00:00Be honest, how many streaming subscriptions are you paying for currently right now?
00:05I recently asked myself this question, did the math, and let's just say it's bad.
00:12Between Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, TV, Peacock, Prime, I'm paying as much for streaming as I used to for
00:19cable, actually probably more.
00:21So I enlisted the incredible Tom's Guide streaming team for help.
00:25And instead of just telling me what to cancel, they came up with something way better.
00:30A full setup of tips and tricks to stream shows and movies for $0.
00:35And before you ask, it's all completely 100% legal.
00:40Now, will you be able to watch everything you want or your friends and family are telling you to watch?
00:45Of course not.
00:47But if you want to seriously cut down your streaming bill and still have plenty of good stuff to watch,
00:52this is how you're going to do it.
00:58The easiest way to stream for free is to use free streaming apps.
01:02Groundbreaking, I know.
01:04But seriously, they do not get enough hype.
01:06They're basically free cable.
01:08The three to try out are Tubi, Pluto TV, and the Roku Channel app.
01:12These have full movies, older TV shows, and lifestyle channels that just play stuff all day.
01:18The trade-off?
01:19You will get ads.
01:21But honestly, it's no worse than Hulu these days.
01:24If you do want to keep up with shows that are currently airing on the major cable networks, sometimes you
01:30actually don't need a subscription or paid service.
01:34ABC, NBC, and Fox all post select episodes of current shows for free to their apps and websites pretty regularly.
01:41You might be a few days behind.
01:42You might not get the full season.
01:44But you can at least try some shows out before deciding if it's worth getting a cable TV alternative or
01:50any of the parent streaming platforms.
01:52I'm going to bet you've never heard of library streaming.
01:55And that's because it sounds kind of fake until you try it.
01:59With apps like Canopy and Hoopla, all you need is a valid library card to register and watch actually good
02:06movies.
02:06A lot of award-nominated films, all totally ad-free.
02:10You will have to manage a limited number of watches per month.
02:14But honestly, it kind of forces you to pick something you actually really want to watch.
02:18Going back a little bit more mainstream, let's talk about YouTube.
02:22YouTube has free movies, random full TV episodes, live streams, and a whole lot more.
02:27Sure, you could just spend hours watching blogs, content in your niche, or any of the thousand-plus videos on
02:34our lovely channel here.
02:35But you also can watch fully produced movies and shows.
02:39It's not very organized.
02:40It's a little chaotic, a little hard to find.
02:42But if you're willing to search, there is a lot there.
02:46Like, I just watch Clueless for free with ads.
02:48But there is also a bunch of animated content.
02:51Overall, it's my sleeper pick.
02:53So at this point of the video, we are running low on options for truly free streaming.
02:59But maybe you have streaming incentives you're not using.
03:03Do an audit of your phone plan, your credit cards, anything with random loyalty perks, even your corporate benefits.
03:09I don't know.
03:10All I know is people are out here paying for services they literally already have included.
03:14Don't be one of them.
03:15And speaking of, you know, traditional streaming services,
03:18tell me, sincerely, if you actually watch every single one of your subscriptions every single month.
03:26I know I definitely don't, so let's stop stacking subscriptions.
03:30You don't need Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max all at the same time.
03:34Here's the strategy.
03:36Pick one.
03:37Watch everything you want, and then cancel.
03:39Move on.
03:40Come back in a couple of months if there's something else you want to watch.
03:43I promise it's really not that much work to manage your subscriptions,
03:47but to make things easier, our streaming team does monthly audits of what they recommend canceling,
03:52and sometimes the savings can be extremely significant.
03:56Also, free trials.
03:57They still exist in some places, so use them.
04:00Of course, just don't forget to cancel.
04:03I've got one last one for you, and there is a paid hardware element, but it's not that much.
04:08If you want live TV, like actual live TV, you can just get an antenna.
04:14One-time purchase, no subscription, and you'll get local channels, news, and even some sports.
04:20You can't stream anything later, but for a $0 ongoing cost?
04:24Not too bad.
04:25So here's the reality.
04:27This setup is not perfect, especially if you're coming from a setup of multiple subscriptions.
04:32You'll get ads, you won't always have the newest shows.
04:35You might have to go ahead and look for something to watch, but you will also save a ridiculous amount
04:41of money.
04:42And weirdly, you might end up watching more intentionally instead of just scrolling Netflix for 45 minutes before deciding there's
04:49nothing there you actually want to watch.
04:50If you want to see a breakdown of which paid streaming services are worth it month to month, let me
04:55know, because not all of them are always pulling their weight.
04:58Otherwise, if you like videos about saving money and tips to making most of the gadgets you've already got, you're
05:05in the right place.
05:06So subscribe and turn on notifications to see more from Tom's Guide.
05:09Thanks for watching.
05:10I'll catch you guys next time.
05:23We'll see you next time.
Comments