HOLLYWOOD—Have you checked the rate that you are paying for the various streaming services that you have? Well, if you haven’t you might want to check them. Why? The prices are continuing to go up and it feels like something that is not going to stop anytime soon. The notion of streaming was to help people cut down on the costs that you have to pay for cable service.
Yes, I will admit that I pay for cable and there is a reason. I like the notion of being able to just turn on the TV and go to the channel to watch the content I want to watch. When you start to implement streaming, you can’t do that. You have to exit out of cable and go into your streaming apps. Select the app you want to watch then go through the menu to find the TV series or movie that you want to watch.
It is more work than just changing the channel with your remote. I’ll be the first to admit, the prices for cable have been on the rise, but I don’t think it has been on the rise as much as your streaming services. It feels like every single week or month, we hear about a streaming service raising their prices for the consumers. Notably, Peacock is in the news because they’re prices are on the rise. Peacock has seriously lost its damn mind if they think consumers are going to spend $16.99 for their premium service.
I have Peacock because it comes with my cable service. It is an extra perk, but no way in hell would I pay more than $5 for this streaming service. Why? There is not as much content in my opinion worth it. Yes, there are TV shows, yes there are some movies, but nothing to the caliber of what you get with Netflix, Paramount+ or HBO Max. Forgive me if the names are not accurate, because they change so much it is frankly frustrating.
I can be ok paying $16.99 for the premium tier of HBO Max. I mean its HBO. They are known for getting blockbuster movies, they have a ton of content (this includes Discovery+) which has loads of content so there is no need to purchase Discovery+ if you have HBO Max. If I am paying close to $20 for a streaming service, it better have a plentiful amount of content and I’m not messing around.
In 2025, I don’t think there is a streaming service today that is less than $10/month. So, start doing the math because there is easily over 20 streaming apps/services if not more. If you have at least 10 or 15 you’re spending $150 or more just for the streaming services without commercials.
If you want the service ad-free, you’re paying more. It is even worse, if you are someone that already has cable and you’re paying close to $175 to $200/month for the cable service. What is the point of cutting the cable cord if you’re paying just as much if not more because of the countless streaming apps that you have? There isn’t one. I hate to say the pandemic has impacted us much more than I ever imagined. Not just socially, but on an entertainment front that seems to not be changing anytime soon.
