Rise and fall of Subscription & Streaming

[Mle8308]

I am probably dumping my Disney+, I got a notice it's going up to $139 for a year. Three years ago I paid $69 for a year and I almost never watch it. I kept it for possible room discounts offered at WDW, but now they seem to have Disney Visa discounts (I have the free card specifically for that) which are the same overall and I've started to rent points (even less than the Disney+ discount). I may do the commercial version, I have until mid January to decide. I'm not sure it's worth it to me. I enjoy the documentaries, but I'm not into the Star Wars or Marvel stuff, and that seems to make up a lot of the newer content. Now I have to decide it D23 is worth another year...

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We got rid of traditional cable years ago because our local providers were ridiculously expensive and the number of HD options were noticeably less than satellite. When satellite started to get ridiculously expensive, we started looking at streaming alternatives like Fubo, Hulu+Live TV, and YouTube TV. YouTube TV won and we still have it, but we also have some more traditional streaming services as well as ones we buy into periodically.

Netflix- It's tied to our TMobile service, so we just keep it
Amazon Prime- We keep it around for Prime shipping. Everything else is an added perk.
Disney+- We had it for a while, but ditched it. We are probably going to add it again with the bundle (as well as Hulu) in February when we do our annual add back of ESPN+ (use it to watch NCAA softball)
ESPN+- We have it Feb-June most years for sports.
HBO/Max- We had it for a couple of years but recently got rid of it because we weren't finding much to watch.
Paramount+- We recently added it with a Black Friday deal, but it's glitchy. We will be getting rid of it when we do the Disney,Hulu,ESPN bundle.
Apple TV- I got it free with one of our phones for a year, but canceled at the end of the window because there was very little to watch.

I believe those are the only paid ones we've tried.

As for watching movies that aren't included...I feel like it's really no different than having cable in the old days. I might have cable as well as HBO and Showtime on our cable plan, but the brand new movie I wanted to watch may only be available at Blockbuster for rental. So, I had to go rent it for an added fee. Today's digital rentals are really not very different. Yes, there are going to be some things not available on demand at the various digital streaming sources, but that was true back in the rental days as well. You weren't guaranteed that your video store would have whatever older movie you wanted to see and you'd be stuck trying to buy it if it was that important.

 

[jujubiee4]

I read where Tubi has recently surged in subscribers. Yeah because it is free. Honestly so many
now want to charge for ad based. Might as well watch Tubi/Freevee etc for free.

The ads everywhere have gotten out of control. Shell has them on a video screen while you pump
gas. Last month DH and I went to a movie and 15 MINUTES of COMMERCIALS before the movie started.
Not movie trailers but commercials.

Remember when Netflix was the only game in town and had a decent library? Then studios had to
strip their content and open their "streaming " business. Not realizing that when you look closely a lot
of them have 5 or 6 good movies or shows and the rest garbage. No wonder people binge and quit.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

We currently have a few streaming services, HBO/MAX is tied to our cellphone plan and it is free. *knock on wood* we have do not have ads on that. We have Netflix b/c DH has a subscription, and that is causing a family controversy at the moment because of the "multiple login"issue, Hulu (seems like it is part of his daughter's stuff), and Paramount Plus (because I got in on that cheap Walmart plus thing). I will say I have been very underwhelmed by Paramount Plus.

We DID have Disney Plus for quite a while because my step-daughter's boyfriend left it logged in on our TV. He has since logged out or cancelled his subscription because it doesn't work anymore. I discovered that when I wanted to watch Home Alone this year. I had to dig around and find the DVD, and find the necessary cable to hook up the DVD (well, BluRay) player.

 

[sam_gordon]

Everything comes down to money. Broadcasters, cable/satellite companies, and streamers are all businesses. They're trying to make as much money as they can for the products they have. Advertising is just one way they bring in money. They also get money from subscriptions. Prices will go up as long as the market support it. Economics 101.

The products they have are the shows they have the rights to. The more shows (especially popular ones) they have the rights to, the more people are willing to pay for it.

 

[MillauFr]

If you don't like the high prices for these services just cancel them. I didn't watch much Disney + so I just canceled. I didn't like how Cable TV kept raising prices so I cancelled that too.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Checking my "Just Watch" App - OP's movie, "Bridget Jones Diary" is on Fubo, Paramount +, and Showtime if you are a subscriber to any of these. or you can rent it from a variety of places, Apple TV, Amazon, YouTube or Vudu for $3.99, no subscription needed.

