A report yesterday revealed that a set of popular streaming TV services can now cost more than traditional cable TV packages.
It pointed out that subscription costs have risen dramatically, which creates an obvious risk of people cutting back on the number of services. But I think there’s a second issue, too, and that’s the competition for attention …
Yesterday’s report said that – after price rises by Apple TV+, HBO Max, Disney, Hulu, and others – the total cost of a basket of popular streaming TV services has now hit $87 per month. Indeed, if you opted for all the main services, you could get close to twice that.
With a difficult economy, it’s not surprising that many are now re-evaluating their streaming TV portfolio and deciding that some no longer justify the price.
But I suspect that a second issue may be emerging: There are now so many streaming media services competing for our attention, and only so many viewing hours in the day.
Some months back, I cancelled my Netflix subscription not so much because the price had risen, but because I couldn’t remember the last time I watched it.
With Apple TV+, there are a few shows I enjoy, but months go by without me watching anything, so I tend to simply subscribe for one month every now and then, binge-watch the latest series of a show, then unsubscribe.
I also tend to watch more YouTube videos than anything else. And it’s not just me. Our sister site 9to5Google ran a poll yesterday, asking which is the one streaming service readers wouldn’t give up. The top answer? YouTube Premium.
That’s also true for the site’s Ben Schoon.
I probably spend more time watching cooking videos and mini-documentaries on YouTube than I do watching shows and movies on any other platform. And, sure, while many will point to ad-block as a way to watch YouTube without ads, I prefer not to effectively steal from the creators who make the content I’m watching.
Notably, it’s a service which only demands our attention in small doses. Sure, there are some full-length movies and TV shows on there, but if I take a random sample of my current YouTube recommendations, the vast majority of videos in it are 10 minutes or less.
Top comment by Bender
I'm a fan of YouTube premium in general (because I do hate ads that much), but their recent price increase seems crazy to me. They aren't even making any of these videos. They share a tiny amount of money to people who get the most views but they are basically just a big (very very big) host. They are charging as much as services like Netflix who not only has a massive library but pays for all of those shows to be made.
While I do watch longer videos too, it’s rare for me to sit down and watch any streaming video for hours at a time – the way people did back in the broadcast TV days. It’s more like using odd bits of time here and there for a bit of entertainment, or having a tech question and watching a ‘how to’ guide (currently doing this a lot for Final Cut Pro as I tackle my most complex video project yet, which I’ll share when it’s finally finished).
There’s no need to pay for YouTube, of course, but for me, the Premium subscription is worth it for the ad-free experience (and I share Schoon’s view on not stealing from the people whose work I’m enjoying).
I’m not sure I’d want to be in the streaming TV business right now.
Photo: Oscar Nord/Unsplash
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments