Just Curious - What streaming service(s) do you pay for and why?

[indyblue]

Canceling is easy if you subscribe through Amazon and I usually get whatever specials they offer on their direct subscriptions…

Prime Video makes it super easy to subscribe and cancel 3rd party services.

I signed up for Paramount+ so I could finish watching Seal Team. When done I just cancelled that channel through prime.

No need to manage individual services and have multiple logins/payment configs, etc. to deal with. Prime is a one stop shop.

I'm not particularly happy that I must subscribe to Prime being what Amazon is and who owns it, but it's the best deal going on atm and the firestick has worked everywhere I've tried it and the shipping perks make it a worthwhile investment.

 

[Bartman]

We've had Netflix forever. Too many series to list: Peaky Blinders, Witcher
Ditto HBO from back before it was streaming. True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones (eventually)
I've been pretty pig headed about adding more since it gets unsustainable pretty quickly.
We got Prime specifically for Reacher. Just recently started getting Paramount + from my wife's granddaughter's account. Don't judge, the wife wanted to see 1883 and I had no part in it.
And finally, I renounce Disney and all its works.

 

[wtburnette]

Had a lot of streaming services, but have pared down to Amazon Video that I get free with Amazon Prime and Max that I get free with my ATT Fiber internet subscription. I'll occasionally pay for a month of something else, but I've lost interest in watching much TV. Recently had high hopes when Hulu brought back Justified for a limited series but it was such garbage I feel like there's no reason to pay for this crap any more. Which reminds me, I had Paramount + through Amazon just to watch Blue Bloods, but now that it's over (or at least the last season is over) it's time to cancel it.

 

[rhamersley]

I have Spectrum streaming service (not cable). They changed out my modem due to issues and they had it for $49 a month for two years (quite a savings over the old Youtube TV). It has all the sports channels and such that I want, and it's about $95 a month for internet and streaming, and I'll cancel once the special deal is off unless they extend it or something.

Right now also have Peacock for $.99 a month until November and split Discovery+ with my daughter for my granddaughters for $4.99.

 

[jkaetz]

Prime (Though very little video)
Youtube Music (I can't stand OTA radio or SiriusXM now)
Youtube TV (Wife wanted local stations and a handful of others)
Disney+ (Kids watch this mostly)
Netflix Disk service (Sad that it's going away next month)

Streaming is having a reconning. The infrastructure to stream entertainment used to be a barrier to entry allowing the rise of Netflix and some others who already had the infrastructure in place. That barrier has been removed now so all the content providers are reclaiming their rights and running their own service. This is pushing costs back to where they were for "cable" and bundling things you don't care about with the things you do care about in an attempt to justify the price. I suppose we still get the benefit of seeing which providers are asking too much for their content.

 

[BroodXI]

disney+ /hulu is free with my verizon plan. and if i ever drop the cell plan , the discount/prepaid i did before it started will kick in for almost 2 years. prime video included with prime account. so i guess i pay for netflix and apple tv. i share the apple tv and get hbo max in return. pretty good return on that trade seeing how apple tv is $7 a month compared to max at $16. I have thought about picking up a walmart+ sub for the gas discount of .10 a gal, and it includes paramount but havent pulled the trigger on it yet. The samsung tv comes loaded with samsungtv which is like the free roku channels, and pluto. and sometimes i hoist the black flag

 

[HoughMade]

Right now, Netflix, Prime and Paramount+. Why? Too lazy to cancel one when I add another, I guess.

 

[63PGP]

Direct Streaming, Netflix & Prime

 

[Nugget]

This is pushing costs back to where they were for "cable" and bundling things you don't care about with the things you do care about in an attempt to justify the price. I suppose we still get the benefit of seeing which providers are asking too much for their content.

Yep. I have to believe that within the next 5 years we're going to start seeing acquisitions and consolidation. Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Hulu, Paramount, Showtime, Peacock, (HBO)Max, Discovery, Starz, and AMC can't all survive, not if they all think their content is worth $7-15/mo. I think we'll eventually end up with about 5 or 6 survivors, and each one will charge $20-25/mo.

