I spent $1,800 on streaming last year — here's why
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💸 Joe here, with a confession: I let my streaming subscriptions spiral out of control last year.
Why it matters: I really paid the price.
- The media landscape is changing rapidly, with consumers like me facing a seemingly endless supply of streaming services to consider. The process can be confusing and costly.
Case in point: Football fans had to pony up for Amazon Prime Video to watch Saturday night's playoff instant classic between the Bears and Packers.
📺 State of play: At the end of 2025, I decided to audit my streaming costs to save money.
🥴 Stunning stats: Total subscriptions tripled over the year, from three to nine, and my monthly costs ballooned to $207 by December.
- I spent $1,859 last year combined on YouTube TV, Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, Peacock, ESPN+, Disney+, Spotify and Twitch.
I started the year with my basics: YouTube TV, ESPN+ and Spotify.
Yes, but: I kept adding new subscriptions as the calendar turned, mostly for sports:
- Peacock, for Big Ten games and The Open.
- Amazon Prime, for Thursday night NFL.
- Disney+, when YouTube TV blacked out ESPN during a contract dispute.
- Twitch, for this Axios Detroit feature on Tee Grizzley.
Zoom out: Subscribing to every live‑sports platform requires thousands per year, the NYT reports.
- Nationally, leagues like the NFL and NBA have carved up the rights to their highest-profile games across broadcast channels, cable channels and streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max.
- Local fans must navigate a convoluted rights ecosystem to catch their teams' games.
Zoom in: The Tigers and eight other MLB teams televised by the FanDuel Sports Network recently terminated their contracts with the broadcast provider, potentially changing how Tigers fans watch games.
My response: I consider myself a financially responsible person, but my streaming audit was a reality check.
- I canceled everything but YouTube TV, Prime Video and Spotify.
- Pro tip: I also canceled YouTube TV's sports add-on package that I paid for year-round despite only watching NFL RedZone during football season.
The bottom line: Watching live sports is costly, especially if you don't monitor your subscriptions.