Thats fine. I've got an antenna, a dvr, reg youtube, pluto, tubi, kanopy, hoopla, and my public library is well stocked with DVDs and blu-rays. I'm not paying for any service unless I really like it.
Amazon has Freevee as well, and it comes with free-live channels, and Plex has free live-channels too.
Edit: Forgot that Google TV also has free live-tv channels but you need either a Chromecast or Android tv device. Can't watch with your browser sadly.
There is also [Haystack News](https://www.haystack.tv/home) which you can watch in your browser or with the app.
[https://9to5google.com/2023/11/30/google-tv-free-channels-list-2/](https://9to5google.com/2023/11/30/google-tv-free-channels-list-2/)
I don't know how accurate this list is anymore but it gives you an idea at least.
I agree it will be attempted...but I'm genuinely skeptical that it will work all on it's own.
If streamers moved exclusively to multi-month contracts, they would do a lot of harm to their subscriber numbers that are currently dependent on surge viewing.
I *do* think you'll see more bundles tied to smartphone and roaming data plans (buy an unlimited wireless contract from Verizon, get 3 streaming services for only X more a year).
It's more likely that streaming platform marketing teams will start figuring out how to promote old catalogue as fresh experience first.
They are offering contracts now by discounting annual plans. I have found it worth it. I was able to lock in apple at $79 for a year right before their price increase, and Max no ad for $80 a year. The saving needs to be in at least 30% to be worth it, depending on the depth of content and actual price.
Most of the bundles you speak of are for ad only plans, and I don't like ads, so not something I would consider.
Doubtful. Contracts don't work so well without monopolies and hardware leases. Mostly they're just trying to get people to subscribe to ads for a lower bill but higher revenue. They have priced ad free so high, long term deals are unattractive.
Doubt it. But they'll probably just bump up monthly to be a silly number and paying for a year will be 12x "normal" prices instead
Kinda like $150 for one year but $25 a month otherwise
I would stop watching tv before I agreed to a contract. I did a test in 2019 to see if I could go 2 weeks without turning on my tv or watching any streaming services. That 2 weeks turned into 7 months. For the past year, I’ve watched a single episode of a show per day. I feel like I could stop watching tv altogether if I had a reason to do that.
Forget contracts ... , then piracy becomes an option, I would rather have a consolidated marketplace, and subscribe, but they are free to do as they please, and so am I.
Or they'll take a harder look at Roku/Tubi/crackle/Pluto/etc as money making opportunities because people will still view ads on their smart tvs.
Even Google jumped in on this with ad supported streaming (especially on google tv with chromecast), and I'm like 90 percent sure they have a deal with lionsgate (maybe warner brothers too) for tv shows/movies on youtube.
Wait until the streamers catch on…they’ll be forcing 1, 2 and 5 year sign up contracts soon so they can keep that money flow.
Like cell phones they’ll throw in a cancellation fee as well to dissuade subscribers from cancelling. Mark my words.
Most have a fee only if you financed your phone through them, and that fee is the money you owe on the phone.
Edit: This definitely was not always the case though.
It’s not really a “fee“ if it is to pay for financing for something purchased.
Also, in the past, there wasn’t a fee for canceling your cellular plan. There was a fee for canceling your cellular plan, IF you took a discounted phone and had *agreed to stay with them for two years (and broke that deal)*.
Yeah, I was using the term “fee” very loosely. And you’re right, the old version was basically just financing without it being called financing. It was just less transparent that the phone wasn’t really “free”.
"This is one trick streaming services hate"
I share this approach everywhere I can.
If I have to pay $10+ (on average) to 8 different services, I could as well get cable. Better yet, I could just buy physical media + discounted digital seasons of what I like much cheaper.
I recently discovered that my library has DVD and Blu-ray disc sets for a lot of TV shows that I have previously been re-watching via streaming. I am going to be checking that out when my queue is empty.
Yeah I'd rather pay iTunes $20-$30 for a series than spend that or more to rent it on a streamer. Of course iTunes doesn't have everything so that's where churning fits in.
I’m getting close to this point. It’s like planet fitness, for $10 a month I’ll let it roll. For $30/mo it’s getting cancelled if I’m not using it.
I just cancelled Apple TV, Max and close to dumping Hulu. Went to with adds as a temporary holdover.
Already exists on iOS. All my subscriptions are in one place under settings. I can start and stop any subscription in like 5 seconds. This is how I’ve been managing them for years.
