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0:00
Hey everyone, I'm back with your
0:01
streaming TV news and updates, plus
0:04
looking ahead to the big stories I'll be
0:06
following all year long. Let's get
0:09
started. And pay TV is undergoing
0:11
another big transformation in 2026. Good
0:14
news, more flexibility is coming and
0:18
it's coming pretty soon. YouTube TV
0:20
formally announced in December it's
0:22
launching more than 10 genres specific
0:24
bundles and that's happening early in
0:27
the new year. one of them, a sports plan
0:29
with local stations, ESPN, FS1, and
0:33
more. Now, these are still bundles, so
0:35
it doesn't look like you'll be able to
0:37
pay for just the channels you watch, but
0:39
at least you'll be able to pay for fewer
0:42
channels that you don't watch. And if
0:44
you prefer to stay with YouTube TV's
0:47
main bundle, don't worry, that's
0:49
sticking around, too. Now, whether
0:51
you've got YouTube TV or not, I think
0:53
these new bundles are going to trigger a
0:56
response industrywide. I expect YouTube
0:59
TV's bundles are going to have a lot in
1:01
common price and contentwise with Direct
1:04
TV genre packs. Those launched in 2025,
1:08
and they've been discounted pretty often
1:10
lately. So, will YouTube TV's coming
1:12
bundles lead to any changes with Direct
1:15
TV's plans or perhaps delay a price
1:18
increase? That's what's on the top of my
1:20
mind. Sling TV has offered skinny
1:22
bundles for more than a decade. The
1:25
question for 2026 is whether its
1:27
short-term passes will survive after
1:30
lawsuits from both Disney and Warner
1:32
Brothers Discovery. Sling has had a
1:35
couple recent wins in court, but the
1:37
litigation is ongoing. I hope the passes
1:40
do continue because they're popular with
1:42
my viewers and Sling is the only one to
1:45
offer them, at least for now. Fubo has
1:48
also got a skinny sports bundle that
1:50
launched in 2025, but after a carriage
1:53
dispute with NBC Universal since late
1:56
November, I don't see how that one is
1:58
gaining a whole lot of traction.
2:00
Hopefully, those two sides can cut a
2:02
deal soon. All right, so with what
2:04
YouTube TV is doing, I think we could
2:07
see a period of heightened deal activity
2:10
as the new bundles launch. But any
2:13
sustained price freezes for regular
2:15
customers, that seems unlikely. So, just
2:19
one example here, Xfinity actually
2:21
increased the price of its skinny bundle
2:23
for streamers in December, and that was
2:26
within just one year of it launching.
2:29
Two standalone apps launched in the past
2:31
year, ESPN and Fox One. And so far,
2:35
they're crushing it. The apps have more
2:38
than 5 million combined subscribers
2:40
according to estimates from Antenna. My
2:43
focus, will subscriber growth continue
2:46
and will they raise prices at the
2:48
one-year mark? Quick question. When you
2:50
turned on your TV today, what was the
2:52
first streaming app that you fired up?
2:55
Recently, I asked that question and the
2:57
poll confirmed exactly what I suspected.
3:00
YouTube is taking over TV screens.
3:03
Regular YouTube. The New York Times took
3:05
a look at this trend in December,
3:08
focusing on YouTube's dominance in
3:10
daytime over Netflix, and it's also
3:13
reflected in Neielson's The Gage Report.
3:16
YouTube right there on the top. So,
3:19
before streaming, we turned to Antenna
3:21
TV for free background noise. Then
3:24
Pluto, Tuby, and the Roku channel came
3:26
along. But now, YouTube seems to be the
3:30
default place for free background TV. Is
3:34
that what's happening in your house?
3:36
Because I know I open YouTube because
3:38
whether I've got five minutes or a few
3:41
hours, it's going to have something for
3:43
me. User generated content, TV shows,
3:46
movies, music, and podcasts. For 2026,
3:51
I'm curious to see if YouTube widens the
3:54
lead that you see in this chart, if
3:56
that's even possible, or if other
3:58
streamers catch up. We already know
4:00
Netflix recently signed new video
4:02
podcasting deals. A sign they're at
4:05
least paying attention to this. Next up
4:07
today, is Peacock done with being cheap?
