Max cracking down on password sharing

Word came out last week about Max cracking down on password sharing. According to a report from Bloomberg, Max has begun a "lot like Netflix" password crackdown:

Their plan starts with increasing the number of people paying for Max. The company plans to start cracking down on password sharing as soon as this fall, timed to one of the strongest programming slates in recent memory. Max will release a new season of House of the Dragon in June and debut The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy later this year.

The playbook looks similar to the one already being employed by Netflix. It will allow account holders to add extra members for less than the $9.99 price of Max with ads, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. Those extra members will have their own credentials and log-ins. They’ll be able to set that up without losing their viewership history.

The reports also says that Netflix has posted strong gains since the crackdown on password sharing, and Max wants the same.

My Streaming Life doesn't use Netflix or Max on any regularity, although they will occasionally make it into my service rotation. I understand their reasons for cracking down on sharing of passwords, but a lot of people aren't going to like it.

Securing your iPhone and iCloud data

Apple has made their iCloud service more secure and private. Well, potentially. Naomi Brockwell explains:

[YouTube]

My Streaming Life doesn't depend on any iCloud content. Online security and privacy is very important anyway. If you use iPhone, make sure you're doing what you can to keep things secure and private.

Streaming the Kentucky Derby (2024)

The Kentucky Derby is this afternoon. It's kind of a big deal, and has been for a while.

If you are interested, and if you are a streamer, you will probably want to know how you can watch it. Or even if you can watch it if  you're a streamer. Of course, you can.

NBC is, again, carrying the race. While USA carried the Kentucky Oaks yesterday, the Derby is on NBC and Peacock. Coverage begins at 2:30 pm, with the actual race a few minutes before 7:00 pm.

The fastest time in the Kentucky Derby was set by Secretariat in 1973, at 1:59.4. The second fasted time in the Derby was Sham, at an estimated 1:59.8. Why was Sham's time an estimate? Because they don't normally keep as accurate records on second-place horses. Sham set his time in 1973, when he lost to Secretariat. Had Sham run that time, and Secretariat not run in the race, Sham would be the record holder. That was quite a race.

Will any records be set today? Find out. Watch the Kentucky Derby on NBC or on Peacock TV and see for yourself.

Here's how to watch:

Peacock TV

Subscription is $6/month for the Premium service. It's $12/month for ad-free. But ad-free doesn't include not having ads in live TV. The ad-free applies to on-demand only.

NBC

• Antenna (free) over the air.
• Sling TV ($40 Orange) ($40/Blue) ($55 Orange + Blue)
• DirecTV Stream ($85/month)
• Hulu+Live TV ($77/month)
• YouTube TV ($73/month)
• Fubo (Pro) ($80/month)

If watching the first jewel of the Triple Crown is on your agenda for the day, you can enjoy streaming it on one of those services. My Streaming Life will include today's Kentucky Derby, probably on Peacock. But there are plenty of options.

Are you spending more than $50/month on streaming?

A recent article in Cord Cutters News says that most streamers spend less than $50/month on streaming services.

Earlier this week, the Website published results from a recent survey regarding the amount of money streamers spend for TV.

According to survey, more than 66% of cord cutters spend $50 or less on services each month. Only 23.5% of our readers pay $51 or more each month.

Here is a full breakdown of how much our readers spend on TV content each month.

• 5.7% spend $0 to $10 a month.
• 10.1% spend $11 to $20 a month.
• 12.5% spend $21 to $30 a month.
• 19.9% spend $31 to $40 a month.
• 23.9% spend $41 to $50 a month.
• 23.5% spend $51 or more a month.

4.5% declined to answer or said they don’t pay anything for video services. (This group was not included in the 66% of cord cutters who pay less than $51 a month.)

The article also mentions the top streaming services, and it might surprise you.

... what would four streaming services cost every month for the average cord cutter? (Why with ads? Because cable TV has ads.)