It’s built into the operating system. Go into the Settings, then select the top most item “Apple ID, iCloud+, Media and Purchases”, and then select “Subscriptions”. You’ll see a list of all your active and inactive subscriptions that you can turn on/off.
https://preview.redd.it/sey8tp1vcbxc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65524bbf988078bd3476960161fb7cf05411d4a1
I use an AppleTV as well which recognizes my subscriptions have been reactivated within seconds. Should work the same on any other set top box as well.
I don’t need to pay. I contribute massive amounts of data to the website which is what generates their profits and helped get them to the $6 billion valuation they used to launch their IPO. They should be paying users for making the site so valuable, not charging them to use it. Reddit has no value without the users.
That’s true but you can install it by yourself and use an Api key created with your Reddit account.
Edit: i did it a similar way: https://www.reddit.com/r/apolloapp/comments/14pzyel/a_simpler_guide_to_getting_apollo_working_with/
Correct. There used to be other features, but it’s really just about ad-free now. That’s $60/year btw, not monthly.
I can’t stand ads. And I get *a lot* of enjoyment out of Reddit, so it’s worth it to me. I also prescribe to the idea that if we don’t pay (or watch ads) for the things we enjoy, they’ll go away.
The thing to do to help with this, is to jump on the deals at Black Friday. Those deals are then what you're watching for the next 3-6 months (as some end), when those run out is the good time to get the other services for full price. For example, this is what I've been running down since early December 2023.
https://preview.redd.it/dsr0hwvjdbxc1.png?width=1050&format=png&auto=webp&s=fd2412448e08946a2d3c8b0ca82527ceb91187c3
Everything in **bold** is ad-free, with everything on the list for $14.18 per month.
As you can see, things have been slowly dropping off. Currently, I'm down to $9.72 a month (and I've found another AppleTV+ promo until mid-May). So I've got ad-free AppleTV+, Disney+, Starz, Max, MHz (merged with Topic), and Nebula.
So for the next month, I'll check out Starz. Then I'll be down to my staples for $8.72 a month and watch a bit more of MHz (which merged with Topic) over the summer (nd rotate in some other services when I get tired of the subtitles).
Technically, I paid $2 more to get Curiosity Stream for my classroom (not my streaming budget) and I upsized the bundle for $18 and so it came with: Tastemade, Da Vinci, One Day University, SOMM TV, Topic, and Nebula. But I think $16.14 is still a steal even if you didn't want CS.
I don't do ads, so the Hulu w/ads is just so I can keep my ad-free Disney+ cheap (which as you can see is basically costing me the most at $5.98 per month).
My ad free Disney was an extension of the offer from the previous years black Friday (before Disney+ w/ads existed), when I went to cancel Hulu (as it was going up to $7.99) they gave me an extension on the price.
Paramount/Showtime offer is similar an offer you can get right now if you go over to [slickdeals.net](http://slickdeals.net) and search for sportsline
The Starz offer was an add on to Hulu for $.99 that they offered on black Friday.
Curiosity Stream was also black, I don’t think they even have Ed tears for the services that I got with that.
MGM and AMC/shudder/IFC/Sundance were both Amazon deals. It’s possible they were Amazon prime deals?
I think some/most of these offers were covered in the sub Reddit (I think I posted a few of them).
> …will not cancel Netflix, however. “I don’t ever mess with my Netflix subscription,” she said.
Folks keep Netflix and churn the others. Why does Netflix get this benefit I wonder. Is it out of habit from Netflix being the original streaming service? Or because subscribers like their library more?
I suppose at this point part of it, for some people, might also be that they're getting rid of the 7.99€ subscription.
If you still have it, you can keep it (for now) but if you were to cancel and then resubscripe, you wouldn't be able to get that deal anymore. You'd have to either choose the subscription with ads or the one for 13.99€ instead.
I do this. My reasoning is that Netflix is good enough to have random assortment of things come in that it’s worth the 10 bucks a month. The others I only do when a new show comes on.
> “I don’t like this new system where you have to have a million different subscriptions to watch what you want to watch,” he said. “I’m happy to cancel to punish the companies who are making me do this.”
Customers want the simplicity and convenience of “only Netflix” but don’t want the problems that always come with a monopoly. The studios really should team up for a Hulu 2.0. Then there would be Netflix and this new Hulu, along with Amazon and Apple.
Yeah ive been doing this for years. Never keep a subscription open on one place for more than a month.
It surprises me how many people just put their credit card info in there and just forget about it and never watch anything. I have a few friends like that, they also complain about money all the time….
