Many movie and TV productions are now on pause, with writers and actors on strike.
So you may be wondering if it is still worth paying all that money for a half dozen streaming services, or more.
The good news is that there is a growing list of streaming services out there with plenty of content, that you can watch completely free.
Cara Nicolas, like a lot of us, feels she pays for too many TV streams.
"I think I have 7 or 8 streaming services now," she said. "I watch MAX and Hulu and sometimes Netflix. We have Disney plus too."
But now, this young advertising exec wants to cut back, because the writers strike means fewer new shows.
So she is checking out some free services that offer thousands of old movies and series.
Consumer Reports recently analyzed all the free streaming services available now, and suggests you may want to take a look at:
- Amazon Freevee
- Crackle
- Pluto TV
- Tubi TV
- Roku channel
Click here to read the full report.
So what's the catch?
According to Consumer Reports, you won't find recently released films like Barbie, or popular HBO shows, but you will get decent variety for free.
In exchange, you'll be watching more ads, according to Jim Willcox of Consumer Reports.
"You're even starting to see right now some companies promoting the fact that 'oh, we only have three ads per hour' or something like that," he said.
If you're thinking you really don't want to subscribe to another two, three or four services, the reality is that you don't have to.
A lot of those free streaming services have a lot of the same content," Willcox said.
That means both free services, and the giants like Netflix and Hulu have to differentiate their content while also offering affordable options.
"Clearly consumers are hitting a threshold in terms of how much money they're willing to pay each month," Willcox said.
Cara Nicolas, meantime, says those free services can keep you entertained, strike or no strike.
"There is never a shortage of content to watch," she said.
That way you don't waste your money.
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