 

[Snapdragon]

Prime, Philo, and Hulu. Philo has a wide variety of channels with mostly TV shows (70+ channels for $25/mo.). We only use Prime for a couple of shows, but the free shipping is what we're really using Prime for. Hulu has some good shows that cannot be found anywhere else.

 

[Michigan Slim]

None. Cause I'm a cheap SOB.
No, really it's because I'm almost dead and can't understand most of what I watch, so I quit watching. Dropping cable soon too.

 

[wtburnette]

Yep. I have to believe that within the next 5 years were going to start seeing acquisitions and consolidation. Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Hulu, Paramount, Showtime, Peacock, (HBO)Max, Discovery, Starz, and AMC can't all survive, not if they all think their content is worth $7-15/mo. I think we'll eventually end up with about 5 or 6 survivors, and each one will charge $20-25/mo.

Most platforms are losing millions of dollars, so yes, consolidation is going to happen sooner or later.

 

[Ingomike]

Yep. I have to believe that within the next 5 years were going to start seeing acquisitions and consolidation. Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Hulu, Paramount, Showtime, Peacock, (HBO)Max, Discovery, Starz, and AMC can't all survive, not if they all think their content is worth $7-15/mo. I think we'll eventually end up with about 5 or 6 survivors, and each one will charge $20-25/mo.

Not sure the market will pay that much…

 

[Nugget]

Not sure the market will pay that much…

I think I would (grudingly), if I was getting more content from 2 or 3 of those entities combined. I'd definitely only sign up for one at a time, though. People that still have cable would probably be forced to finally choose to either cut the cord or cancel their streaming services though.

 

[Ingomike]

I think I would (grudingly), if I was getting more content from 2 or 3 of those entities combined. I'd definitely only sign up for one at a time, though. People that still have cable would probably be forced to finally choose to either cut the cord or cancel their streaming services though.

So the people most likely would have been better off just keep cable.

 

[logan71800]

I pay for too many lol
Netflix
Showtime
HBO Max
Hulu
Peacock

 

[Ingomike]

So the people most likely would have been better off just keep cable.

I pay for too many lol
Netflix
Showtime
HBO Max
Hulu
Peacock

Enough said…

 

[Nugget]

So the people most likely would have been better off just keep cable.

I have to believe that's where we're headed. The media companies lost their golden goose (cable) and will eventually push to get it back. If they can consolidate streaming down to a few choices to eliminate consumer options and raise prices, they will. They'll get the prices to the point where you have to choose between cable or streaming, but the price will be similar no matter which you choose. The golden days of cheap streaming are coming to an end.

 

[jkaetz]

I have to believe that's where we're headed. The media companies lost their golden goose (cable) and will eventually push to get it back. If they can consolidate streaming down to a few choices to eliminate consumer options and raise prices, they will. They'll get the prices to the point where you have to choose between cable or streaming, but the price will be similar no matter which you choose. The golden days of cheap streaming are coming to an end.

They'll have a harder time of it though as the price hikes can't be buried in a list of other nonsense fees. The annoyance and frustration will be aimed directly at the people asking for the money. The cost will still go up of course but there will be a lower limit than "cable".

 

[Nugget]

Just came across this article on yahoo finance talking about this very issue...

Americans are canceling more streaming plans as prices balloon

As the golden age of streaming seemingly comes to an end, subscribers are cancelling plans to combat rising costs.

finance.yahoo.com

There's a chart near the bottom that shows full-freight (non-special/trial) pricing for 9 of the most popular services (netflix, amazon, disney, apple, hulu, hbomax, discovery, paramount, and peacock). The ad-supported price for all 9 totals $66/mo. Not unreasonable compared to cable (yet). To get them all ad-free you'd be looking at $115/mo though. No thanks!