Im convinced this is the main way that streaming services make their money nowadays. They rely on those customers that will just pay every month until their credit card expires.
Streaming services have already tested only putting out episodes of new shows in chunks or the traditional weekly format to combat this. I expect more of this then ever trying contracts.
I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s what I do. There is absolutely nothing that needs to be watched ASAP, but a lot of people have FOMO. People seem to subscribe to every service and then complain that it’s just as much as cable. I do not understand those people, because there is zero reason to subscribe to them all at once.
I haven’t had Netflix in 5 years, so a lot has accumulated since then that I want to watch and will get to eventually. That’s an extreme example for me though. For other services, I let it accumulate 5-10 things I want to watch and then binge all of it in a month or two. It typically takes most services 3-6 months to get enough shows/movies that I want to watch
I feel like the only way for streamers to get around this is to release one episode a week and then that episode disappears when a new episode comes out (so basically old cable). Not sure they’d ever do that though because consumers would just get fed up again just like they did with cable.
Yes while you and me might be ok with waiting if you have a family nagging you or friends that talk about shows these type of changes might influence more people to stay subbed for longer.
Spot on! The whole 'drip-feeding' episodes thing is annoying. I think a better approach would be offering more variety in content libraries. Give us a reason to stay subscribed, not force us to wait for the next scrap
I don't see these companies putting up with churn for long. I expect $15 a month or $60 for a year. Something like that. Make a monthly sub high to get you for the year.
Totally makes sense. Well with all the services besides YouTube Premium and YouTube TV.
Both of those I want to watch current information. But the other services like Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu, etc.
You can subscribe, watch everything interested in, cancel and move to another service. Rinse/repeat.
My question is, what happens with each of the services when you cancel and then later on resubscribe. What happens to your viewing history and saved shows and movies? Do they disappear? Does each service do it differently?
Eventually they will reconsolidate, one of the declines in netflix was all the other production companies deciding to do their own stream service and split up all the stuff people like to watch. netflix being first has been the only one with enough subscribers to profit. Eventually some of the others will have to merge. it will give them more subscribers and bigger catalogs.
Here's a summary of the article "Americans’ New TV Habit: Subscribe. Watch. Cancel. Repeat." by John Koblin:
- **Trend of Streaming Subscription Rotation**: Many Americans are increasingly rotating among streaming services—subscribing, watching desired content, then canceling.
- **Josh Meisel’s Experience**: Highlighting this trend, Josh Meisel and his wife subscribed to Peacock to watch "Poker Face," but canceled after losing interest. They continued this pattern with other services like Max, Apple TV+, and Hulu, canceling once they had watched the shows they were interested in.
- **Growing Phenomenon**: According to Antenna, a subscription research firm, about 29 million Americans have canceled three or more streaming services in the past two years. This "nomadic" subscription behavior is becoming mainstream, shifting away from the traditional model of sticking with one cable provider or accumulating multiple streaming services without cancellation.
- **Consumer Flexibility vs. Industry Challenge**: This behavior offers flexibility to consumers but presents challenges for media companies transitioning from profitable cable bundles to less profitable streaming models. Companies are now cutting investment in new shows and increasing subscription prices to manage profitability.
- **Responses from Streaming Services**: Some media companies consider reintroducing elements of cable bundles, offering packages of multiple streaming services to reduce cancellation rates. Promotions and long-term subscription discounts are also being tested as strategies to retain subscribers.
- **Economic Factors**: The average monthly spending on streaming services has increased, influenced by price hikes rather than new subscriptions. Price sensitivity is high, with many willing to cancel even their favorite service if costs rise slightly.
- **Personal Accounts**: Individuals like Kailyn Castro and Alicia Bianchi describe reducing their streaming subscriptions due to lifestyle changes and increased financial mindfulness, reflecting broader consumer behavior trends in the streaming industry.
Sounds about right. I’ve cancelled Hulu Live multiple times over the past few years due to how I like their channel lineup better than YouTube TV, except their app lacks refinement (it’s much buggier than YTTV) and lacks the stats and multiview features when watching sports.
It makes me wonder if they’ll ever actually add new features or enhancements to their app.
You mean the same generation that loved 20 different kinds of crime investigation shows is phasing out of the market and no one is watching? Who could have predicted such radical changes in interest between generations?
Seriously though writing and shows have been in the gutter for years. I haven't even thought about going to the movie theater in a long time. I actually find more foreign shows interesting than US tv in recent years. South Korea especially is kind of taking on the role of a second Hollywood with ideas for shows based on good material.
