Technologies

Streaming TV in March Is a Slam Dunk, But You Can Cancel 3 Services

Some big shows are releasing new seasons — including an anime favorite and Ted Lasso — but here’s a guide on which services to drop to save dough.

With so many shows returning to TV in March, it will be tough to decide which streaming services to keep or cancel. After more than a year of waiting, Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond are back on the Apple TV Plus field. Two years have passed since we’ve seen Baby Yoda, so fans will make The Mandalorian season 3 appointment TV this month. There’s more: Succession returns at the end of the month for a last hurrah, and I have to mention that one of the biggest anime series in the world is hitting the screen on March 4 to wrap up its story in Attack on Titan Final Season part 3.

That means some of you will need to keep at least three streamers in rotation this month — including Crunchyroll — if you want to watch these shows immediately when episodes are available. But you don’t have to.

Each month, you probably weigh whether to cancel a streaming service because of the cost and whatever content is currently available. In these iffy financial times, I’d like to offer one strategy: Churn like ice cream.

What’s that? Simply rotate your services. Subscribe, cancel, stream on a different platform, then resubscribe, keeping your favorites in a rotation. This allows you to save money when Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and so on don’t have the content you want to watch at a given time. Just remember to shut off autorenewal for your monthly subscriptions. Churning may not be an option if you’re sharing your accounts with people outside your household, but if you can work out an arrangement with your streaming peeps, go for it.

To give you a head start this spring, here are my recommendations for which streamers to keep or cancel for March, based on new TV shows and movies (I didn’t consider sports and live TV streaming services) arriving on each platform. Your tastes may be different, but if nothing else, I urge you to at least consider the concept of rotating for savings. It’s easier than you may think.

Watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV Plus

$7 at Apple TV Plus

March streaming service rotation

	Keep	Cancel
Apple TV Plus	X
Hulu		X
Netflix	X
HBO Max		X
Disney Plus	X
Starz	X
Paramount Plus		X
Prime Video	X
Peacock	X

Keep streaming these services if you’re a fan of their shows

Apple TV Plus: On March 15, it’s Ted Lasso, y’all. That is all.

Netflix: Chris Rock goes live, Shadow and Bone is back and the second half of You drops along with a string of new titles. New releases are listed below, but if you’re mad at Netflix about the upcoming password-sharing fees for the US, do as you will.

Sex/Life season 2 (March 2)
Chris Rock: Selective Outrage live comedy special (March 4 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET)
Divorce Attorney Shin K-drama (March 4)
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared (March 8)
You season 4 part 2 (March 9)
Luther: The Fallen Sun (March 10)
Nike Training Club releases new workouts, including yoga (March 10)
Money Shot: The PornHub Story (March 15)
Shadow and Bone (March 16)
Agent Elvis (March 17)
The Magician’s Elephant (March 17) animated original film based on book
Waco: American Apocalypse (March 22)
The Night Agent season 1 (March 23)
Love is Blind season 4 (March 24)
Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (March 31) original anime film
Murder Mystery 2 (March 31)

Watch Shadow and Bone on Netflix

$7 at Netflix

Disney Plus: Keep streaming Star Wars: The Bad Batch and welcome The Mandalorian season 3 (March 1). You may also want to check out Chang Can Dunk (March 10). But if you’re not a Star Wars fan or don’t have kids who need to watch Disney Plus this month, then cancel it.

See at Disney Plus

Starz: BMF wraps its second season on March 17, the same day Tariq St. Patrick debuts with more drama in Power Book II: Ghost season 3. With Zeke and Mecca dead, there will be plenty to answer for in the latest installment. Right now, you can sign up for Starz and pay $5 monthly for three months.

Power Book II: Ghost season 3 comes to Starz on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.

Starz

See at Starz

Prime Video: Adapted from Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel, Daisy Jones and The Six is a new series that will be the biggest drop on Prime Video this month. Begin streaming it on March 3.

Peacock: Bel-Air continues to air weekly. The Poker Face finale drops on March 9, so if you’ve been waiting to binge the show, March is a good time to sign up for Peacock — there’s a free seven-day trial available. You can also stream Premier League soccer and new episodes of NBC shows too like Chicago Fire. If you’re not into any Peacock originals or NBC shows, cancel.

