If you want to know how Netflix’s plan to acquire Warner Bros. will affect you, I suggest not getting your answers from Netflix. Last weekend, the streaming giant emailed customers implying the deal was done (subject line: “Welcoming Warner Bros. to Netflix”) even though that’s far from being settled. Its press release and help page are only marginally more informative, provided you can sift through all the boilerplate proclamations and canned executive quotes. Ultimately this deal is about power. For Netflix, it’s a way to fulfill its goal of being a singular source for streaming, which in turn will help it raise prices, freeze out rivals, and tilt the distribution of movies and shows in its favor. Expect a lot of fighting between Netflix, rivals, and government regulators before that’s allowed to happen. Brand power Despite Netflix’s popularity, it does not control many established entertainment franchises. It has cultivated a handful, including Squid Game, Stranger Things, and Bridgerton, but none that truly rival those of Disney (Star Wars, Marvel), Paramount (Star Trek, Spongebob), or NBCUniversal (Despicable Me, Jurassic Park). Wikipedia’s list of the top-grossing media franchises only includes one from Netflix, and it’s Chronicles of Narnia, the rights to which it acquired in 2018. Buying Warner would give Netflix a stable of recognizable entertainment brands to build around, including DC properties such as Superman and Batman, kid-friendly franchises such as Minecraft and Looney Tunes, sci-fi staples such as The Matrix and Dune, and HBO hits such as Game of Thrones and The Sopranos. While Netflix says HBO Max will remain separate for now, its press release makes clear that the goal is to subsume Warner’s catalog and create new content around it. The broader content roster could potentially make Netflix better, but it will also help Netflix justify the price increases that have now become routine. It could also allow Netflix to expand other aspects of its business, such as video games and merchandising. (To that end, it’s taking over Warner’s gaming division as well.) Weakening rivals Ted Sarandos, who is now Netflix’s co-CEO, famously said in 2012 that the company’s goal was “to become HBO faster than HBO can become us.” Lately, though, it’s trying to be more like cable—a singular source of streaming that caters to a wide swath of interests—before cable becomes Netflix though its own array of streaming services. At the risk of being cynical, Netflix’s biggest motivation to take over Warner might be to keep it away from its competitors in the traditional TV business. Paramount and Comcast had also been bidding on Warner, and Paramount has now launched a hostile takeover bid in hopes of convincing Warner shareholders that it’s offering a better deal. Much like Netflix, Paramount was also looking to absorb the entire HBO Max catalog into its own Paramount+ streaming service. In this scenario, Paramount+ would become a serious competitor instead of an also-ran, and Netflix would have less latitude to raise prices without subscribers defecting. Netflix doesn’t even have to seal the deal to achieve its goal. As CNBC reporter Alex Sherman pointed out, Netflix has agreed to a $5 billion breakup fee if its Warner acquisition fails, but that’s nothing for a company worth $450 billion, and it could take a couple years for Warner to be up for sale again. In the meantime Netflix could further entrench itself by keeping the competition weaker. Shifting the movie business Warner’s current plan is to release 12 to 14 movies into theaters per year, and while Netflix says theatrical releases will continue, it wants to get them onto its streaming service sooner. In an analyst call last week, Sarandos said theatrical release windows would “evolve to be much more consumer friendly, to be able to meet the audience where they are, quicker.” That doesn’t mean Netflix would abandon theatrical releases outright, but the goal will shift toward promoting Netflix properties rather than boosting theater revenue for its own sake. As the New York Times notes, Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters Singalong has been a huge hit in theaters, and its series finale of Stranger Things—screening on 500 theaters in lockstep with the streaming release—is already sold out in many places. Expect more event-driven spectacles, fewer straightforward screenings, and a greater willingness to let people stay at home. What it’s not about: Live sports Another notable aspect of the Netflix deal is what’s missing: The company is not buying Warner’s cable channels, including TNT and TBS, as Warner plans to spin those off into a separate company. TNT will get its own sports streaming service when that happens, and its live sports coverage will disappear from HBO Max. That means Netflix won’t be getting any live sports as part of the deal. By contrast, Paramount wants to add Warner’s entire cable business, and could use it to transform Paramount+ into a major source of sports streaming. Netflix might have other reasons for passing over Warner’s cable business, such as not wanting to negotiate carriage deals or take on as much debt from Warner’s previous merger disasters. For now, though, it’s maintaining a conservative approach to live sports, avoiding expensive full-season rights deals in favor of scattershot events, such as Christmas NFL games, the Paul-Tyson fight, and the first MLB game of the season next year. Netflix’s goal to become more like cable doesn’t yet extend to sports, and acquiring Warner won’t change that. What’s next While Netflix is projecting confidence, it’s a long way from owning Warner Bros. in earnest. Antitrust hearings are likely, Paramount’s hostile takeover bid has to play out, and the Justice Department feels like a wild card under the Trump administration. Even if everything goes smoothly, Netflix says it’ll take 12 to 18 months for the deal to close. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the one line in Netflix’s customer letter that we know for certain is true: “Nothing is changing today.” Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV insights. Read...