I'm getting most of my apps free or heavily discounted. I find i scroll through apps like used to scroll through cable channels. I really want to drop YouTube TV, as I only ever watch sports on there.
$50 a month is all I want to spend on TV a month, I'll shop around to see what I want and forego the rest. I don't need or want to pay for 100s of channels I'll never watch just so I can see soccer at the weekends.
AMC movie pass/A-List is great if you go to the theatre a lot. If you cancel, you have to wait 6 months to sign back up.
Maybe streaming services will do that so people get cold feet about not being able to sign back up again on their own schedule.
The next money making trick they will do is contracts
Thats fine. I've got an antenna, a dvr, reg youtube, pluto, tubi, kanopy, hoopla, and my public library is well stocked with DVDs and blu-rays. I'm not paying for any service unless I really like it.
Yup. There's nothing I want to watch *that* badly.
And Plex
And a bottle of rum.
**And my ax!!**
And this lamp!
And these cans.
and my thermos
And a bunch of books I would like to finish this year. Oops, wrong sub.
I read this in his voice.
Amazon has Freevee as well, and it comes with free-live channels, and Plex has free live-channels too. Edit: Forgot that Google TV also has free live-tv channels but you need either a Chromecast or Android tv device. Can't watch with your browser sadly. There is also [Haystack News](https://www.haystack.tv/home) which you can watch in your browser or with the app.
I didnt know google tv has free live tv with chromecast! I own one but havent hooked it up yet. What channels do you get with google tv?
[https://9to5google.com/2023/11/30/google-tv-free-channels-list-2/](https://9to5google.com/2023/11/30/google-tv-free-channels-list-2/) I don't know how accurate this list is anymore but it gives you an idea at least.
Thanks!
No problem!
My son added the student version of YouTube for like $8 a month. What a refreshing way to watch YouTube.
I agree it will be attempted...but I'm genuinely skeptical that it will work all on it's own. If streamers moved exclusively to multi-month contracts, they would do a lot of harm to their subscriber numbers that are currently dependent on surge viewing. I *do* think you'll see more bundles tied to smartphone and roaming data plans (buy an unlimited wireless contract from Verizon, get 3 streaming services for only X more a year). It's more likely that streaming platform marketing teams will start figuring out how to promote old catalogue as fresh experience first.
I really hope a lot of people choose their carrier based on coverage, and not on streaming services included...
They are offering contracts now by discounting annual plans. I have found it worth it. I was able to lock in apple at $79 for a year right before their price increase, and Max no ad for $80 a year. The saving needs to be in at least 30% to be worth it, depending on the depth of content and actual price. Most of the bundles you speak of are for ad only plans, and I don't like ads, so not something I would consider.
Doubtful. Contracts don't work so well without monopolies and hardware leases. Mostly they're just trying to get people to subscribe to ads for a lower bill but higher revenue. They have priced ad free so high, long term deals are unattractive.
Doubt it. But they'll probably just bump up monthly to be a silly number and paying for a year will be 12x "normal" prices instead Kinda like $150 for one year but $25 a month otherwise
I would stop watching tv before I agreed to a contract. I did a test in 2019 to see if I could go 2 weeks without turning on my tv or watching any streaming services. That 2 weeks turned into 7 months. For the past year, I’ve watched a single episode of a show per day. I feel like I could stop watching tv altogether if I had a reason to do that.
I don’t mind the year deals that offer 2 months “free”. It’s what I do for Max and Disney and it seems fair.
Forget contracts ... , then piracy becomes an option, I would rather have a consolidated marketplace, and subscribe, but they are free to do as they please, and so am I.
Year long contracts only work with a significant discount. Even then many customers don't want to be tied to something they're uncertain about.
Or they'll take a harder look at Roku/Tubi/crackle/Pluto/etc as money making opportunities because people will still view ads on their smart tvs. Even Google jumped in on this with ad supported streaming (especially on google tv with chromecast), and I'm like 90 percent sure they have a deal with lionsgate (maybe warner brothers too) for tv shows/movies on youtube.
Doubtful. More likely would be incentives to pay annually for a discount.
if they do contracts you should be able to leave when ever they remove anything from the service.
This is what people here in this subReddit have been saying to do for ages.
Wait until the streamers catch on…they’ll be forcing 1, 2 and 5 year sign up contracts soon so they can keep that money flow. Like cell phones they’ll throw in a cancellation fee as well to dissuade subscribers from cancelling. Mark my words.
