall enjoyment of content you don't always see elsewhere. And no commercials. Unless you specifically want to watch a bunch of classic commercials. Plop plop fizz fizz ...

That's pretty much it. Two subscriptions I keep (Frndly TV, Pub-D-Hub), four that will not be renewed (Apple TV+, AMC+, Starz, Curiosity Stream), two that are included with other services (Paramount+, Peacock TV).

Add to that all the FAST services -- Roku TV, Pluto TV, Tubi, Freevee, Local Now, Plex, etc. -- and I have more TV than I can watch. And for not a lot of money.

My Streaming Life is good. And cheap.