YouTube TV is about to get skinny—that is, it’s set to add skinny bundles of live streaming TV channels next year, including a sports package with every ESPN network.  More than 10 of these “genre-specific” bundles are coming to YouTube TV next year, but for now, YouTube is only revealing a few details about the sports bundle, and nothing about the other upcoming channel packages or pricing information.  Aside from ESPN, ESPN Unlimited and the other ESPN channels, the YouTube TV Sports Plan will boast such networks as FS1 and the NBC Sports Network.   Subscribers will be able to choose add-ons such as NFL Sunday Ticket and RedZone, just as they can with the YouTube TV Base Plan, and YouTube TV functionality like unlimited DVR usage, multiview, key plays, and fantasy view will be on tap as well.  “TV should be easy, giving viewers greater control over what they want to watch. Our goal is to let you tailor your subscription with more options,” said YouTube TV subscriptions exec Christian Oestlien in a statement. “Whether you stick with our main YouTube TV plan with 100+ channels, focus on sports, combine sports and news, or select a plan centered on family and entertainment content, subscribers will be able to easily choose the plan that works best for them.”  More details about YouTube TV’s slimmed-down packages are coming “soon,” Oestlien promised, adding that “we have a lot in store for YouTube TV members next year.” But while YouTube TV hasn’t given any pricing details about its upcoming skinny bundles, they’re sure to be cheaper than the price of the YouTube TV base plan, which costs $82.99 a month.   YouTube TV’s move into the skinny bundle business comes as skinny and cheaper streaming bundles are rising in popularity. DirecTV, Fubo, and Sling all offer their own slimmed-down packages with various combinations of local TV channels, sports networks, news channels, and entertainment, allowing users to pick and choose which channel bundles they want to pay for.  Making an even bigger splash was the launch this past summer of ESPN Unlimited, which packs in all of ESPN’s sports networks in packages starting at $30 a month, while Fox unveiled its Fox One bundle of sports, news, and entertainment channels around the same time.  Another skinny sports bundled that never got off the ground was Venu Sports, a venture from Disney, Fox, and Warner Brothers that would have bundled ESPN, FS1, BTN, TNT, TBS, and other top sports networks.  Venu faced serious legal headwinds, including a lawsuit from Fubo and a federal injunction, leading the bundles backers to eventually kill the nascent sports bundle before it went on the air.  This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best live TV streaming services. Read...

