The Best Streaming Services to Stack if Your New Year’s Resolution is to Save Money in 2023
Stacking streaming services has reached new heights across the United States. A report from June showed that 25% of U.S. households subscribe to nine or more streaming services, and with subscription costs rising, media bills are approaching what customers were paying in the height of pay TV.
If your streaming bills have gotten out of control, and your 2023 new year’s resolution is to cut your streaming budget, never fear. We have some recommendations to help you choose which combination of services will help you get the best bang for your buck in 2023.
Families With Kids
Families with children face so many financial stresses that it can be tough to sit down and hammer out a budget, especially with so many constraints on parents’ time. Luckily, the best stack of services for families with kids is an easy call. The Disney Bundle, which features Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ is the best way to go here, offering entertainment for both parents and kids starting at just $12.99 per month. To save even more, and if you’re not a family of sports fans, you should consider the Duo Basic bundle — which does not include ESPN+ — for just $9.99 per month.
Stack that with the free ad-supported video-on-demand platform the Roku Channel for even more general entertainment. Then you can add a free subscription to Happy Kids.TV’s free ad-supported TV (FAST) service for educational kids’ programming, and this stack will offer thousands of hours of content for the whole family.
Cost of the Disney Duo Basic Bundle, Roku Channel, HappyKids.TV Stack: $9.99 per month
Families with No Kids
Households with two adults but no kids might have a bit more financial flexibility, and don’t have to worry about satisfying demands for children’s programming So, if that’s the case, they should start with a service like HBO Max, which offers premium entertainment at a price point of $9.99 for ad-supported streaming.
Looking to throw in an ad-free option? Look no further than Apple TV+, which features critically acclaimed series and movies, plus an optional add-on for Major League Soccer, starting at $6.99 per month. It doesn’t have the massive library that a lot of other services due, but it continually has some of the most talked-about series on TV, and Apple has shown that it is committed to growing the service long-term. And, since Apple just raised the price in October, you shouldn’t have to worry about unforeseen price hikes any time soon.
You can also add on Amazon’s free streaming service Freevee for access to hundreds more series and movies, and this stack is complete.
Cost of the HBO Max, Apple TV+, Freevee Stack: $16.98 per month
Related: One Under-the-Radar 2023 New Year’s Resolution for Every Major Streaming Service
Single Adults
Single adults have wildly varying budgets, but usually have plenty of time on their hands to catch the latest new movie or series on streaming. The best AVOD option for single adults is Peacock, which offers favorite series like “The Office” as well as new movies from Universal Studios at a modest $4.99 per month price point.
Hulu is the best SVOD option for single adults, as it offers excellent general entertainment from networks like ABC and FX, as well as original series and the more mature movies from across Disney studios. Ad-free streaming costs $14.99 per month, but it’s worth it to avoid the especially irritating commercials on Hulu.
Stack those services with Hoopla, where you can stream movies and TV, plus audiobooks and comics for free!
Cost of the Peacock, Hulu, Hoopla Stack: $19.98 per month
Sports Fans
Sports fans who have watched their cable bills rise out of control will be glad to know the amount of sports offered via streaming is continuing to increase. Their best bet is to start with a subscription to Peacock Premium for $4.99, which offers the NFL’s “Sunday Night Football,” Spanish-language World Cup soccer broadcasts, Premier League soccer, Notre Dame Football, golf, horse racing, MLB Sunday Leadoff, INDYCAR, and much more. If you also want your local NBC affiliate, you can upgrade to Premium Plus for just $5 more.
Bundle that with ESPN+, also $9.99, and get access to thousands of live sports events every year.
Customers who have a bit more to spend and want something more akin to a traditional TV experience should consider a subscription to the live TV streaming service fuboTV. The sports-focused streamer offers top sports channels like NFL Redzone, MLB Network and many more, plus top cable channels for $69.99 per month.
Cost of ESPN+, Peacock Premium Plus Stack: $19.98 per month
Cost of ESPN+, Peacock Premium, fuboTV Stack: $84.99 per month
Movie Lovers
If you’re a self-described cinephile, it can be very hard to tell which service is the right choice for you. Paramount+ offers an ad-supported tier for $4.99 per month, which allows you to stream 2022’s biggest movie “Top Gun: Maverick” and all of the other releases from Paramount Studios. Combine that with ad-free Netflix and get first-run Sony Pictures films as soon as they leave theaters starting at $9.99 per month.
Need a sweetener? Try Tubi, which offers free access to over 20,000 different movies and shows. This is a content-heavy stack, and even the most die-hard movie lovers won’t have much trouble finding something to watch.