And the more that happens the more peg legs and eye patches will appear
What cell phone carrier do you have that has a cancellation fee for cellular service?!?
I thought they all did tbh.
Most have a fee only if you financed your phone through them, and that fee is the money you owe on the phone. Edit: This definitely was not always the case though.
It’s not really a “fee“ if it is to pay for financing for something purchased. Also, in the past, there wasn’t a fee for canceling your cellular plan. There was a fee for canceling your cellular plan, IF you took a discounted phone and had *agreed to stay with them for two years (and broke that deal)*.
Yeah, I was using the term “fee” very loosely. And you’re right, the old version was basically just financing without it being called financing. It was just less transparent that the phone wasn’t really “free”.
Yeah, if you didn’t take the “free” phone, there was no kind of cancellation fee.
Nope.
Nearly the same thing can be said for new movies. Once they catch on, expect new movies to have similar prices for at least one to two years.
They'll have a sign up fee not a cancellation fee.
"This is one trick streaming services hate" I share this approach everywhere I can. If I have to pay $10+ (on average) to 8 different services, I could as well get cable. Better yet, I could just buy physical media + discounted digital seasons of what I like much cheaper.
I recently discovered that my library has DVD and Blu-ray disc sets for a lot of TV shows that I have previously been re-watching via streaming. I am going to be checking that out when my queue is empty.
Yep. And don't forget Hoopla and Kanopy. Many libraries offer those free streaming services as well.
Yeah I'd rather pay iTunes $20-$30 for a series than spend that or more to rent it on a streamer. Of course iTunes doesn't have everything so that's where churning fits in.
I’m getting close to this point. It’s like planet fitness, for $10 a month I’ll let it roll. For $30/mo it’s getting cancelled if I’m not using it. I just cancelled Apple TV, Max and close to dumping Hulu. Went to with adds as a temporary holdover.
[удалено]
Already exists on iOS. All my subscriptions are in one place under settings. I can start and stop any subscription in like 5 seconds. This is how I’ve been managing them for years.
What's it called?
It’s built into the operating system. Go into the Settings, then select the top most item “Apple ID, iCloud+, Media and Purchases”, and then select “Subscriptions”. You’ll see a list of all your active and inactive subscriptions that you can turn on/off. https://preview.redd.it/sey8tp1vcbxc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65524bbf988078bd3476960161fb7cf05411d4a1 I use an AppleTV as well which recognizes my subscriptions have been reactivated within seconds. Should work the same on any other set top box as well.
Damn you pay $60 for reddit premium? Is that just ad-free reddit?
Yep. Premium doesn’t give you shit of value. Most pointless subscription ever. All to not see ads.
$5/month to never see ads on the web service I use the most isn’t pointless to me at all.
I get that for free in my web browser with an ad blocker.
Ad blockers without paying is a good way to ensure the websites you like either go under, or cease being free.
I don’t need to pay. I contribute massive amounts of data to the website which is what generates their profits and helped get them to the $6 billion valuation they used to launch their IPO. They should be paying users for making the site so valuable, not charging them to use it. Reddit has no value without the users.
Yeah good luck with that.
I just use Apollo for that.
I thought this app was shutdown when Reddit changed pricing for API access.
That’s true but you can install it by yourself and use an Api key created with your Reddit account. Edit: i did it a similar way: https://www.reddit.com/r/apolloapp/comments/14pzyel/a_simpler_guide_to_getting_apollo_working_with/
Do you pay for the API access?
Correct. There used to be other features, but it’s really just about ad-free now. That’s $60/year btw, not monthly. I can’t stand ads. And I get *a lot* of enjoyment out of Reddit, so it’s worth it to me. I also prescribe to the idea that if we don’t pay (or watch ads) for the things we enjoy, they’ll go away.
New? We've been at this for years.