At a glance Top AMD mini PC deal picks Acemagician S3A—$429 (20% off on Amazon) Acemagician Kron K1—$279 (12% off on Amazon) Bosgame P3—$440 (20% off on Amazon) Top Intel mini PC deal picks Acemagic V1—$259 (19% off on Amazon) Geekom GT2 Mega—$1049 (19% off on Amazon) Beastcom M1 Mini—$145 (19% off on Amazon) Whether you’re looking for a productivity mini PC, something for gaming, or just a budget-friendly machine with a small footprint, we’ve got you covered. The team at PCWorld continually sorts through all of the daily mini PC sales and puts together a curated list of the best deals available. Finding the right deals can be tricky, however, because there are so many things to consider, from the configuration to the price. Fear not! I’ve been covering mini PC deals for a long time — and PCWorld has tested thousands of PCs over four decades — so let me help you out. I select our favorite deals by thoroughly examining the list of specs, overall design, user feedback, and general value. The RAM, SSD, and CPU all matter significantly in mini PCs, and if you’re not careful, you may select a “bare-bones” rig that makes you bring your own memory and storage. All of the picks below are hand-selected for not only their performance, but most importantly, their value. I’ve also included some helpful answers to common questions about buying a computer at the bottom of this article. If you’re considering a laptop instead, be sure to check out our best laptop deals, or for more desktop choices check out best computer deals roundup instead—each are updated daily. Updated Dec 8, 2025 to reflect the latest deals and prices. Best deals on AMD mini PCs Amazon Acemagician S3A, AMD Ryzen 7 8745HS/16GB DDR5 RAM/512GB SSD/Radeon 780M iGPU/triple 4K support—$429 (20% off on Amazon) If I were to pick a single mini PC deal right now, I’d go with the Acemagician S3A for $429 because that’s a great price for the specs. It’s more than capable of handling your daily workload, browsing, streaming, and even light gaming thanks to the Radeon 780M integrated graphics. Acemagician Kron K1, AMD Ryzen 5 7430U/16GB DDR4 RAM/512GB SSD/triple 4K support—$279 (12% off on Amazon) The Acemagician Kron K1 is a great budget deal right now for only $279. With 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, you’ll be able to accomplish all of your productivity needs. It would also work well as a streaming or multimedia device as well as a smart home hub—giving you centralized control without breaking the bank. Bosgame P3, AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS/32GB DDR5 RAM/1TB SSD/triple 4K support—$440 (20% off on Amazon) If you’re looking for a bit more juice, the Bosgame P3 for $440 is the mini PC to go for. Not only does it pack 32GB of RAM and a generous 1TB SSD, but the Ryzen 7 processor is ready to handle more intensive tasks should you need it. The fact that the RAM is DDR5 at this price point makes it even more of a great deal. GMKtec M7, AMD Ryzen 7 Pro 6850H/16GB DDR5 RAM/1TB SSD/quad 4K support, Oculink—$420 (25% off on Amazon) Personally, I think the GMKtec M7 deal here is a sneaky bargain. Sure, it comes with less RAM than the Bosgame above and a slightly weaker CPU, but it makes up for it with additional 4K and Oculink connectivity—meaning you can easily hook up an external GPU should you decide to get your game on. GMKtec M5 Plus, Ryzen 7 5825U/32GB RAM/1TB SSD/triple 4K support—$368 (8% off on Amazon) As an alternative to the M7 model, you could opt for the GMKtec M5 Plus deal for $368 instead. You won’t get the same gaming capabilities, but more RAM—even if it is DDR4—for less money is always a plus, especially if you’re looking to use it for work or productivity tasks. Plus, it comes with expansion slots for RAM and storage if you want to upgrade it even further in the future. Geekom A9 Max, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370/Radeon 890M/32GB DDR5 RAM/2TB SSD/quad 4K support—$1,100 (8% off on Amazon) For a top of the line mini PC packed with powerful components, go with the Geekom A9 Max for $100 off. The Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 is a very powerful CPU that is not only capable of 1080p gaming combined with the 890M GPU, but also breezes through AI tasks. Ample RAM and SSD storage along with excellent connectivity complete the package. It’s still expensive, but $100 off is better than nothing, right? Best deals on Intel mini PCs Acemagic V1, N150/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/dual 4K support—$259 (19% off on Amazon) This deal for the Acemagic V1 is just a good overall bread-and-butter mini PC deal. The N150 processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM means it’s powerful enough to handle your productivity and everyday work tasks. It comes with enough SSD