The beauty of the way it is now is you can subscribe to a service for just a month, then cancel. You are not locked into a contract. That goes for all the services, unless you manage to get them at some multi-month discounted rate that you locked yourself into voluntarily. The rental option allows you to stream immediately. As much as I miss my local Blockbuster (and no joke, I really do), that's about the price I would have paid there and I would have had to hope they had it in stock and I'd have to go there to get it and then go back to return it. As much as I am loathe to admit it, this way is better. This is hardly the "fall of streaming". I don't miss cable and satellite TV one bit. Those guys are a bunch of sharks that are more than happy to lock you into a year-long contract without so much as telling you what is included or when the price will go up (and it most definitely will if you don't re-subscribe and stay locked in).

 

[lynxstch]

Email from Amazon Prime Video says they are now going to put ads on their shows and movies. Will cost $2.99 a month if you want no ads. I don't watch it enough to pay $3 a month, and I think that the $139 we pay for a year of Prime is more than enough as it is.

I have Disney + and Hulu, it was more cost effective to add Hulu with no ads to Disney+ with the cost of Disney up to $13.99

I have Netflix, just started it, and I find I'm watching it more than anything else, including cable lately. They'll probably be the next one to put ads in there.

 

[peabody58]

The next step (for me at least) is ditching all streaming services and getting most of my entertainment from Youtube. IMO I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything worth paying money for.

Ahh the infamous YouTube Rabbit Hole!! Watching people mowing grass till 1 am.

I love when the YouTube algorithm throws something new into my recommended picks. Very mind-expanding, fun, educational and free.

We have an HDTV antenna (free), Roku (free), Sling Blue ($40), Netflix (almost free w/T-Mobile), Max (free w/ATT Fiber). Also have an AirTV2 wired into our router/antenna so the 50+ antenna xchannels appear on our Sling Guide/Menu (only need one remote). We used to have Starz (only for Outlander) and Disney+, but have cancelled them both.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Ahh the infamous YouTube Rabbit Hole!! Watching people mowing grass till 1 am.

I love when the YouTube algorithm throws something new into my recommended picks. Very mind-expanding, fun, educational and free.

We have an HDTV antenna (free), Roku (free), Sling Blue ($40), Netflix (almost free w/T-Mobile), Max (free w/ATT Fiber). Also have an AirTV2 wired into our router/antenna so the 50+ antenna xchannels appear on our Sling Guide/Menu (only need one remote). We used to have Starz (only for Outlander) and Disney+, but have cancelled them both.

I have watched YouTube videos that had more passion, dedication and effort put into them than TV shows and movies on a streaming service.

 

[sam_gordon]

Email from Amazon Prime Video says they are now going to put ads on their shows and movies. Will cost $2.99 a month if you want no ads. I don't watch it enough to pay $3 a month, and I think that the $139 we pay for a year of Prime is more than enough as it is.

I have Disney + and Hulu, it was more cost effective to add Hulu with no ads to Disney+ with the cost of Disney up to $13.99

I have Netflix, just started it, and I find I'm watching it more than anything else, including cable lately. They'll probably be the next one to put ads in there.

I agree. But, I use Prime AND watch Prime enough to justify the cost (at least to me).

I go between Netflix and Amazon for On Demand shows, with the occasional Disney. The first two at least allow you to download content for offline viewing (great when travelling). We have Hulu Live for the Live event stuff (sports).

 

[TwoMisfits]

I've canceled and restarted a lot of streamers. Here's my current set...

Netflix - almost free through TMobile
Amazon - paid for with shopping - BUT, in Oct 2024, I may cancel anyway. I did that one year, and the spouse missed it, so we got it back the following year. I watch little here, but son loves football, so we watch the TNF games...
D+ - canceled and got a great deal, so have it for 6 months through May 2024 ad free
Hulu - same as D+
HBO Max - canceled and then got a Black Friday great deal for 6 months - so also through May 2024
Peacock - Black Friday great deal - through Nov 2024 (will watch Olympics)
Apple/MLS TV - free through phones through Jan 2024 - already canceled, so just watching the dregs...
Philo - $15 through phone - will be the way I watch the Superbowl

Total OOP - Netflix ($4/month), Amazon ($12/month prorated from year), D+/Hulu ($5.99/month ad free), HBO Max ($2.99/month), Peacock ($1.50/month), and Philo ($15/month).

Total for everything I have - $41.50ish/month

After May, I will not renew Max b/c so many of the programs are now on Netflix (and Philo)...but I didn't know that when spouse lobbied to re-up it. As for D+/Hulu, we'll probably also let that rest, so I'll be at $32/month after May, and we'll see what my phone plan might give me for the year (I have gotten MLS, MLBTV, AppleTV twice, and Paramount in previous years, so I always leave open a spring add on for streaming)...I really am thinking about dropping Amazon, although my kids said they could just switch us to student, which they could...so that may be the way I go in October...