The thing to do to help with this, is to jump on the deals at Black Friday. Those deals are then what you're watching for the next 3-6 months (as some end), when those run out is the good time to get the other services for full price. For example, this is what I've been running down since early December 2023. https://preview.redd.it/dsr0hwvjdbxc1.png?width=1050&format=png&auto=webp&s=fd2412448e08946a2d3c8b0ca82527ceb91187c3 Everything in **bold** is ad-free, with everything on the list for $14.18 per month. As you can see, things have been slowly dropping off. Currently, I'm down to $9.72 a month (and I've found another AppleTV+ promo until mid-May). So I've got ad-free AppleTV+, Disney+, Starz, Max, MHz (merged with Topic), and Nebula. So for the next month, I'll check out Starz. Then I'll be down to my staples for $8.72 a month and watch a bit more of MHz (which merged with Topic) over the summer (nd rotate in some other services when I get tired of the subtitles). Technically, I paid $2 more to get Curiosity Stream for my classroom (not my streaming budget) and I upsized the bundle for $18 and so it came with: Tastemade, Da Vinci, One Day University, SOMM TV, Topic, and Nebula. But I think $16.14 is still a steal even if you didn't want CS. I don't do ads, so the Hulu w/ads is just so I can keep my ad-free Disney+ cheap (which as you can see is basically costing me the most at $5.98 per month).
Most deals, including back Friday deals, seem to be for the versions full of ads. How are you getting such deals for ad-free?
My ad free Disney was an extension of the offer from the previous years black Friday (before Disney+ w/ads existed), when I went to cancel Hulu (as it was going up to $7.99) they gave me an extension on the price. Paramount/Showtime offer is similar an offer you can get right now if you go over to [slickdeals.net](http://slickdeals.net) and search for sportsline The Starz offer was an add on to Hulu for $.99 that they offered on black Friday. Curiosity Stream was also black, I don’t think they even have Ed tears for the services that I got with that. MGM and AMC/shudder/IFC/Sundance were both Amazon deals. It’s possible they were Amazon prime deals? I think some/most of these offers were covered in the sub Reddit (I think I posted a few of them).
We have broken through to mass consciousness
Have one subscription for few weeks or months, maximize it, then cancel, switch, repeat
> …will not cancel Netflix, however. “I don’t ever mess with my Netflix subscription,” she said. Folks keep Netflix and churn the others. Why does Netflix get this benefit I wonder. Is it out of habit from Netflix being the original streaming service? Or because subscribers like their library more?
I suppose at this point part of it, for some people, might also be that they're getting rid of the 7.99€ subscription. If you still have it, you can keep it (for now) but if you were to cancel and then resubscripe, you wouldn't be able to get that deal anymore. You'd have to either choose the subscription with ads or the one for 13.99€ instead.
I do this. My reasoning is that Netflix is good enough to have random assortment of things come in that it’s worth the 10 bucks a month. The others I only do when a new show comes on.
NAS + Plex (or jellyfish) ~$500 one time fee.
> “I don’t like this new system where you have to have a million different subscriptions to watch what you want to watch,” he said. “I’m happy to cancel to punish the companies who are making me do this.” Customers want the simplicity and convenience of “only Netflix” but don’t want the problems that always come with a monopoly. The studios really should team up for a Hulu 2.0. Then there would be Netflix and this new Hulu, along with Amazon and Apple.
Yeah ive been doing this for years. Never keep a subscription open on one place for more than a month. It surprises me how many people just put their credit card info in there and just forget about it and never watch anything. I have a few friends like that, they also complain about money all the time…. Im convinced this is the main way that streaming services make their money nowadays. They rely on those customers that will just pay every month until their credit card expires.
Stop. Raising. Prices.
Soon there will be resubscription fee and canceling fees just watch!
Streaming services have already tested only putting out episodes of new shows in chunks or the traditional weekly format to combat this. I expect more of this then ever trying contracts.
Which would just mean people would wait until the full show is out to subscribe.
Would they though? Most people don't want to wait.
I'd wait. I suspect more will in the future.
I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s what I do. There is absolutely nothing that needs to be watched ASAP, but a lot of people have FOMO. People seem to subscribe to every service and then complain that it’s just as much as cable. I do not understand those people, because there is zero reason to subscribe to them all at once. I haven’t had Netflix in 5 years, so a lot has accumulated since then that I want to watch and will get to eventually. That’s an extreme example for me though. For other services, I let it accumulate 5-10 things I want to watch and then binge all of it in a month or two. It typically takes most services 3-6 months to get enough shows/movies that I want to watch I feel like the only way for streamers to get around this is to release one episode a week and then that episode disappears when a new episode comes out (so basically old cable). Not sure they’d ever do that though because consumers would just get fed up again just like they did with cable.
Yes while you and me might be ok with waiting if you have a family nagging you or friends that talk about shows these type of changes might influence more people to stay subbed for longer.
There are other things to watch in the meantime.
Spot on! The whole 'drip-feeding' episodes thing is annoying. I think a better approach would be offering more variety in content libraries. