June is busy for streaming services. Help us decide which ones to keep

If there’s a month during the summer when you want to have the big three streaming services – Netflix, Max and Disney Plus – on your list, it’s June. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider your wallet just yet, especially if you’re now paying for additional people to use your Netflix account.

Avatar: The Way of Water is hitting Disney Plus and Max (formerly HBO Max) on the same day, and Manifest, Black Mirror, and The Witcher are all returning to Netflix. While AMC Plus isn’t on this list, The Walking Dead: Dead City debuts with Negan front and center. It’s time to get your favorite streamers in order.

Each month, you might want to weigh whether to cancel a streaming service because of the content currently available and how much you’re paying for each service. I want to propose a strategy: Churn like butter.

What does that mean? Subscribe, cancel, ride with another platform, then subscribe again. Rotating services as needed saves money when Netflix, Disney Plus, Max and others don’t have the content you want to watch at any given time. Remember to turn off auto-renewal of your monthly subscriptions. Churning may not be an option if you share your accounts with people outside your household, of course. But if you can work out a deal with your streaming partners, go for it.

Here are my recommendations on which streamers to keep or cancel for June, based on new shows and movies (I didn’t factor in sports and live TV streaming services) arriving on each platform. Naturally, your tastes may be different, but if nothing else, I urge you to at least consider the concept of rotating to save. It’s easier than you think.

Learn more: Best streaming services of 2023

Hang on to Disney Plus, Netflix and Max

Disney+: If you haven’t seen it in theaters, Avatar: The Way of the Water arrives on June 7th. Marvel also rules with a new Stan Lee documentary (June 16) and the June 21 premiere of Secret Invasion.

netflix: It’s time to say goodbye to a few shows in June, including Manifest. Here are the standouts on Netflix this month:

• Manifest, Season 4, Part 2 (June 2)
• Arnold (a documentary on Arnold Schwarzenegger, June 7)
• Never Have I Ever, season 4 (June 8)
• Bloodhounds (K-drama, June 9)
• Human Resources, Season 3 (June 9)
• Black Mirror, season 6 (June 15)
• Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (anime, June 16)
• Extraction 2 (June 16)
• The Witcher, Season 3, Volume 1 (June 29)
• Nimona (June 30)

Max: A week after redesigning HBO Max to Max and adding more Discovery Plus content, the platform has some notable debuts for its June slate.

• Magic Mike’s Last Dance (June 2)
• The Idol (controversial new series with Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd, June 4)
• Avatar: The Way of the Water (June 7)
• The Righteous Gemstones, season 3 (June 18)
• Downey’s Dream Cars (June 22)
• Warrior, season 3 (June 29)

There’s also TNT’s AEW All Access (June 9), a new season of We Baby Bears (June 18), and 90 Day Fiance: Before the 90 Days (June 4).

Hulu: Two years after a successful first part, the second season of Cruel Summer arrives on June 6th. The film Flamin’ Hot delves into the true story of Richard Montanez on June 9, but you can also stream it on Disney Plus. Other Hulu releases include The Wonder Years Season 2 (June 15) and The Bear Season 2 (June 22).

Starz: Outlander Season 7 is here June 16, and fans won’t want to miss it. Right now there is a special offer where you can get Starz for $5 a month for three months.

Consider canceling these services in June

First video: If you don’t already have Prime Video, I suggest you wait to sign up until July, as the most popular titles arrive in late June and July. Of course, if you already have access through your Prime subscription, don’t worry about the streaming app being cancelled. Here’s a sample of what’s to come: Dead Loch (June 2), I’m a Virgo (June 23) and Jack Ryan Season 4 (June 30).

Peacock: The entire eight-episode season of Based on a True Story, starring Chris Messina and Kaley Cuoco, will be released on June 8. You might want to cancel Peacock after a binge unless you’re a fan of Days of Our Lives, sports, and Bravo’s reality shows.

Paramount More: New releases include iCarly, season 3 (June 3) and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, season 2 (June 15). If you prefer, you can skip the platform this month and wait to binge on those shows in a few weeks.

Apple TV Plus: Ted Lasso just ended on May 31, so do you really want to keep Apple TV Plus? If you do, Idris Elba’s new series, Hijack, premieres June 28, and Silo’s finale airs June 30. Otherwise, cancel the service for now.

Save more money while waiting

If you’re not someone who regularly receives FOMO, a smart method is to wait for most or all of your favorite series’ episodes to land on a platform. That way, rather than paying for a service for two or three months to cover six to ten weeks of a show, you can catch up on everything by subscribing for a month. And then repeat the cycle.

For example, there will be eight episodes of Secret Invasion on Disney Plus. The finale drops in August, so all episodes of Marvel’s show will be available to stream at that time. Although it airs June 21 and runs through August, save three months of fees while you wait to air it in full anytime in August or September. You can do the same with Cruel Summer on Hulu or the nine-episode series for The Righteous Gemstones on Max.

Write down how much you pay per month for each streaming service and do the math. Apple TV Plus costs $7. Netflix costs $7 to $20 (plus additional member fees), Disney Plus costs $2 to $11 depending on the plan, Max costs $10 to $20, Hulu starts at $8, and Starz costs $9. The others have a base rate of $5 per month (for now). If you decide to unsubscribe, set yourself a calendar reminder to let you know when it’s time to resubscribe or cancel. We’ll see you in July for another streaming preview.