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Streaming Guide April 2023: You Can Skip These Services This Month

But you should definitely hold on to HBO Max.

Figuring out which streaming services to keep can feel overwhelming, especially when you factor in the added cost of live sports now that Major League Baseball is back. Plus, the costs add up quickly when you want to keep mainstays like Netflix or Disney Plus. But in April there are a few TV shows and movies worth streaming this month, even if that means holding on to a subscription longer than you want to.

Several popular series — like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel — are debuting their final seasons in April, while others like Bel-Air and The Mandalorian are wrapping up until the next installment. 

Each month, I give advice on which streaming services to cancel or keep based on cost and current content lineup. If you’re thinking about canceling a few streaming service subscriptions, I’d like to offer my strategy: churn like ice cream.

That means you’ll rotate your services. Subscribe for a period, cancel, stream on a different platform, then resubscribe, keeping your favorites in a rotation. Feel free to pick one or two must-haves for the year and treat additional streamers like seasonal add-ons.This helps save money on Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max and others when they don’t have the content you want to watch at a given time. Just remember to shut off autorenewal for your monthly subscriptions. This may not work if you’re sharing accounts with anyone outside your household, but if you can work out an agreement with your streaming partners, try it.

Here are my recommendations for which streamers to keep or cancel for April, based on new TV shows and movies (I didn’t consider live TV streaming services) arriving on each platform. In addition to listing the new releases, I’m going to highlight when finales air so you can choose whether to cancel a subscription mid-month or wait to binge a show. Note that Netflix does not have to be a keeper this month. Hear me out: Beef and Chupa drop early, so you may cancel after watching those titles or wait until next month to watch April’s releases (unless you love Power Rangers).

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.

April streaming service rotation

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

Why you should keep these streaming services in April

HBO Max: You can watch Succession unless you want to binge it all in May or June. Titans drops its midseason premiere on April 13, but the series finale hits May 11. Barry — the fourth and final season — debuts April 16. Max Original limited series Love & Death, starring Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons, arrives with three episodes on April 27. The show wraps on May 25.

Hulu: Network shows like Snowfall and The Simpsons continue to air. But there’s a standout: Kathryn Hahn fans can watch Tiny Beautiful Things, a new limited series that drops April 7. Other releases include The Good Mothers and Dave season 3 (both on now), Dear Mama (April 22) and Saint X premieres on April 26. 

Peacock: New episodes of NBC shows likes The Voice are still streaming, but Peacock original Mrs. Davis, an AI-themed dramedy, premieres on April 20. Bel-Air season 2 runs until April 27, so you can binge the entire season this month or in May.

Apple TV Plus: Ted Lasso continues to air through April, and Tetris dropped on March 31 so you can check it out this month. Schmigadoon! returned on April 7 and Jennifer Garner’s new series, The Last Thing He Told Me, premieres April 14. If you’re not interested in any of these, skip Apple TV Plus. Know that it costs $7 a month and comes with a free seven-day trial.

Starz: If you haven’t already, snag a Starz deal at $3 a month for three months. Start watching the new season of Power Book II: Ghost and binge all of BMF season 2. Mid-month, stream the premiere of Blindspotting season 2 on April 14.

Prime Video: Most of us are already paying for this service, but if you’re a fan of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, season 5 premieres on April 14. There will be seven episodes in this final installment. If you have a standalone Prime Video subscription and aren’t a fan or prefer to skip the service’s new series, The Power, then cancel this month.

woman in coat and hat faces man in jacket as they talk in long carpeted hallwaywoman in coat and hat faces man in jacket as they talk in long carpeted hallway

You can watch the final run of The Marvel Mrs. Maisel weekly on Prime Video.

Prime Video

Cancel these after watching what you want

Netflix: While you may find good reasons to keep Netflix right now — like watching older titles — you can save money if nothing here interests you or after you watch new releases at the top of the month. Here’s what’s coming:

  • Mo’Nique: My Name is Mo’Nique comedy special (on now)
  • Beef (on now) — Comedy-drama series from A24 with Ali Wong and Steven Yuen
  • Chupa movie (on now)
  • Hunger — Thai thriller film about a street food cook who winds up working for a cutthroat chef (on now) 
  • Cocomelon season 8 (April 10)
  • Florida Man TV series (April 13)
  • The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (April 14)
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always (April 19)
  • The Diplomat (April 20)
  • Sweet Tooth season 2 (April 27)
  • Firefly Lane season 2, part 2 (April 27) 

Paramount Plus: You can keep streaming Rabbit Hole after its March debut or wait to binge it. April additions include Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (on now) and a Fatal Attraction TV series (April 30). Some of you may want to cancel this service now that March Madness is over, or if you’re not digging Rabbit Hole.

