I'm Not Ditching Hulu or Netflix in October, but These Services Can Be Put On Pause

Fall is officially here with its NFL games , new anime releases, Halloween-themed content and season premieres on both streaming and linear TV. Oh, and the NBA season starts this month, too. I don't know about you, but I have a long watchlist of stuff to stream this month, which includes Dan Da Dan, Like a Dragon: Yakuza , The Lincoln Lawyer, Abbott Elementary and the Power Book II: Ghost series finale . Horror fans will find Peacock, Hulu and Netflix are stepping up with a combination of classics and original movies on their platforms, but lighter fare awaits Disney Plus users with new Bluey episodes and the Wizard of Waverly Place reboot. Too much to watch, right?

I don't mention it on this list, but anime fans may want to stick with Crunchyroll this month for its packed roster of new simulcasts. I also want to remind you that Hulu and Disney Plus will cost more starting Oct. 17. Because streaming can get pricy in October, it could be a month where you're thinking of canceling a service. That's why each month, I offer advice on which subscriptions to drop or keep. Expenses are up and the holidays are around the corner , so I'd like to share one strategy to keep streaming costs down: Churn like ice cream , aka rotate.

It's pretty simple. You subscribe for a time, cancel, switch to another service and then resubscribe, keeping your favorites in a rotation. Rotating streaming services can mix things up and save money when Netflix , Disney Plus, Max and others don't have the content you want to watch at a given time. Just remember to shut off autorenewal for your monthly subscriptions. This method may not fly if you're sharing your streaming accounts , but if you can work it out, try it.

Here are my suggestions for which services to cancel or keep in October, based on new shows and movies (I didn't consider live TV streaming services) coming to each platform. Your tastes may be different, but if nothing else, I urge you to at least consider the concept of rotating for savings. Doing it is easier than you might think.

Read more: 50 TV Shows We're Looking Forward to Watching in 2024

These streaming services offer a lot in October

: Three big anime will land this month: Dan Da Dan on Oct. 3, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, season 3 on Oct. 5 and the subtitled Dragon Ball Daima on Oct. 11. For scares, Huluween offers movies like Hold Your Breath (Oct. 3) and Mr. Crockett (Oct. 11). Abbott Elementary, season 4, hits Hulu on Oct. 10 and What We Do in the Shadows, season 6, premieres Oct. 22.

Netflix: So many returning favorites are hitting the platform this month, in addition to a lineup of original horror movies and new anime. Get into these releases for October:

Love Is Blind, season 7 (Oct. 2)

Heartstopper, season 3 (Oct. 3)

Dan Da Dan (Oct. 3)

It's What's Inside (Oct. 4)

The Menendez Brothers documentary (Oct. 7)

Starting 5 (Oct. 9)

Outer Banks, season 4, part 1 (Oct. 10)

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (Oct. 10)

Uprising (K-drama film, Oct. 11)

The Lincoln Lawyer, season 3 (Oct. 17)

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (Oct. 17)

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory, season 2 (Oct. 17)

Woman of the Hour (Oct. 18)

Kung Fu Panda 4 (Oct. 21)

Hellbound, season 2 (Oct. 25)

Don't Move (Oct. 25)

Time Cut (Oct. 30)

The Manhattan Alien Abduction (Oct. 30)

The Diplomat, season 2 (Oct. 31)

Prime Video: Like a Dragon: Yakuza is one of the biggest premieres on the streamer this month, making its debut on Oct. 24 in the US. Season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina hits Oct. 3, which is the same day Rings of Power streams its season 2 finale. And Citadel: Diana arrives Oct. 10. Don't miss out!

: We told you Peacock was adding over 150 horror movies to its bank (like the Purge franchise and Drag Me to Hell), but there is a slew of originals and other releases hitting this month, like James Wan's Teacup . You can watch the vice presidential debate here, as well as NFL games. Here's a peek at what's coming:

The Mouse Trap (Oct. 1)

VP debate: Walz vs. Vance (Oct. 1)

Blackwater Lane (Oct. 4)

The Real Housewives Of Potomac, season 9 premiere (Oct. 7)

Teacup, season 1 premiere (Oct. 10)

Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist season finale (Oct. 10)

Hysteria!, season 1 debut (Oct. 18)

Despicable Me 4 (Oct. 31)

Disney Plus: Magic reigns on Disney Plus, with Agatha All Along streaming until Oct. 30 and Wizards Beyond Waverly Place introducing on the same day. Parents: New Bluey minisodes will hit on Oct. 7. If you're not interested in these titles, ditch the service this month.

: I plan to skip Max this month, but some of you may want to keep it for NBA games broadcasting late in the month via the B/R Sports tier. Adult Swim's Uzumaki will stream each Sunday on Max and The Penguin continues until November. New releases include Gremlins: The Wild Batch, season 2 (Oct. 3), Salem's Lot (Oct. 3), The Franchise (Oct. 6), Maxxxine (Oct. 18) and Trap (Oct. 25).

Cancel these and wait to binge

Starz: I'm canceling Starz after Power Book II: Ghost airs its series finale on Oct. 4 (the same day Fat Joe's talk show debuts). Sweetpea is premiering on Oct. 10, and viewers can also keep streaming Three Women this month. But with Outlander coming in November, you may want to cancel and then pick Starz up next month.

Apple TV Plus: Skip and wait until November when Silo returns, or you can stream the finales for Slow Horses or Bad Monkey on Oct. 9. Season 2 of Shrinking premieres on Oct.16, too. But if you're not a fan, then skip Apple TV Plus for now.

Paramount Plus: Paramount Plus is a toss-up, once again. There's Tulsa King and NFL games, and new drops include the final season of Star Trek: Lower Decks (Oct. 24) and then season 2 of Lioness hitting on Oct. 27. Don't cancel this service if you're watching these titles.

Being patient saves money on streaming

Wait things out until most or all of the episodes of your favorite series are available on a platform, especially if you don't get FOMO. That way, rather than paying for a service for several months to cover the six-to-10-week run of a show, you can catch up on everything by subscribing for one month and then repeating the cycle again. This works well if you don't mind being a binge-watcher.

For example, The Penguin has eight episodes that air until Nov. 10, and though Starz's Sweetpea looks good, the whole series will be available in November. You can binge shows like Silo, Tulsa King, Lioness and Wizards Beyond Waverly Place (21 episodes) later this year rather than pay for months of a platform. And with Hulu and Disney increasing prices on bundles and standalone subscriptions, it's time to be strategic. Start watching a series a month or so later in the season or wait to binge it all in November or December.

Think about how much you're paying per month for each streaming service you have and do the math . Netflix is $7 to $23 (plus extra member fees), and Paramount Plus starts at $8. Apple TV Plus is $10. Until October 17, Disney Plus is anywhere from $2 to $25 depending on bundles. Max costs $10 to $21, Hulu will cost $10 a month, Starz runs $11 now and Peacock has a base rate of $8 monthly. Should you decide to rotate, set yourself a calendar reminder to alert you when it's time to re-subscribe or cancel.

We'll be back in November for another streaming service rundown.