Summer movie blockbuster season is here, but in between trips to the theater to catch Bad Boys 4, Inside Out 2, The Watchers and A Quiet Place: Day One, you can lock in on streaming. TV shows like House of the Dragon, The Boys, The Bear, The Acolyte and Power Book II make June the hottest release month. That means depending on which fandoms you’re part of, you’ll be spending time — and money — on multiple platforms.
In addition to TV series, it’s also time for the Stanley Cup Final and MLB. It’s a good thing you can find bundles and deals right now for Netflix, Peacock, Max and Paramount Plus. Still, you may want to drop some services because of costs and the currently available content. With that in mind, I’d like to offer a strategy: churn like ice cream. In other words, rotate.
Make it work by subscribing, canceling, watching other services and then resubscribing, ensuring the services you want are on rotation. Rotating streaming services can mix things up and save you cash when Netflix, Disney Plus, Max and others don’t have the content you want to watch at a given time. Just remember to shut off autorenewal for your monthly subscriptions. If you’re sharing your streaming accounts, this method may not fly, but if you can work it out, go for it.
Here are my suggestions for which platforms to keep or cancel for June, based on new shows and movies (I didn’t consider live TV streaming services) coming to each platform. Your preferences may differ, but if nothing else, I urge you to consider rotating for savings. It’s simpler than you may realize, and don’t forget, a VPN can come in handy, too.
Read more: 50 TV Shows We’re Looking Forward to Watching in 2024
House of the Dragon season 2 will be a clash of two factions.
June 2024 streaming rotation
| Keep | Cancel | |
|---|---|---|
| Max | X | |
| Disney Plus | X | |
| Netflix | X | |
| Apple TV Plus | X | |
| Starz | X | |
| Hulu | X | |
| Prime Video | X | |
| Paramount Plus | X | X |
| Peacock | X |
You may want almost all streaming services in June
Max: House of the Dragon returns on June 16, and you can stream it at 9 p.m. ET. There will be eight episodes in season 2, so plan to stream the series into August. Also, new weekly episodes of My Adventures with Superman continue to stream each Sunday.
Other titles coming in June include Am I OK? (arrived June 6) and Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple (June 22). Sports fans: B/R Sports will carry the NBA and NHL playoffs and some MLB games.
Prime Video: Don’t miss The Boys season 4, as it promises to be wilder this time around when it debuts with three episodes on June 13. This season, Jeffrey Dean Morgan joins the cast, which airs until July 18. You may also want to stream the documentary I Am: Celine Dion on June 25.
Disney Plus: Star Wars fans can stream The Acolyte since June 4. Doctor Who also continues to stream new episodes this month.
Hulu: The Bear is back on June 27, but you may also want to check out Queenie (June 7) or Brats (June 13). Andrew McCarthy leads viewers through his documentary about the Brat Pack. (If you want to watch The Breakfast Club, it’s streaming on Netflix.)
Starz: In honor of Power’s 10th anniversary, spinoff Power Book II: Ghost returned on June 7 for its fourth and final season. It will be split into two parts, with the second half airing in September. This is the main reason to have Starz, so if you don’t watch Power, you can cancel.
Netflix: The second half of Bridgerton, season 3, is Netflix’s biggest drop for June, but Sweet Tooth, Hit Man and more are coming to the streamer.
- Under Paris (June 5)
- Sweet Tooth, season 3 (June 6)
- Hit Man (June 7)
- Hierarchy (June 7) — K-drama
- Perfect Match, season 2 (June 7)
- Bridgerton, season 3, part 2 (June 13)
- Ultraman: Rising (June 14)
- Trigger Warning (June 21)
- That ’90s Show: Part 2 (June 27)
- A Family Affair (June 28) — a film starring Nicole Kidman, Joey King and Zac Efron
Peacock: Love Island USA season 6 arrives on June 11, and for WWE fans, Clash at the Castle: Scotland will be on Peacock on June 15. If you’re a Hallmark fan, you can stream the Passport to Love movie collection every Saturday.
You should probably skip one or two
Apple TV Plus: Dark Matter is still streaming in June, and if Apple TV Plus is part of your bundle, don’t cancel it.
Paramount Plus: This could go either way (hence my two Xs in the chart above): Keep this if you’re like me and sticking with Evil each week, or if you want to stream Mayor of Kingstown (arrived June 2) or How Music Got Free (June 11). Otherwise, cancel the service.
Waiting to binge can save cash
If and only if FOMO isn’t a thing for you, waiting until most or all of the episodes of your favorite series are available on a service is a wise strategy. That way, rather than pay for a service for several months to cover a show’s six- to 10-week run, you can catch up on everything by subscribing for one month. And then repeat the cycle again. This works well if you don’t mind being a binge-watcher.
For example, House of the Dragon will air into the first week of August, so if you’re not worried about missing out, you can stream it all on Max then. The Acolyte’s eight-episode run will wrap in mid-July on Disney Plus, and again, Evil ends in August. Avoid paying for two or three months of these services when you can wait to binge the shows in full later this summer.
You can wait to binge season 1 of the new Star Wars series, The Acolyte, in July unless you have FOMO.
Think about how much you’re paying per month for each streaming service you have, and do the math. Netflix is $7 to $23 (plus extra member fees), and Paramount Plus starts at $6. Apple TV Plus is $10. Disney Plus is anywhere from $2 to $25 depending on bundles, Max costs $10 to $20, Hulu starts at $8 and Starz runs $10. Peacock has a base rate of $6 a month (for now). If you decide to rotate, set a calendar reminder to alert you when it’s time to re-subscribe or cancel.
We’ll see you in July for another streaming rundown.