• Disney+ $7.99 with ads.
• Paramount+ $5.99 with ads.
• Discovery+ $4.99 with ads.
• Netflix $6.99 with ads.

Total Cost: $25.96 a month.

...

Why no live TV streaming services like FuboTV or Hulu with Live TV? In short, our survey shows most cord cutters don’t pay for live TV streaming services. If you are not a sports fan, you do not need a live TV streaming service. There is also an argument to be made that the on-demand services listed above offer more content compared to traditional cable TV.

I don't normally use a service such as YouTube TV, Sling TV, or Fubo, although for part of the year (college football season) I do. My Streaming Life averages around $33-$34 each month, as I wrote about about a month ago. I hope you aren't paying too much for TV. If your average is over $50/month, maybe it's time to ask yourself why, and see if you can save some money.

"Net neutrality:" so what (for now)?

New "net neutrality" rules are back. Well, that's not right. It's the old rules that were challenged in court before the Trump administration canceled the effort. And there will be challenges. But what does this so-called "net neutrality" mean to you?

Well, nothing. Not for now, because of the legal challenges, according to Luke Bouma of Cord Cutters News:

The rules, first introduced in 2015, designated Internet service providers as Title II companies, which are akin to gas and electric companies, with heavier oversight. They made it through a legal challenge in court before the following administration ordered their dismantling (read the full history of net neutrality here).

The new take on the rules is like the 2015 version and will probably be challenged in court again.

So, what’s next? In short, legal challenges long before this will ever take effect. Already a growing number of Internet providers have stated they will fight net neutrality.

“The FCC’s proposal to reinstate Title II regulation of broadband is not only misguided—it is a missed opportunity,” said Grant Spellmeyer, CEO of ACA Connects, a trade group made up of smaller cable and Internet providers. “We should be working together to improve broadband access and adoption for all Americans, not relitigating the regulatory battles of the past.” 

What does this mean for cord cutting? In short, you likely won’t see any changes anytime soon even if the FCC wins the court cases and these rules take effect. The real change is the FCC will now take a larger role in regulating Internet providers.

I'm more of a 10th Amendment kinda guy:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

I don't feel the federal government should be involved. Federal involvement is overreach in my mind. My Streaming Life doesn't need more federal government involvement.

Comcast and TV fees

Comcast recently updated its TV fee rate card for some areas. Mine was updated on April 1, and I just this week got around to looking at it.

The total I would pay for local channels is: per month. Here's the breakdown:

• Limited Basic: $24.00 (Requires TV Box, TV Adapter, or compatible customer owned device with Xfinity Internet service. Limited Basic does not qualify for Multi Product discount or Autopay and Paperless Billing discount. Cannot be combined with Xfinity TV multichannel services.)
• Broadcast TV Fee: $25.70 (Applies to Limited Basic, Choice TV and Seasonal Xfinity TV service.)
• HD Technology Fee: $9.95 (Required for HD programming if HD programming not included with service.)

Yikes! That adds up to $59.65 per month. And that's just for local channels. If I want DVR or other functionaltiy, that's more, and requires a bigger (more expensive) TV package. Regional sports networks? More, and a bigger (more expensive) TV package is required.

My Streaming Life has included an antenna for some time. I wondered if it was worth the expense. It is.

Peacock price increase, 2024 version

Peacock TV is raising its prices again. Of course, many products and services have gone up in the past 3+ years, so this isn't really a surprise.

So, what's the new cost of Peacock? Well, effective July 18, 2024, it'll be $8/month for Peacock, with the price of Peacock Plus (no ads, local channels) goes up to $14.

This price increase is $2/month for either service, and goes into effect 336 days after the last price increase.

My Streaming Life has included Peacock TV since the service launched. As a Comcast/Xfinity customer, I was able to get it for free. Still am, because of Xfinity Rewards. But, when it comes to paying that much for the service, I can say that I wouldn't. At least I don't think I would. It has some good stuff, but I don't watch it enough to pay for it.