Pause or cancel these streaming services in March

Hulu: If you want, you can keep watching network shows like Snowfall, Abbott Elementary and The Masked Singer or Hulu original Wu-Tang: An American Saga. New drops include Unprisoned (March 10) starring Kerry Washington and Boston Strangler (March 17). It’s likely the new installment of Attack on Titan will stream here too. But if you’d rather wait to binge these titles or you’re not into network TV, pause your subscription for now.

Paramount Plus: Aside from Star Trek: Picard, Ghosts and a few reality shows, there may not be enough to keep you interested in Paramount Plus for March. But here’s what’s new: The Challenge: World Championship (March 6), School Spirits starring Peyton List (March 9) and Rabbit Hole (March 26) featuring Kiefer Sutherland as a spy.

HBO Max: The Last of Us finale airs on March 12, and Succession returns with its final season on March 26. Depending on your preferences, you might want to cancel HBO Max after The Last of Us ends, especially if you’re not a Succession fan. Friendly reminder that HBO Max now costs $16 a month for the ad-free version.

If you really want to save money, hold off on watching Succession’s final season for a few months.

Claudette Barius/HBO

Save more money by waiting to binge

If you’re not someone who routinely gets FOMO, then a smart method is to wait until the bulk or all episodes of your favorite series land on a platform. That way, rather than pay for a service for two or three months to cover the six- to 10-week run of a show, you can catch up on everything by subscribing for one month. And then repeat the cycle again.

For example, there will be 10 episodes of Succession season 4 on HBO Max. The finale drops around late May, so all episodes of the Roy family’s dysfunction will be available to stream at that time. Though it premieres on March 26 and runs through May, why pay for three months when you can wait to stream it in full anytime in June? The same practice can apply to The Mandalorian’s 10-episode run and 12 episodes in season 3 of Ted Lasso.

Note how much you’re paying per month for each streaming service, and do the math. Apple TV Plus is $7. Netflix is $7 to $20 (until account-sharing fees kick in), Disney Plus is anywhere from $2 to $11 depending on bundles, HBO Max costs $10 or $16, Hulu starts at $8 and Starz runs $9. The others have a base rate of $5 per month. Should you decide to churn, set yourself a calendar reminder to alert you when it’s time to resubscribe or cancel. We’ll see you in April for another streaming rundown.

Technologies

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

Here’s what you need to know about new features and upcoming updates for your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.

iOS 17 updates

Using iOS 17

Getting started with iOS 17

Make sure to check back periodically for more iOS 17 tips and how to use new features as Apple releases more updates.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

+15 More

See all photos

Technologies

Get Ready for a Striking Aurora That Could Also Disrupt Radio Communications

Don’t expect the storm to cause a lingering problem, though.

A geomagnetic storm is threatening radio communications Monday night, but that doesn’t mean you should be concerned. In fact, it may be an opportunity to see a colorful aurora in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a geomagnetic storm watch after witnessing a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Saturday. The watch, which was issued over the weekend and will expire after Monday, said the onset of the storm passing over Earth on Sunday night represented a «moderate» threat to communications. As the storm continues to pass through, it could deliver a «strong» threat on Monday night that could cause radio communications to be temporarily disrupted during the worst of it.

Even so, NOAA said, «the general public should not be concerned.»

A coronal mass ejection occurs when magnetic field and plasma mass are violently expelled from the sun’s corona, or the outermost portion of the sun’s atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, the ejection occurs with no real threat to Earth. However, in the event the ejection happens in the planet’s direction, a geomagnetic storm occurs, and the Earth’s magnetic field is temporarily affected.

In most cases, geomagnetic storms cause little to no disruption on Earth, with radio communications and satellites affected most often. In extreme cases, a geomagnetic storm can cause significant and potentially life-threatening power outages — a prospect that, luckily, the planet hasn’t faced.

Switching poles

Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch, with the north pole and south pole swapping positions. During those cycles, the sun’s activity ramps up as it gets closer to pole-switching time. The height of its activity is called solar maximum, and scientists believe we either may be entering the solar maximum or may be already in it.

During periods of heightened solar activity, sunspots increase on the sun and there’s an increase in coronal mass ejections, among other phenomena. According to NOAA, solar maximum could extend into October of this year before the sun’s activity calms and it works towards its less-active phase, solar minimum.

Even when geomagnetic storms hit Earth and disrupt communications, the effects are usually short-lived. Those most affected, including power grid operators and pilots and air traffic controllers communicating over long distances, have fail-safe technologies and backup communications to ensure operational continuity.

