With more streaming services available than ever and the prices of everything going up it's easy to end up spending hundreds of pounds each year on watching TV and films. Over half of UK households are signed up to at least one streaming service, while millions more have digital TV subscriptions like Sky.
Meanwhile, Netflix announced this week it would be increasing the monthly cost of subscriptions to £10.99 and is also reportedly starting a clampdown on shared accounts in reaction to massive drops in subscriber numbers and revenue.
There are plenty of ways to cut down TV costs, from using Tesco Clubcard points to get Disney Plus, to getting free trials of Amazon Prime or Now's television service. But the simplest way to make the biggest cuts on your budget for entertainment is by what we would call 'leapfrogging' services. We take a look at what this means, how it works and most importantly how much you can save.
What is leapfrogging?
With the best will in the world, there's only a finite amount of time to watch TV. So rather than have subscriptions to the four biggest streaming services (Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Apple TV) simultaneously, take advantage of the fact they have no annual subscription and flit between them. Even before you take advantage of other ways to get free trials or discounts, at its most basic this could save the average household more than £250 a year on streaming costs assuming they used each streaming service for just three months of the year.
So, if you wanted to subscribe to Disney Plus first, to make sure you can watch Marvel's Moon Knight, Ewan McGregor's return to the Star Wars universe in Obi Wan, coming in late May and then the hotly anticipated She-Hulk starring Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany alongside Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth, you could enjoy all of these plus a host of other options over three months, before cancelling and moving on to a different service.
Not only does this save money but it means that by the time you have leapfrogged between services over the course of the year you'll find much more new content to enjoy meaning you get more out of your membership. Plus, there are a host of other ways to save money on your subscriptions over and above the act of leapfrogging. Simply read on for more.
Disney Plus
Disney Plus is not just home to all things Mickey Mouse. Thanks to the company's acquisitions, there is everything from the latest Marvel and Star Wars TV shows to Stephen Spielberg's Oscar-winning West Side Story and 18 seasons of Greys Anatomy ready and waiting to binge.
Cost: Disney Plus is £79.90 a year or £7.99 a month
How to save more: If you are a Tesco Clubcard customer, you can buy a three month subscription to the service for £8-worth of points, effectively meaning you get it totally free.
Shows worth binging now: Hawkeye, Dopesick, This is Us, The Dropout, Moon Knight, Only Murders In The Building, The Mandalorian, all the formerly Netflix Marvel shows (especially Daredevil and Jessica Jones), every single Disney movie including Encanto, Broadway hit Hamilton.
Shows worth waiting for: Obi-Wan Kenobi (May), Ms Marvel (June), She-Hulk (Summer), Baymax (Summer), Hocus Pocus 2 (October)
Amazon Prime
Cost: Amazon Prime is £7.99 a month
How to save more: Amazon customers can get a 30-day free trial once every year. Just make a note in the diary to cancel before you are charged for second month. You might also want to time signing up around Christmas to get free fast-track delivery on Christmas gifts.
Shows worth binging now: Reacher, Upload seasons one and two, Jack Ryan, Alex Rider, Picard, No Time to Die, Clarkson's Farm, Good Omens, the full series of Supernatural.
Shows worth waiting for: The Boys season 3 (June), the new Lord of the Rings TV series, The Rings of Power (late 2022).
Netflix
Cost: Netflix is £10.99 a month for Standard, or £15.99 for Premium, £6.99 for Basic.
How to save more: Netflix has recently announced that it will be introducing an advertising-led subscription. While it won't be free it will cheaper than any of their current offerings. Meanwhile, Sky offers a combined package for £26 including a Netflix subscription.
Shows worth binging now: The Witcher, Cobra Kai, Bridgerton, Stranger Things seasons 1-3, Squid Game, Better Call Saul, The Queen's Gambit, Inventing Anna, The Adam Project, Tick Tick BOOM!
Shows worth waiting for: Stranger Things season 4 (May), Umbrella Academy season 3 (June), Ozark season 4 part two (April 29).
Apple TV+
Cost: Apple TV is arguably the best value TV streaming service of the moment at £4.99 a month.
How to save more: You can get three months' free currently by signing up for Currys Perks, or when you buy an eligible Apple device. There's also a 7 day free trial.
Shows worth binging now: Ted Lasso, The Morning Show (especially the first season), Severance, The Shrink Next Door, The Afterparty, Foundation, WeCrashed, The Long Way Up.
Shows worth waiting for: They Call Me Magic, Bad Blood, Slow Horses.