storage to save just about everything you need—and includes an additional M.2 slot in case you want to upgrade later. It might not be fancy, but this is a good price for a mini PC that’ll be sufficient for most everyone’s needs. Geekom GT2 Mega, Intel Core Ultra 9 285H/Arc 140T/32GB DDR5 RAM/2TB SSD/quad 4K support—$1049 (19% off on Amazon) If you’re looking for an Intel mini PC that can do it all, then the Geekom GT2 Mega is the one to buy. Packed with a Core Ultra 9 processor, DDR5 RAM, and ample 2TB of onboard SSD storage, this will easily handle everything you throw at it. It’s a full desktop replacement with a smaller footprint and cheaper price tag. Plus, thanks to the Arc 140T GPU you can do all of the esports gaming you want or even play modern AAA games at 1080p with decent frame rates. Beastcom M1 Mini, N100/16GB RAM/512GB SSD/triple 4K support—$145 (19% off on Amazon) True to its name, the Beastcom M1 Mini mini for $145 is, well, a beast—an entertainment beast at least. Its triple 4K support is practically unheard of at this price. This is meant to be an entertainment mini PC thanks to its ultra-small footprint and excellent connectivity options. However, those looking for a productivity or work mini PC should probably look elsewhere. GMKtec K10, Core i9-13900HK/32GB RAM/1TB SSD/2.5G LAN WiFi6/quad 4K support—$600 (17% off on Amazon) The GMKtec K10 deal for $119 off is a solid bargain thanks to its powerful i9 CPU. Plus, the addition of a 2.5G ethernet port and Wi-Fi 6 support means it is adept at handling most networking tasks you might throw at it. To top it all off, it can support up to four 4K displays, one of which is a DisplayPort 1.4 capable of 8K as well. IdeaCentre Mini, Core 5 210H/16GB RAM/1TB SSD/dual 4K support—$600 (25% off on Lenovo) To the naked eye, this IdeaCentre Mini deal for $600 might not seem like a good value. But it comes with a couple of hidden extras that make it worth the higher price. Support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and DDR5 RAM are just some of the advantages. Add to that the reliability and high build-quality of Lenovo machines and suddenly this becomes a more than worthwhile mini PC deal this week. Mini PC deals FAQ 1. What should you look for when buying a mini PC? The first thing you have to check off your list is just what configuration you need to get your job done. Are you going to use your new mini PC for browsing only? Then a cheap budget-friendly device with a decent CPU and 16GB of RAM will do the trick. Do you want it to be able to juggle a bunch of apps and not choke on 50 browser tabs? Then a more powerful CPU and at least 32GB of RAM would be better. Do you want to do some light gaming in your downtime? Look for a device that comes with a GPU or Occulink connectivity to hook up an external GPU instead. Are you looking to utilize the mini PC as a home server? Your priority then should be a large SSD—2TB or more. There are devices for each and every one of these scenarios, and they’re all quite affordable. The best part is that mini PCs are… well, small, so they can be placed practically anywhere depending on your intended use and available space. They also support multiple monitors out of the box, which makes it easy to replace your old, larger desktop and you won’t even need to pay for extra hubs. 2. Can a mini PC replace a desktop computer? For most people, the answer is “yes”! Mini PCs are definitely powerful enough to replace desktops for most users, especially if you’re going to use it for work, browsing, or streaming movies. If you want something for photo and video editing, or even gaming, there are models that allow you to do that, but they’ll cost a bit more. If you’re into hardcore gaming, however, you’re still better off with a proper gaming PC or laptop. 3. Can a mini PC run modern games? Mostly, yes. But it will ultimately depend upon the mini PC you buy and which modern games you want to play. Some high-performance mini PCs can run modern AAA games. You might not be able to run them at the highest settings though, and performance will depend heavily on the specific hardware. If you do want to game on a mini PC, look for powerful models with dedicated discrete GPUs such as an Nvidia RTX or AMD Radeon rather than integrated graphics. Alternatively, you can opt for cloud streaming services to game on less powerful mini PCs, which bypasses the need for high-end hardware. 4. Which mini PC brands are reliable? Some of the most reliable mini PC brands are Minisforum, Beelink, GMKtec, and Geekom. Of course Apple’s Mac minis are also excellent computers if you prefer using macOS. Brands such as Asus, Lenovo, HP, and Dell all make high-quality smaller-footprint PCs, but they might not fill the same niche and/or they are typically more expensive. Read...