But geomagnetic storms aren’t only about radios. In most cases, they also present unique opportunities to see auroras in the night sky. When the storms hit, the plasma they carry creates a jaw-dropping aurora, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors. Those auroras can be especially pronounced during the most intense phases of the storm, making for nice stargazing.

If you’re interested in seeing the aurora, you’ll need to be ready. The NOAA said the «brunt of the storm has passed» and even if it lingers into Tuesday, there won’t be much to see after Monday night.

Technologies

Last Total Solar Eclipse for 20 Years Is Coming: How to See and Photograph It

It’s your last chance until 2044.

Get your eclipse glasses ready, Skygazers: the Great American Eclipse is on its way. On April 8, there’ll be a total eclipse over North America, the last one until 2044.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and turning an otherwise sunny day to darkness for a short period of time. Depending on the angle at which you’re viewing the eclipse, you may see the sun completely shrouded by the moon (called totality) or some variation of it. The more off-angle you are and the further you are from the path of the eclipse, the less likely you’ll be to see the totality.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. The Great American Eclipse will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and then traverse the US in a northeasterly direction from Texas to Maine, and on into easternmost Canada. If you want a good look at it, but don’t live in the path of totality, you shouldn’t wait much longer to book accommodation and travel to a spot on the path.

Or how about booking a seat in the sky? Delta Airlines made headlines for offering a flight that allows you to see the entire path of totality. Its first eclipse flight, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit sold out quickly. But as of Monday, Delta has added a second flight from Dallas to Detroit, which also covers the path of totality. The airline also has five flights that will offer prime eclipse viewing.

Not everyone can get on one of those elusive eclipse-viewing flights. Here’s a look at other options to nab a chance to see this rare sight and what to know about it.

Total solar eclipse path

The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. The eclipse will then make its way over San Antonio at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on April 8 and move through Texas, over the southeastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas by 2:50 p.m. ET.

By 3 p.m. ET, the eclipse will be over southern Illinois, and just 5 minutes later, will be traveling over Indianapolis. Folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 p.m. ET, and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York, by 3:20 p.m. ET. Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will be seen over northern New York state, then over Vermont. By 3:35 p.m. ET, the eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the Eastern coast of North America.

Best places to watch the Great American Eclipse

When evaluating the best places to watch this year’s total eclipse, you’ll first want to determine where you’ll have the best angle to see the totality. The farther off-angle you are — in other words, the farther north or south of the eclipse’s path — the less of an impact you can expect.

Therefore, if you want to have the best chance of experiencing the eclipse, you’ll want to be in its path. As of this writing, most of the cities in the eclipse’s path have some hotel availability, but recent reports have suggested that rooms are booking up. And as more rooms are booked, prices are going up.

So if you want to be in the eclipse’s path, and need a hotel to do it, move fast. And Delta’s eclipse-viewing flight from Dallas to Detroit has just four seats left at the time of publication.

Eclipse eye safety and photography

As with any solar eclipse, it’s critical you keep eye safety in mind.

During the eclipse, and especially during the periods before and after totality, don’t look directly at the sun without special eye protection. Also, be sure not to look at the sun through a camera (including the camera on your phone), binoculars, a telescope or any other viewing device. This could cause serious eye injury. Sunglasses aren’t enough to protect your eyes from damage.

If you want to view the eclipse, you’ll instead need solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Anything that doesn’t meet that standard or greater won’t be dark enough to protect your eyes. Want to get them for free? If you’ve got a Warby Parker eyeglasses store nearby, the company is giving away free, ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores from April 1 until the eclipse, while supplies last.

If you don’t have eclipse viewing glasses handy, you can instead use indirect methods for viewing the eclipse, like a pinhole projector.

Read more: A Photographer’s Adventure With the Eclipse

In the event you want to take pictures of the eclipse, attach a certified solar filter to your camera. Doing so will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while you view the eclipse through your lens.

There’s also a new app to help you both protect your eyes and take better photos of the eclipse on your phone. Solar Snap, designed by a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event. After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately take better shots of the eclipse.

2024 eclipse compared to 2017

The last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017, and many Americans had a great view. Although there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 total solar eclipse and the one coming April 8, there are a handful of differences. Mainly, the 2024 eclipse is going to cover more land and last longer.

The 2017 eclipse started over the northwest US and moved southeast. Additionally, that eclipse’s path was up to 71 miles wide, compared with a maximum width of 122 miles for this year’s eclipse. Perhaps most importantly, the moon completely covered the sun for just 2 minutes, 40 seconds in 2017. This year, maximum totality will last for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.