picture of somebody sat down watching netflix on tv

5 easy ways to save £350 on your entertainment packages, per year

Did you know that over a third (35%) of Brits have spent an additional £20 per month on streaming services, throughout lockdown?

However, now that pubs, restaurants, shops and gyms are open, Brits are less likely to pass the time by binge-watching TV.

With this in mind, budgeting experts, thinkmoney, have uncovered how Brits can save up to £350 a year on their entertainment subscriptions, as well as how to get up to 7.5 months’ worth of streaming subscriptions for FREE…

5 easy ways to save £350 on your entertainment packages, per year

1. Cancel your TV license and save £157.50 per year

Whilst this tip isn’t for everyone, some people are unaware that you only need a TV license if you:

Watch or record live TV
Watch BBC iPlayer (live or on-demand)

If you don’t do either of these, you can cancel your TV license and save £157.50 per year.

2. Don’t watch Sky Sports much? Switch to NOW TV and save £120 per year

The Sky Sports package costs £25 per month, however, if you only watch the most important matches, you could be saving money.
Instead, a NOW TV week pass starts at £14.98 and allows you to watch 11 channels.
On the basis that you cancelled your £25 per month Sky contract, and instead opted for a Now TV weekly pass once per month (with no contract), you’d save £10 per month. Or £120 over the year.

3. Combine your Netflix account with another person’s and save £36 per year

Netflix’s ‘Standard’ subscription enables you to watch video content on up to two screens for £9.99 per month.
But if you were to cancel this membership, and instead share a ‘Premium’ account (£13.99), with another friend or family member, it would cost just £6.99 per person, per month.
This £3 cheaper per month, which may not seem like a lot, however, it adds up to £36 over a year.

4. Make the most of free streaming services out there

All 4 and ITV Hub offer many free TV box sets to watch, including Love Island, Gavin & Stacey, Peep Show, The Great British Bake Off and more.
If you pay for a TV license, you will also have access to BBC iPlayer which features TV shows such as Peaky Blinders, Line of Duty and RuPaul's Drag Race UK.

5. Opt for Spotify Duo and save up to £36 per year

If the person you live with also pays for a Spotify Premium account (£9.99 per month), you should both cancel your membership and sign up for the new Duo package.
This costs just £12.99 (or £6.49 each) per month, resulting in a £3 saving per month, or £36 over a year.

How to enjoy free streaming subscriptions for 7.5 months

thinkmoney have also revealed how to make the most of the following free trials:

Month one – three: Amazon Music for three months.
Month four: Amazon Prime (music and TV) for 30 days.
Month five: Hayu (American TV) for 30 days.
Month six: Audible (audiobooks) for 30 days.
Month seven: Spotify Premium (music) for 30 days.
Month eight: Now TV for seven days, and BritBox (British TV) for seven days.