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I did not have “Micron kills its consumer business” on my 2025 bingo card. The company announced the shuttering of its Crucial brand on Wednesday morning in unexpectedly simple, transparent language. The short version: Micron is concentrating on their business customers, where the demand has “surged” for memory and storage—thanks to data centers and their scaling up for AI. (Translation: ‘We can make way more money through enterprise customers, so we will.’) As noted in this same post, this decision ends 29 years of the Crucial brand. I can’t say I’m completely shocked. But I am surprised by what this move partially implies. Namely, enterprise’s hunger for memory and storage lasting for years and years. Welcome to The Full Nerd newsletter—your weekly dose of hardware talk from the enthusiasts at PCWorld. Missed the surprising topics on our YouTube show or latest news from across the web? You’re in the right place.  Want this newsletter to come directly to your inbox? Sign up on our website!  Am I nervous for consumers? Not just yet. But I am wondering if the somber estimate of RAM shortages lasting beyond this decade ends up proving true. I’m also wondering which other companies will back off consumer sales. And maybe more importantly, how such decisions will affect the development cycles and cost of new products. I don’t mean only RAM kits and SSD drives, though I could see any company producing memory or storage modules abandoning direct-to-consumer efforts. No, I mean anything that contains them, too—like graphics cards. For example, rumor has it that Nvidia may start expecting board partners to source their own memory. Individually, those smaller companies have less power to negotiate. That could then influence the pricing and quantities they get, which in turn would result in higher costs for consumers…and likely slower releases and fewer options, too. Similarly, I could see prebuilt PCs become less bleeding edge with their specs, either staying stagnant or even regressing. Sounds bad, right? So why am I not nervous? Let’s say consumers are faced with higher prices and sluggish innovation. Let’s assume too that everyday folk will push off tech upgrades for longer stretches. The market will have to adapt—and I am curious what that would look like. Chromebooks and GeForce Now have expanded what’s possible for people with low budgets or limited hardware. But I don’t want that approach to PCs to become the default.Matt Smith/Foundry To make up for lagging consumer hardware performance, does the shift to cloud computing accelerate faster? Or will software innovations make up for older, less performant consumer PCs and phones? Companies want everyone on a subscription model, but no one can afford all that exist.  I want the second scenario as our future, if we have to endure a hardware apocalypse. How can we make that happen? Consumers can vote with their dollars, and we must as things become bleaker. Local computing needs to remain a fundamental part of consumer technology. Chromebooks and GeForce Now are fantastic options, but the concepts they rely on—always online, fully dependent on remotely administered servers—cannot handle everyone’s needs. Plus, with online security devolving into a bigger and bigger dumpster fire, local computing is a defense against privacy and data leaks. When PCs first became mainstream, a basic model cost $1,500 to $2,500. Since then, consumer demand fueled the accessibility and openness of the PC—it’s a core reason for why I’m here writing these words and why you’re reading them. I don’t want to watch that die. So I’m choosing to believe we consumers can (and must) stave off such a regression. In this episode of The Full Nerd  In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Alaina Yee, and Will Smith dig into my annual list of the best DIY gaming PCs buildable with Black Friday deals, plus our predictions for CES 2026. As gloomy as we sound, it was a fun discussion—I enjoy sifting through all the deals and then jigsaw-puzzling them into build lists. Really cool to have crossed the 10-year mark with this tradition! As for CES, we have decided not to play a drinking game based on how often “AI” is mentioned in keynotes and press releases. We’re too old to weather the guaranteed massive hangover. I lived my best streamer-beanie life during this episode. (Gordon’s takes on life were so hilarious.)Willis Lai / Foundry Missed our live show? Subscribe now to The Full Nerd Network YouTube channel, and activate notifications. We also answer viewer questions in real-time! Don’t miss out on our NEW shows too—you can catch episodes of Dual Boot Diaries and The Full Nerd: Extra Edition now! And if you need more hardware talk during the rest of the week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds.  