Lizzy Talbert/ The Johnsonian
With millions of hours of entertainment at our fingertips every day wherever we go through various different streaming apps, we might feel smart turning away from cable. However, what if we are just becoming trapped in a pit of subscriptions?
There are currently dozens of different streaming services out there, including popular ones such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. Each of these platforms offers countless TV shows and movies, including more and more that are exclusive to their own service, such as Netflix’s popular “Stranger Things.”
This is part of the reason that many people in recent years have begun to either leave cable behind or use it in conjunction with their preferred streaming services. Yet, is it beginning to become more expensive to watch all the shows and movies you want across these multiple platforms than it was to simply stick with cable?
According to a CNBC poll, nearly 60% of Americans use streaming services. A quarter of the nation uses at least two. Of the 60% of streamers in America, a little over half of them use Netflix. 36% of America uses both cable and streaming services. Forbes has found that the average streaming service costs around $9 per month as opposed to an average cable bill of around $107. This means that at least 36% of America is spending around $116 a month for entertainment, even more so for those using more than one streaming service.
At first glance, a little under $10 every month does not seem bad for all the content that comes with it. However, with more and more streaming services popping up with more and more content that users are willing to pay money for, $10 per service piles up, especially when you add in other monthly bills such as internet and cable for those who have it.
The rise of streaming services seems to have reached its peak in terms of public opinion. From here, users are only going to become more frustrated with the increasing sources of entertainment. Services like Netflix are great to an extent. Between all the services currently out there, someone couldn’t ask for more options with the time they have throughout the day to actually watch TV shows and movies. However, the big problem on the horizon stems from the success of these kinds of applications.
Seeing the kind of success streaming services obtain draws the attention of bigger companies such as Disney. These huge companies with archives full of shows and movies old and new have begun to realize the kind of profit that can be made if they create their own services with exclusive shows based on huge properties such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars. Over time, other studios such as Warner Brothers and Universal will likely follow suit and release their own subscription-based services in the vein of the coming Disney+.
This increased quantity of options along with the exclusivity of popular series and characters will result in consumers’ wallets quickly running thin as they try to keep up with everything they love. In the end, the very popularity of this form of media and its success could lead to its downfall as streamers have to begin picking and choosing between which few services they can afford.
