New Year, New Platforms: How to (Finally!) Organize Your Streaming Services​

The Roku Channel: You may be familiar with Roku as a streaming device, like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, but the brand also has a channel of free content, which includes original shows from the dearly departed Quibi app. This winter the channel premiered Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas, a follow-up to NBC’s canceled musical dramedy Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. ​​

Peacock: NBCUniversal’s year-old streaming service includes a totally free tier, which offers access to movies, TV shows (including Downton Abbey) and Peacock originals, such as the Punky Brewster reboot. There’s plenty to watch for free, but there’s also a paid premium tier that allows you to unlock more content.​​

Pluto TV: While this free streaming service also includes a library of on-demand movies, such as the James Bond franchise, it’s notable for its refreshingly old-school format. Meant to reduce decision fatigue, the service is set up like a traditional TV: You can flip through thematic channels (TV Land Sitcoms, Black Cinema) and drop in on whatever’s playing. And because this is a digital library, if you like what you see, you can always restart from the beginning.

Sling Free: You’ll find a robust collection of bingeable shows, such as 3rd Rock from the Sun, Grace Under Fire, 21 Jump Street and The Commish, plus movies and live news. The service also allows subscribers to add premium channels or rent first-run films. ​​

Tubi: With more than 20,000 movies and TV series, Tubi calls itself the largest library of streaming content. It’s recently started releasing original content, such as the adult animated series The Freak Brothers, which features the voices of Woody Harrelson, John Goodman and Tiffany Haddish.

​​IMDb TV: Launched in 2019, this ad-supported service is the streaming home of Mad Men and loads of TV classics, and it’s branching out with new original shows, including the crime drama Leverage: Redemption and the Judge Judy follow-up, Judy Justice. ​​

Vudu: You can buy or rent films from this Fandango-owned streaming service, but the site also offers a selection of free options; the choices may not be as A-list as those found on some other streamers, but you can still find hidden gems such as Carol, Pumping Iron and Melancholia.

Don’t miss this: How to get video on demand for free

4. See if your mobile provider has any partnership deals ​

Did you know that your cellphone plan may include complimentary subscriptions to streaming services? A number of the country’s top providers have exclusive partnerships that could end up saving you quite a bit of money. Depending on their plan, some T-Mobile customers get access to Netflix, Paramount+ and Apple TV+. Sprint Unlimited includes a Hulu subscription, and eligible AT&T Unlimited plans come with HBO Max. Finally, many Verizon Wireless customers can get the entire Disney Bundle, a year of Discovery+ and six to 12 months of AMC+.

​Don’t miss this: What you need to know about your TV streaming choices

​​5. Focus on the entertainment you love ​

Services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video boast expansive content libraries that can often feel overwhelming when you’re trying to pick something to watch. If you find yourself gravitating toward the same types of content every night (say, documentaries or arthouse films), you may want to consider switching to a more niche streaming service dedicated to a specific genre. Options include the Criterion Channel ($10.99 a month), featuring more than 1,000 classic and contemporary films; Shudder ($5.99 a month), focused on horror and supernatural; Dekkoo ($9.99 a month), for LGBTQ-themed movies, shorts and TV shows; and ALLBLK ($4.99/month), offering “entertainment that’s inclusively, but unapologetically, Black.”

6. Take advantage of the public library

​If you’re a member of your local library (and, of course, you should be), you may already have access to a free streaming service called Kanopy, which offers thousands of movies, including Moonlight, Chinatown, Breathless and Parasite. We're particularly impressed by their catalog of early films, including Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times and Buster Keaton's The General. Not every public library system in the U.S. subscribes to the service, so be sure to chat with your librarian or check if you have access on the website.​

​Don't miss this: The Best Things Coming to (and Leaving) Netflix This Month

7. Think about rotating your services ​

OK, this money-saving measure requires a bit of planning, but hear us out. If you subscribe to a streamer for only one or two shows per year, you can always cancel the subscription between seasons and re-up after the full season airs. After your quick full-season binge, cancel again until new episodes drop. Remember that most streamers also offer free trial periods of about a week up to a full month, so if you’re a new customer, you can plan a binge before having to shell out a penny.

Nicholas DeRenzo is a contributing writer who covers entertainment and travel. Previously he was executive editor of United Airlines’ Hemispheres magazine and his work has appeared in the New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, Sunset and New York magazine.