4:10
The streaming service raised prices in
4:12
the summer of 2025 and then didn't offer
4:15
a Black Friday deal after participating
4:18
in previous years. And why is that?
4:20
Well, it's likely got to do with all the
4:22
live sports that Peacock has paid for.
4:25
And early in the year, we're going to
4:26
find out if more people are willing to
4:29
pay for Peacock. Take a look. NBC's
4:31
coverage of the 2026 Super Bowl will
4:34
stream on Peacock. And also during
4:36
February, Peacock is the streaming home
4:39
for the Winter Olympics. If no direct
4:42
from Peacock deals are offered,
4:44
accessing it through Walmart Plus seems
4:46
like a good idea. I switched to this
4:49
approach in November, and you can even
4:51
stream Peacock during your Walmart Plus
4:54
free trial. Amazon Prime Video is
4:56
another service that is leaning into
4:58
live sports, but unlike Peacock, it did
5:02
not raise prices in 2025, so I wouldn't
5:05
be surprised if that does happen in
5:08
2026.
5:10
I looked back and Amazon last raised the
5:12
price of its Prime membership in
5:14
February 2022 and it does have a history
5:17
of raising prices every four years. To
5:20
stream TV, you need a solid internet
5:22
connection and heading into 2026, there
5:25
seems to be a difference between
5:26
perception and reality, at least when it
5:29
comes to 5G home internet services. I've
5:32
tested these services alongside fiber
5:35
and cable internet providers for years,
5:37
and some people think 5G home internet
5:40
is only for people in rural areas, those
5:43
with limited internet options. That's
5:46
one market for these services, but not
5:48
the only one. In fact, T-Mobile says 70%
5:52
of its new 5G home internet customers
5:55
are in urban areas, the top 100 US
5:58
cities. And a company executive said
6:01
improved service quality is one reason
6:03
for that growth. This tracks with my
6:05
experience. I live in a city and I've
6:08
had T-Mobile 5G home internet for a few
6:10
years now. The speeds have only
6:13
increased over time. So if you live in
6:15
an area with multiple internet options,
6:18
you are actually in the best position to
6:20
benefit from these 5G services. And
6:22
that's whether you sign up for them or
6:24
not. cable internet providers have
6:27
responded with better deals, stable
6:29
pricing, and extra perks. They're
6:32
feeling the pressure, and not just from
6:34
5G home internet, but also fiber
6:37
providers that are expanding nationwide
6:40
and pretty rapidly, too. So, depending
6:42
on where you live, the same cable
6:44
internet provider that you feel ripped
6:46
you off for years may actually offer the
6:49
best value heading into 2026. And I'm
6:53
not exaggerating. This is just what
6:55
happens when we get real competition.
6:58
So, a year ago at this time, we were
7:00
talking about the future of Paramount
7:02
and that Skyance merger went through in
7:04
late 2025. Now, the focus is on Warner
7:08
Brothers Discovery with the new
7:10
Paramount and Netflix both bidding. And
7:12
local news is consolidating, too. Major
7:15
broadcast station owners are pursuing
7:17
mergers as the economics of local TV are
7:20
getting more difficult. The best way to
7:23
save on streaming TV is also changing.
7:26
Of course, I'm talking about the deals.
7:28
And while there are still new customer
7:30
offers, increasingly I'm seeing more
7:33
don't leave us deals, retention offers
7:36
when you go to cancel or targeted email
7:39
offers to win you back. And in the new
7:41
year, I'll be watching for any new
7:43
bundles of standalone apps. We had
7:47
several launches this past year and they
7:49
can be a good value. just depends on
7:51
your viewing habits. There's a lot I'm
7:53
following in 2026, the 12th year since I
7:56
launched Michael Saves. And for more
7:58
than five of those years, I've been
8:00
showing up on YouTube every week with
8:03
videos to help you save money on
8:05
streaming TV, phone, and internet
8:07
service. Thank you for the views. Thank
8:09
you for subscribing to this channel.
8:12
I'll see you next time and on
8:13
michaels.com.
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