October Streaming: Here’s a Rundown of Which Services to Keep or Cancel

It’s fall, and October streaming has all the sports, spookiness and dramedy you’d expect. Price changes are hitting Disney Plus and Hulu on Oct. 12, but don’t let that stop you from watching new releases like Loki, Goosebumps or Bob’s Burgers. This month has lots to offer for TV and movie fans alike.

Plenty of international content is hitting Netflix in October, too, including new K-dramas, anime, Lupin and Elite. Let’s not forget Max is launching a live sports tier beginning Oct. 5, so if you’re a cord-cutter who loves the NBA, keep your subscription: it’s free until February. But there are horror and Halloween titles on just about every streaming service, so your overall budget may reach the moon if you like a good jump scare.

Every month, you may need to weigh whether to cancel a streaming service because of cost and the content that’s currently available. In these iffy financial times, I’d like to offer one strategy: Churn like ice cream.  

How do you churn? Subscribe, cancel, roll with a different service, then resubscribe, keeping your favorites in a rotation. Rotating streaming services can be a money-saver 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. This method may not fly if you’re sharing your streaming accounts, but if you can work out an arrangement with your crew, go for it. 

Here are my suggestions for which streamers to keep or cancel in September, based on new shows and movies (I didn’t consider live TV streaming services) coming to 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 might think. And remember, a VPN can also be a useful tool when you’re streaming. 

Read more: 5 Apps That Tell You When and Where Something’s Streaming on TV

Streaming services to keep you busy in October

Disney Plus: The Ahsoka finale airs on Oct. 3, but Loki drops exclusively here on Oct. 5 at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. Also, be sure to stream Haunted Mansion (Oct. 4), the new Goosebumps series (Oct. 13) and, if you’re into it, live episodes of Dancing With the Stars.

Peacock: In addition to Big Ten and Sunday Night Football, Peacock is bringing you Five Nights at Freddy’s on Oct. 27. Other interesting releases this month include Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (Oct. 1), Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (Oct 1.), the finale for The Continental (Oct. 6) and Wolf Like Me season 2 (Oct. 19). 

Netflix: Where to start? Lupin and Elite return, but Old Dads, anime and these other releases may tempt you to keep Netflix. Don’t miss Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher, which is based on Edgar Allen Poe’s works.

• Beckham (Oct. 4)
• Lupin Part 3 (Oct. 5)
• Fair Play (Oct. 6)
• Strong Girl Nam-soon, a K-drama (Oct. 7) 
• The Fall of the House of Usher (Oct. 12)
• Good Night World anime (Oct. 12)
• Elite season 7 (Oct. 20)
• Old Dads (Oct. 20) 
• Doona! (Oct. 20)
• Pluto, a new anime arrival (Oct. 26)

Hulu: Horror fans should keep Hulu this month for the titles below, but Family Guy season 22 (Oct. 2), Bob’s Burgers season 14 (Oct. 2) Spy x Family season 2 (Oct. 7), and ongoing series American Horror Story: Delicate, The Masked Singer and The Golden Bachelor are still streaming, too. 

• Stephen King’s Rose Red (Oct. 1) 
• Fright Krewe (Oct. 2) 
• Appendage (Oct. 2)
• The Boogeyman (Oct. 5)
• The Mill (Oct. 9)
• Goosebumps, a new series based on the book series (Oct. 13)  
• Slotherhouse (Oct. 15)
• Living for the Dead (Oct. 18)
• Cobweb (Oct. 20) 

Starz: The Blackening streams on Oct. 4 and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret lands here on Oct. 11. Shining Vale, season 2, debuts Oct. 13, and we can all keep streaming Power Book IV into November. 

Prime Video: You can actually cancel if you have a standalone Prime Video subscription unless you’re streaming football or The Burial, a new movie starring Jamie Foxx that hits on Oct. 13.

Binge these streamers later unless you have FOMO

Max: The service is not necessarily a must-have in October, but there are some new things happening on Max. Live sports will debut this month on the new sports tier, so look for temporary free access to MLB, NBA games and more. Other notable new arrivals include Our Flag Means Death, season 2 (Oct. 5), Doom Patrol (Oct. 12), Bono’s Peter and the Wolf (Oct. 19) and The Gilded Age, season 2 (Oct. 29). 

Apple TV Plus: Unless you’re a diehard fan of The Morning Show, Apple TV Plus content can be skipped in October and binged next month. Lessons in Chemistry releases on Oct. 13, and you can choose to stream Invasion and the finale of The Changeling on Oct. 13 as well. 

Paramount Plus: The big deal on Paramount Plus this month is the Frasier reboot, which premieres on Oct. 12. There’s also a Milli Vanilli documentary arriving Oct. 24. Cancel this one unless you’re streaming those titles, Survivor or the new K-drama series Bargain (Oct. 5).

Save money by being patient and tactical

Waiting until most or all of the episodes of your favorite series land on a platform is a wise strategy if you don’t get FOMO. 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.  

Take Frasier, for example. The reboot premieres on Oct. 12 and continues its 10-episode season with weekly episodes into December. Why pay for three months of Paramount Plus when you can wait to watch it in full anytime in December? The same principle applies to Goosebumps and Apple TV Plus’ Lessons in Chemistry and The Morning Show, which all wrap in November. 

Think about how much you’re paying per month for each streaming service you have and do the math. Netflix is $7 to $20 (plus extra member fees), and Paramount Plus starts at $6. Apple TV Plus is $7. Disney Plus is anywhere from $2 to $14 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. Should you decide to rotate, set yourself a calendar reminder to alert you when it’s time to re-subscribe or cancel. Be sure to check out our November streaming breakdown in a few weeks.