The Best Ad-Supported Streaming Plans in 2024
Pinching pennies in an era of higher prices is a practice many consumers are taking to heart. From clipping coupons for groceries, to sharing rides to save on gas, there are a number of ways to keep more cash in your wallet! But have you considered trying to save money on streaming entertainment—and doing so without cutting out the content you love? After all, there are more outstanding movies, TV series, live sports and must-watch events than ever before, all of which can be enjoyed with your FOCUS Broadband Internet connection.
The good news is that families on a budget don’t have to pay as much for streaming services when they choose a service or plan that contains ads in their content streaming. Below, we highlight some of the most popular ad-supported streaming plans and services for you to consider. And you can find all these plans and apps on MyBundle! Simply switching to ad-supported streaming might just make a difference in your monthly budget, while still providing your family the streaming entertainment it expects at the same time!
We begin with NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, which provides two different plans, including a money-saving option many families will want to check out. Be sure to pay attention to Peacock’s plan names, however, as they can sound a bit confusing.
Peacock Premium is the cheapest option the streaming service offers, clocking in at just $5.99 a month. You can also pay for Peacock Premium for the full year at $59.99 annually, a further savings of almost $12 a year when paid ahead. Despite its posh-sounding name, however, Peacock Premium includes ads to account for its discounted monthly fee.
Also note that the ad-free plan offered by Peacock is called Peacock Premium Plus. For the privilege of enjoying Peacock’s content without ads, you will pay double the cost of Peacock Premium—$11.99 per month—a not-insignificant cost difference.
Prime Video (from Amazon)
We next discuss recent changes to Prime Video, Amazon’s streaming service. Compared to other streaming services on our list, Prime Video is somewhat different, as its service is (usually) tied to a membership to the broader Amazon Prime subscription. Of course, that subscription provides many other benefits such as free two-day shipping. But you can also choose to subscribe just to Prime Video without needing a full (and more expensive) Amazon Prime membership.
Beginning in early 2024, Prime Video began automatically including ads in its content, regardless of subscription (i.e., whether for full Prime membership or only for Prime Video). The cost is $14.99 per month for full Prime membership, and $8.99 monthly just for Prime Video.
Remember that, for current subscribers, everything remains the same except that viewers will see ads on Prime Video’s programming. But if you wish to keep your Prime Video experience ad-free, Amazon is offering an upcharge of $2.99 per month on top of what customers pay now for Prime Video or a full Prime membership. In this way, customers must “opt-in” to the ad-free version of Prime Video (and pay more), rather than “opt-out” of ads with a reduced rate.
Next, we move on to Netflix, which offers three streaming plans, including an ad-supported, budget-oriented option. That cheapest option—Standard with ads—costs subscribers $6.99 per month.
Though you’ll see ads with this least expensive Netflix option, the “Standard with ads” plan is considerably less expensive than the other ad-free options, like the “Standard” plan at $15.49 per month. Thus, for the ad-free Netflix options, families can net a savings of $8.50 per month.
Like Netflix, Max provides ways to save money through ad-supported plans as well. Consumers can find the best savings through the “Max with Ads” tier, which will run you $9.99 per month (or $99.99 annually for even more savings). Simply by choosing Max with Ads, you can save $6 or even $10 per month (depending on which ad-free option you chose).
Finally, we consider Hulu, an app that offers “on demand” streaming of its extensive content library, as well as live streaming TV. Hulu also partners with and offers combo deals on Disney+ and ESPN+, but we’ll focus just on Hulu for now.
The least expensive—and ad-supported—plan for those simply looking to stream Hulu content on demand is the original Hulu plan at a cost of $7.99 every month. You can pay in advance for an entire year for just $79.99 and save even more annually. Alternatively, you can pay $10 a month more—$17.99—and view Hulu’s content ad-free. Thus, Hulu’s ad-supported plan’s savings are quite generous.
As you can see, just by signing up for streaming services with ads, families really can save money on streaming without leaving behind the apps and channels they enjoy. To learn more about MyBundle and how it enhances your home streaming experience, click here. And to stay on top of the latest streaming entertainment news, be on the lookout for our monthly newsletter!