This week’s packed nerd news I came back from our holiday weekend feeling as if I hadn’t heard much news. But plenty still happened behind the noise of AI and its affect on hardware, even if it wasn’t particularly cheery. So on theme with Thanksgiving, I’m grateful to all the wonderfully crazy weirdos who do things like play Minecraft on a receipt printer—I find it great for morale as a hardware enthusiast. And a lover of doing dumb, harmless things for entertainment. That drive is pretty tiny.Mark Hachman / Foundry Long live emoticons: I’m in the minority of folks who still use emoticons, rather than emoji, for conversations. Reading up on emoticon history (as cataloged by former PCWorld contributor Benj Edwards) put a real smile on my face. It was simpler times then. Though humans were still very human. Am I old now? No, it’s the children who are wrong: I identified strongly with this rant from my colleague Mark Hachman, about the physical size of modern external SSDs. (I have too many things to track these days…) So…Year of Linux for real? According to the Zorin OS developers, the latest release of their distro hit an all-time high of 1 million downloads in just five weeks. Steve benchmarked a bunch of Linux games, btw: Our friend Steve Burke & team over at Gamers Nexus dove deep into Linux gaming performance. If you’ve been curious about how a switch off Windows would go, definitely check out this video. Microsoft’s new ugly holiday sweaters are kind of… cute? Except that Zune one. Burn it with fire. Also, it’s a no for me on the Copilot logo mixed in with ’90s nostalgia. And the Xbox one is okay only if you’re a huge brand fanatic. …Okay, yeah, let’s just skip all of these. An expensive slice of Pi: Sadly, RAM pricing affects our favorite budget single-board computer, too. Oh no: I don’t want Google Gemini on my phone. I also rely heavily on Google Assistant to set reminders for me. If this goes beyond just Android Auto, March 2026 may be the month where everyone finds out just how truly bad I am at keeping track of things on my own. ð?? Yep, that’s Minecraft on a receipt printout.smilly (YouTube) / Tom’s Hardware Playing Minecraft on a receipt printer is a thing? Well, it was for a YouTuber who decided to give a go. Very entertaining concept. Almost as good as playing games with bananas or pomegranates. Friends laughed at my living room PC. But who’s laughing now? I mean, really no one, because Netflix killing casting support is just a crappy bit of news. But I do feel vindicated about the little buddy attached to my TV. My kind of ethical hacking: Organizers at Kawaiicon in New Zealand built a system to monitor CO2 levels in the air, as a proxy for viral infection risk. Pretty dang neat bit of hacking. (It’s a hacker conference though, so I guess the digital kind went wild and free, for science and fun.) (Yes, a hacker con, not an anime con.) (No, I did not expect that either.) On the topic of privacy: Proton just released an Excel alternative for its users. In combination with its Word alternative (Proton Docs), it’s now a possible viable alternative to Google’s free webapps. Time to roll up my sleeves and give it a spin, for the sake of reporting. Japan invents ‘human washing machine’: But fails to consider what will not get washed if a human sits in a recliner the whole time while being (gently) hosed down. (Ew.) I expected more from the land that gave us high-tech bidets. Uh oh. Cherry is having big financial problems: To stay afloat, parts of their business will be sold—and production of their well-known switches will shift from Germany to China and Slovakia. Feels like the Cherry we knew will not be the one that survives. RAM is so expensive, Samsung won’t even sell it to Samsung: My colleague Mike Crider has a way with headlines—and this one’s so good I had to include it here, even though everyone’s saturated with memory-related news. It is quite the sign of the times.  I have a dilemma: As mentioned on the show, I have an insufficient quantity of holiday sweaters for our December episodes. Should go with a classy holiday sweater to round out my collection? Or should I lean even harder into the ugly holiday sweater theme? Decisions, decisions. Catch you all next week! ~Alaina This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld. Read...

