March offers a lot of streaming fun, but you don’t need every service

It will be difficult to put down the remote control this month. You can choose to stream NCAA March Madness games, Disney Plus’ new X-Men animated series, the Oscars, primetime TV shows returning with new seasons (like Grey’s Anatomy) and a series of original movies and series.

Netflix has released an adaptation of 3 Body Problems from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss, and has also dropped Damsel, a feature film starring Millie Bobby Brown, a live tennis match, and a new series called The Gentlemen. Disney Plus brings you Taylor Swift’s Eras, Invincibles returns to Prime Video, and The Regime arrives on Max. Meanwhile, the Harry Potter film series will move to Peacock starting March 1.

While some streaming services have more new movies and shows to offer in March than others, new seasons, new movies, and interesting new shows can make it difficult to ignore what’s on TV. But maybe you don’t want to spend money on every platform.

Each month you may need to consider whether to cancel your streaming service due to the cost and currently available content. With that in mind, I’d like to offer one strategy: shake like ice cream, i.e. swirl.

I wonder how? Try subscribing, canceling, watching other services, then resubscribing to make sure the ones you want are in rotation. Regular streaming services can mix things up and save you money when Netflix, Disney Plus, Max, and others don’t have the content you want to watch at a certain time. Just remember to turn off auto-renewal for your monthly subscriptions. This method may not work if you share your streaming accounts, but if you can work it out, go with it.

Here are my suggestions for which platforms to cancel or keep in March, based on new shows and movies (I didn’t consider live TV services) coming to each platform. Your tastes may be different, but if nothing else, I urge you to at least consider the concept of recycling to save. Embracing it is easier than you think. And remember, a VPN can also be a useful tool while streaming.

Read more: 50 TV shows we can’t wait to watch in 2024

Save these subscriptions for March

Disney Plus: Why? The Taylor Swift: Eras Tour arrives here on March 15, so Swifties as well as more casual fans should subscribe to Disney Plus to watch the movie. Additionally, Marvel’s X-Men ’97 will be released on March 20 on the streamer, reviving the old ’90s animated series with 10 episodes. If you want to watch every week, keep this service.

Hulu: I know you probably don’t want to miss Shōgun every week, so don’t leave Hulu. And keep streaming Abbott Elementary here if you’re a cord cutter. Here’s what else is coming:

• Cleaning Lady, Season 3 (March 6)
• The Masked Singer, Season 11 (March 7)
• 2024 Oscars (March 10)
• Grey’s Anatomy, Season 20 (March 15)
• Station 19, Season 7 (March 15)
• Freaknik: The Wildest Party You Were Never Told (March 21)
• We were the lucky ones (March 28)

Netflix: 3 Body Trouble, Damsel, and The Gentlemen are among the most anticipated titles on Netflix in March, but here’s what you might want to stream:

• Astronaut starring Adam Sandler (March 1)
• Someone Feed the Elephant, Season 7 (March 1)
• Netflix Slam, a live tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz (March 3)
• Hot Wheels Let’s Race (March 4)
• Gentlemen (March 7)
• Pokemon Horizons: The Series (March 7)
• Girl (March 8)
• Queen of Tears (K-Drama, March 9)
• Girls 5Eva, Season 3 (March 14)
• Physical: 100, Season 2 (March 19)
• 3 Body Problem (March 21)
• Irish Desire with Lindsay Lohan (March 15)
• Buy Beverly Hills, Season 2 (March 22)
• The Beautiful Game (March 29)
• Is it a cake? Season 3 (March 29)

the above: Max isn’t a designated point guard, depending on your tastes, but college basketball fans might want Max to stream March Madness on B/R Sports. The Sport level is still available at no additional charge for the time being. Besides that, there’s also The Regime, a limited series starring Kate Winslet (March 3), Wonka (March 8) and A24’s Dream Scenario (March 15). You can also continue streaming Tokyo Vice Season 2 through April.

peacock: Peacock is a toss-up. Apples never fall It has BookTok excited about its TV adaptation, which will premiere on March 14. If you have kids, you may want to stream Trolls Band Together on March 14, as well as Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate and Megamind Rules! On the first of March. Only keep Peacock if it’s essential viewing for you, or if you want to watch the last two episodes of The Traitors.

Prime Video: Invincible The second half of Season 2 returns on March 14. There’s a new Road House movie with Jake Gyllenhaal (March 21), and Ricky Stanicky arrives on March 7. If you have a standalone Prime Video subscription and aren’t interested in these titles, drop it. Remember, Amazon now charges $3 per month if you want to stream without ads.

You may wish to cancel these services

Paramount Plus: The Halo season 2 finale ends on March 21. You can drop Paramount Plus unless you’re a fan of CBS shows, reality TV, or want to watch The Thundermans Return on March 7. There are also NCAA tournament games available to stream throughout the month of March.

Stars: Keep this service if you want to watch BMF every week, as the new season returns on March 1. Hightown is also airing its final season. Otherwise, cancel the service.

Apple TV Plus: Napoleon will be released on March 1, with Manhunt arriving on March 15, and Palm Royale on March 20. And you can still stream The new look or air cushion. I suggest waiting until all episodes of these series are available, but if you prefer to watch weekly (or are interested in checking out the recently announced Great Movies collection), don’t cancel your $10 Apple TV Plus subscription.

Wait for things to save money

Waiting until most or all episodes of your favorite series are available on a platform is a wise strategy if you don’t get FOMO. This way, instead of paying for the service for several months to cover the six- to 10-week viewing period, you can keep track of everything with a one-month subscription. And then repeat the cycle again. This works well if you don’t mind being a binge watcher.

For example, if you have Max for Curb Your Enthusiasm (10 episodes) or Tokyo Vice (also 10 episodes), why not hold off until April or May after the series ends? The new X-Men series on Disney Plus has 10 episodes that will be released weekly, and Palm Royale on Apple TV Plus will air its 10 episodes in May. Avoid paying for two or three months of these services when you can wait to watch these shows in full anytime in the spring.

Think about how much you pay monthly for each streaming service you have, and do the math. Netflix ranges from $7 to $23 (plus additional member fees), and Paramount Plus starts at $6. Apple TV Plus costs $10. Disney Plus ranges in price from $2 to $25 depending on packages, Max costs $10 to $20, Hulu starts at $8, and Starz costs $10. Peacock has a base rate of $6 per month. If you decide to rotate, set yourself a calendar reminder to alert you when it’s time to resubscribe or cancel.

See you in April for another recap of the streaming service.