You renewed it again last month. Didn’t even think about it. The charge slipped through—$7.99, $14.99, maybe $16.99—and you told yourself you’d cancel it later. You still haven’t watched anything on it in three months.
Sound familiar?
1. Apple TV+: The Prestige Subscription You Forget Exists
Apple TV+ costs $9.99 a month, which sounds reasonable until you realize you’ve watched exactly two shows in the past year. Maybe Ted Lasso. Maybe Severance. And now? Radio silence.
The problem isn’t quality—it’s quantity. Apple’s library is razor-thin compared to Netflix or HBO. You signed up for one must-see series, binged it in a weekend, and then… nothing. But the charge keeps hitting your card because it’s bundled into your Apple ecosystem, tucked away where you don’t see it.
Most people don’t realize Apple TV+ has fewer than 200 titles total. Netflix has over 5,000.
Then vs Now:
Then: “I’ll keep it for the next season.”
Now: That next season dropped four months ago and you still haven’t pressed play.
2. Paramount+: The Service You Got for One Football Game
You wanted to watch a specific NFL game. Or maybe Yellowstone. Or your partner insisted on rewatching Frasier. So you signed up for Paramount+ at $5.99 or $11.99 depending on whether you could tolerate ads.
That was six months ago.
Paramount+ suffers from middle-child syndrome—it’s not prestige enough to feel essential, not broad enough to replace anything, and not niche enough to justify itself. It has some CBS shows, some movies, some live sports… but nothing that makes you open the app twice a week.
The streaming equivalent of a gym membership you bought for January motivation.
3. Peacock: NBC’s Forgotten Cousin
Peacock costs between $7.99 and $13.99 a month, and if you’re being honest, you only remember it exists when the Olympics roll around or when someone mentions The Office is on there now.
Here’s the thing: Peacock has a decent library. Classic sitcoms, Premier League soccer, some solid originals. But it launched into an already-crowded market, and most people treat it like a free trial they forgot to cancel.
You’re paying for it. You’re just not using it.
Quick fact: The average Peacock subscriber opens the app less than 4 times per month, compared to 26 times for Netflix users.
4. Discovery+: The “I’ll Watch It Someday” Documentary Graveyard
$4.99 or $6.99 a month for every HGTV show ever made, plus true crime, nature docs, and cooking competitions you swear you’ll get to eventually.
Discovery+ banks on aspiration. You want to be the kind of person who watches documentaries about deep-sea exploration and home renovation shows. You’re just… not.
Most people subscribe during a specific obsession phase—maybe shark week, maybe a 90 Day Fiancé binge—and then it quietly lingers on their account like a houseplant they forgot to water.
It’s not bad. It’s just not urgent.
5. Showtime (or Paramount+ with Showtime): Premium Cable’s Awkward Digital Afterlife
Showtime used to mean something. Homeland. Dexter. Billions. Now it’s $10.99 a month (or bundled into Paramount+ for $11.99), and unless you’re actively watching Yellowjackets, you probably can’t name three current Showtime shows.
The brand still carries weight from the cable era, but in the streaming wars, it’s become wallpaper. You keep it because it feels premium, not because you’re actually watching.
Expectation vs Reality:
Expectation: “I’ll finally catch up on all those critically acclaimed dramas.”
Reality: You’ve rewatched Dexter seasons you’ve already seen and called it a month.
6. Hulu’s Add-On Channels You Didn’t Know You Had
Hulu starts at $7.99, but then you added Starz ($9.99), or HBO Max through Hulu ($15.99), or maybe even Cinemax ($9.99) during a free trial that auto-renewed.
Now you’re paying $40+ a month for Hulu and you’re not even sure which channels you’re subscribed to anymore.
The sneaky part? These add-ons don’t show up as separate charges. They’re buried inside your Hulu bill, making it easy to ignore. You think you’re paying $15 for Hulu. You’re actually paying $32.
Most people don’t realize Hulu add-ons don’t send separate renewal reminders—they just quietly continue.
7. ESPN+: The Sports Bet You Lost
$10.99 a month for UFC fights, some NHL games, and a bunch of sports content you’d need to be a superfan to care about.
You signed up because one specific game wasn’t available anywhere else. Maybe it was an international soccer match. Maybe it was a niche college sport. Either way, you watched it, enjoyed it, and then forgot ESPN+ existed.
It’s not ESPN’s main content—that’s still on cable or regular streaming bundles. ESPN+ is the overflow lot, and unless you’re deeply invested in a specific sport, it’s just $132 a year collecting dust.
8. AMC+: The Zombie Subscription That Won’t Die
$8.99 a month for The Walking Dead universe, Mad Men reruns, and Shudder horror content bundled in.
AMC+ made sense for exactly one reason: you wanted to watch The Walking Dead or one of its seventeen spinoffs without waiting for it to hit Netflix. But once you caught up? There’s not much pulling you back.
It’s a network-specific streaming service in an era where people want everything in one place. And yet, it lingers on your account like a subscription zombie—slow-moving, low-priority, somehow still there.
The Real Cost Isn’t Just Money
Eleven dollars here. Eight dollars there. It adds up to $60, $80, maybe $100+ a month across services you barely touch.
But the bigger cost is the mental clutter. Every unused subscription is a tiny decision you’re avoiding. A small piece of friction that makes you feel slightly less in control of your own money.
You’re not paying for entertainment anymore. You’re paying for optionality. For the idea that you could watch something if you wanted to.
And maybe that’s worth it. Or maybe it’s just easier than logging in and hitting “cancel.”