The BBC`s entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson needed surgery after a mishap ahead of Scotland`s World Cup qualifying game. Read...

At a glance Top Picks in streaming and sports entertainment Apple TV: It’s a great service, and this deal will save you $42 over six months. Disney+ and Hulu: Both the with-ads and ad-free deals offer substantial savings over a full year ($96 and $60 respectively). NFL Sunday Ticket: Football fans who snap up this deal will save $48 for the rest of the regular season. Starz: The one-year-for-$11.99 option is the one to take with this service. Walmart+: If you shop at Walmart, this half-off membership deal includes a full year of either Peacock or Paramount+ Essential One thing became clear as we assembled these Cyber Monday streaming deals: Companies see higher value in customers who subscribe to their plans that include ads, over what are otherwise the same services without ads. The savings you’ll get without ads is almost always less (as a percentage) than what you’ll get if you’re willing to put up with the annoyance commercial breaks. Of course, with some channels—especially those carrying live TV and sports–you’ll get ads with some content even if you are paying the higher no-ads price. Updated December 1, 2025: Deals refreshed, pricing verified. Cyber Monday deals on streaming entertainment Crave (Canada only, with ads): $89.99 for a full year (25% off) Crave Premium (Canada only, no ads): $129.99 for a full year (41% off) Disney+ and Hulu (with ads): $4.99/mo for 12 months (62% off) Disney+ and Hulu (no ads): $14.99/mo for 12 months (25% off) Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max (with ads): $19.99/mo for 12 months (43% off) Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max (no ads): $32.99/mo for 12 months (42% off) Frndly TV: $.99/mo for 3 months: (86% off) HBO Max (with ads, no live sports): $2.99/mo for 12 months (73% off) Starz (no ads): $2.99/mo for 3 months (73% off) Starz (no ads): $11.99 for a full year (83% off) Cyber Monday deals on sports streaming plus entertainment Apple TV (pro baseball and soccer, Formula 1 in 2026; no ads): $5.99/mo for 6 mos (54% off) ESPN Unlimited, Disney+, and Hulu (with ads): $29.99/mo for 12 months (44% off) Paramount+ Essential (with ads): $2.99/mo for 2 months (63% off) * Paramount+ Premium (no ads): $2.99/mo for 2 months (77% off) * Cyber Monday deals on football coverage NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube: $12/mo for 4 months (68% off) * You can get one year of either Paramount+ Essential (with ads) or Peacock (with ads)—and switch between the two every three months) for free—with a one-year subscription to Walmart+, available as a Cyber Monday deal for $49 (50% off). Read...

I am all for whupping the English like a convict caught with the governor’s wife. But it would be nice if they could put up a little fight next time. Read...