 

[_19disnA]

I suspect there will be some shake-out/consolidation among all of the various TV/streaming offers. Many providers make their ongoing prices as obscure as possible to signup new viewers. Once the 'special' offer runs out, I often wonder if you are really just paying the same thing as you started with. Avoiding the hassle of jumping around with different providers is worth something to me.

What sounds like a bargain may not be any better than what you currently have.

 

[sheilafri]

Different people will find different solutions. We subscribe to YouTubeTV as we can watch at home and at our vacation home (in Florida) so we get DH’s sports coverage everywhere. We subscribe to HULU/Disney+ on the Black Friday deal. We get a gift certificate to Netflix at Christmas and it drops off automatically so we have that to watch in the winter when we watch more TV. We have Amazon for the shipping so I will not be adding the ad free option to that in January ‘24.

 

[ChrisFL]

Beyond what's been stated already and apologies if someone else also mentioned this, but it gets really annoying when a series just stops being hosted on one streaming service and goes to another one, or a movie franchise (like James Bond for example) jumps around seemingly random streaming services.

Then you have HBO Max...I mean Max who will not only cancel a show but REMOVE IT ENTIRELY so you can't even watch older episodes and good luck finding it anywhere else to watch.

This and physical media dying out is not a good combination. I definitely understand physical media going away is good for the environment, but it isn't good if these platforms don't let you own anything and keep changing their offerings and prices

 

[MillauFr]

I've canceled and restarted a lot of streamers. Here's my current set...

Netflix - almost free through TMobile
Amazon - paid for with shopping - BUT, in Oct 2024, I may cancel anyway. I did that one year, and the spouse missed it, so we got it back the following year. I watch little here, but son loves football, so we watch the TNF games...
D+ - canceled and got a great deal, so have it for 6 months through May 2024 ad free
Hulu - same as D+
HBO Max - canceled and then got a Black Friday great deal for 6 months - so also through May 2024
Peacock - Black Friday great deal - through Nov 2024 (will watch Olympics)
Apple/MLS TV - free through phones through Jan 2024 - already canceled, so just watching the dregs...
Philo - $15 through phone - will be the way I watch the Superbowl

Total OOP - Netflix ($4/month), Amazon ($12/month prorated from year), D+/Hulu ($5.99/month ad free), HBO Max ($2.99/month), Peacock ($1.50/month), and Philo ($15/month).

Total for everything I have - $41.50ish/month

After May, I will not renew Max b/c so many of the programs are now on Netflix (and Philo)...but I didn't know that when spouse lobbied to re-up it. As for D+/Hulu, we'll probably also let that rest, so I'll be at $32/month after May, and we'll see what my phone plan might give me for the year (I have gotten MLS, MLBTV, AppleTV twice, and Paramount in previous years, so I always leave open a spring add on for streaming)...I really am thinking about dropping Amazon, although my kids said they could just switch us to student, which they could...so that may be the way I go in October...

I spend too much time on Disboards to watch that much TV.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I spend too much time on Disboards to watch that much TV.

Well 6 folks here are watching it...I never really watched much of my free Apple (2 movies, some Peanuts specials, and 1.5 series in a whole year this go around), so it's easy to always cancel after my free Phone period...I've had Apple TV twice now for free, and still don't find anything to watch there...it makes me never regret the time I don't have it...

 

[pookybean]

I saw on the local news that streaming services are "teaming up" and offering bundles. Verizon had an offer for MAX and Netflix. Received a flyer in the mail for Disney + and HULU. They predict that more streaming services will do the same because it's become oversaturated and consumers are paying for 7 streaming services on average.

I only had disney+ (that i was honestly debating on cancelling because we dont watch it much anymore). On black friday there was a deal for hulu, .99/month and add disney+ for $2. I cancelled my disney, subscribed to hulu and added disney+... Im now saving $5 a month

 

[tvguy]

If you had told me in 1979 that I would be PAYING for TV, I would have thought you were crazy. I bought my first VCR in 1979 so I could watch one program while recording another at the same time because the 8 free OTA channels I had more programming that I could watch. No cable TV here in 1979. Or as TV Guide called it at the time, Pay TV.

 

[RangerPooh]

There was something on the news the other day that mentioned streaming platforms/services are on the decline due to rising costs and crack downs on password sharing.

We subscribe to a few streaming services, but refuse to keep adding. Some are bundled to save money, others may be on the chopping block. It's still cheaper than when we had cable, but the cost continues to increase.