Disney Plus: The Mandalorian’s season 3 finale streams on April 19, but if you only have Disney Plus for this show, then cancel it after it ends. Other releases include The Crossover (on now), a TV series based on a book. The Owl House series is ending with season 3, so watch the first of three episodes on April 9. Rennervations from Hawkeye star Jeremy Renner debuts on April 12, and Disney’s new original film, Peter Pan & Wendy, lands on April 28. 

A cute green alien in Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian.A cute green alien in Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian.

Pack it up after Baby Yoda’s tour is over in April.

Disney Plus

Save more money by waiting it out

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 12-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 weekly 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 premiered 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 Rabbit Hole’s eight-episode run and 12 episodes in season 3 of Ted Lasso. 

man in dark jacket runs from outdoors into curtained structureman in dark jacket runs from outdoors into curtained structure

Kiefer Sutherland as John Weir in Rabbit Hole. 

Marni Grossman/Paramount+

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 $3 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. To avoid paying the most, you can check out deals for streaming services here: Best Streaming Service Deals From Verizon, T-Mobile and More and Best Streaming Service Deals on Hulu, Peacock, Disney Plus and More.

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 May for another streaming rundown.

Technologies

You’ll Soon Be Able to Buy Walmart Products Through ChatGPT

OpenAI’s chatbot already connects to Etsy and Shopify. Now you can buy bananas too.

OpenAI and Walmart will soon offer shopping via AI through ChatGPT, the retail giant said in a press release on Tuesday.

While using ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout feature, customers can buy groceries, electronics or other essentials within the chatbot interface. 

Walmart has its own AI assistant in its app named Sparky. With Sparky, customers can ask questions about products and get summaries of reviews to find the best item. 


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«For many years now, e-commerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change,» Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement. «There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media, personalized and contextual. We are running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future with Sparky and through partnerships including this important step with OpenAI.»

When asked for comment, Walmart referred to its press release. Walmart also said it wouldn’t discuss the financial terms of the agreement at this time.

«We’re excited to partner with Walmart to make everyday purchases a little simpler. It’s just one way AI will help people every day under our work together,» OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in a press release.

OpenAI referred to Walmart’s press release when asked for comment. 

The latest deal with Walmart comes as OpenAI tries to make ChatGPT an all-in-one shopping experience. AI chatbots are increasingly being used as vehicles for online shopping. They can synthesize reviews from across the internet and give people direct answers to shopping questions. Already, ChatGPT connects with Etsy and Shopify with its Instant Checkout feature, allowing people to buy directly. OpenAI also added more shopping features in ChatGPT Search earlier this year

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)  

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Technologies

OpenAI Will Loosen ChatGPT’s Mental Health Guardrails and Allow Erotica for Adult Users

Sam Altman said the company will ease limits for adults after rolling out age verification.

ChatGPT is treading cautiously right now, but the chatbot may become more risqué by the end of the year.

In recent weeks, the generative AI chatbot has been operating under somewhat stringent limitations, as OpenAI tried to address concerns that it was not handling sensitive mental health issues well. But CEO Sam Altman said in a post on X Tuesday that the company would ease some of those restrictions because it’s «been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues.»

Though Altman didn’t elaborate on what tools are being used to address the problem, OpenAI recently announced new parental controls in ChatGPT. 

CNET reached out to OpenAI for details, but the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Other changes are also expected. Altman said the company could allow «erotica» for verified adult users as it implements an «age-gating» system, or age-restricted content, in December. The mature content is part of the company’s «treat adult users like adults» principle, Altman said. 

Altman’s post also announced a new version of ChatGPT in the next few weeks, with a personality that behaves more like the company’s GPT-4o model. Chatbot users had complained after the company replaced 4o with the impersonal GPT-5 earlier this year, saying the new version lacked the engaging and fun personality of previous chatbot models. 

«If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing),» Altman wrote.


Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.


After OpenAI was sued by parents who alleged ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide, the company imposed an array of new restrictions and changes, including parental controls, alerts for risky behavior and a teen-friendly version of the chatbot. In the summer, OpenAI implemented break reminders that encourage people to occasionally stop chatting with the bot. 

On Tuesday, the company also announced the creation of a council of experts on AI and well-being, including some with expertise in psychology and human behavior. 

This comes as lawmakers and regulators are ringing the alarm on the risks AI tools pose to people, especially children. On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed new restrictions on AI companion chatbots into law. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several AI companies, including OpenAI. 

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 15 #591

Here are hints — and the answers — for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 15, No. 591.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is a fun one, once you understand the theme. Some of the answers are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Going up?

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Not an escalator, but…

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • ROTATE, LOBE, NOPE, RATS, STAR, SAME, LOSE, VOTE, BUTTE, SAMS, BAMS

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • ALARM, OPEN, CLOSE, LOBBY, GROUND, BASEMENT

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is ELEVATORBUTTONS. To find it, look for the E that’s three letters to the right on the bottom row, and wind straight up, and then straight down.

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