At a glance Top Picks in streaming and sports entertainment Apple TV: It’s a great service, and this deal will save you $42 over six months. Disney+ and Hulu: Both the with-ads and ad-free deals offer substantial savings over a full year ($96 and $60 respectively). NFL Sunday Ticket: Football fans who snap up this deal will save $48 for the rest of the regular season. Starz: The one-year-for-$11.99 option is the one to take with this service. Walmart+: If you shop at Walmart, this half-off membership deal includes a full year of either Peacock or Paramount+ Essential One thing became clear as we assembled these deals: The streaming companies see higher value in customers who subscribe to their plans that include ads, over what are otherwise the same services without ads. The savings you’ll get without ads is almost always less (as a percentage) than what you’ll get if you’re willing to put up with commercial breaks. Of course, with some channels—especially those carrying live TV and sports–you’ll get ads with some content even if you’re paying the higher no-ads price. Updated November 28, 2025: Deals refreshed, pricing verified. Black Friday deals on streaming entertainment Crave (Canada only, with ads): $89.99 for a full year (25% off) Crave Premium (Canada only, no ads): $129.99 for a full year (41% off) Disney+ and Hulu (with ads): $4.99/mo for 12 months (62% off) Disney+ and Hulu (no ads): $14.99/mo for 12 months (25% off) Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max (with ads): $19.99/mo for 12 months (43% off) Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max (no ads): $32.99/mo for 12 months (42% off) Frndly TV: $.99/mo for 3 months: (86% off) HBO Max (with ads, no live sports): $2.99/mo for 12 months (73% off) Starz (no ads): $2.99/mo for 3 months (73% off) Starz (no ads): $11.99 for a full year (83% off) Black Friday deals on sports streaming plus entertainment Apple TV (pro baseball and soccer, Formula 1 in 2026; no ads): $5.99/mo for 6 mos (54% off) ESPN Select, Disney+, and Hulu (with ads): $19.99/mo (46% off) ESPN Select, Disney+, and Hulu (no ads): $29.99/mo (41% off) ESPN Unlimited, Disney+, and Hulu (with ads): $29.99/mo for 12 months (44% off) ESPN Unlimited, Disney+, and Hulu (no ads): $38.99/mo for 12 months (43% off) Paramount+ Essential (with ads): $2.99/mo for 2 months (63% off) * Paramount+ Premium (no ads): $2.99/mo for 2 months (77% off) * Black Friday deals on football coverage NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube: $12/mo for 4 months (68% off) * You can get one year of either Paramount+ Essential (with ads) or Peacock (with ads)—and switch between the two every three months) for free—with a one-year subscription to Walmart+, available as a Black Friday deal for $49 (50% off). Read...

Everyone loves a good deal. But a lot of people sleep on cashback offers from their banks. Yep, banks will credit your statements for your shopping, based on purchases made with your credit or debit card. The catch: You have to active these offers first. So during Black Friday, it can literally pay to log into your bank account and look at what offers are available to you. I set a reminder every November to harass my friends and family about looking at theirs. Why? Well, one of them just activated an offer for $100 off a $500+ purchase at Dell. And they were about to buy a new laptop there. How to activate merchant offers These cashback deals can be found in your bank account’s main dashboard or in your card’s individual dashboard. They usually span multiple categories like shopping, entertainment (including streaming services), cell phone services, restaurants, travel, etc. Sometimes it’s a percentage, other times it’s a fixed amount. Minimum spend amounts may be required, too. A few tips: Activate the offer first before shopping! These are not retroactively awarded. Not sure you activated an offer? You can filter the list to see which ones you’re enrolled in. Have multiple cards? Check your offers for each—they might be different, even if they’re both with the same bank. Make note of the expiration date for the offers. A fun offer that popped up for a friend: A rebate of $12.99 per month for Paramount+, up to 3 times. In other words, 3 free months to binge on Star Trek series.CBS / PCWorld How to ultra-combo with other offers Fun fact: Merchant offers are different than cashback or reward portals (e.g., Rakuten, Capital One Shopping).  So sometimes you can combine a store discount, a merchant offer active on your credit or debit card, and a cashback portal rebate. For example, right now a deal at Visible (a subsidiary of Verizon with cheaper prepaid cell phone plans) cuts the price of their annual top-tier plan (Visible+ Pro) in half. Normally $450, it’s down to $225, or $18.75 per month. Then, if you have an American Express or Chase credit card, you can stack on a merchant offer of either $30 or $15 cashback (respectively) as well. And finally, if you use Rakuten’s cashback portal, you’re eligible to earn $40. Or, if you instead go through Capital One Shopping and visit the website a few times, you could get an offer for $120 in rewards, which can be redeemed for a gift card (available stores vary). The maximum cashback savings? That would be $155, or $12.92 per month for unlimited text/talk/data, 100GB hotspot data, and free data for a smartwatch. I’m not in the market for this plan, but boy, this kind of discount and cashback chaining is simply beautiful. Read...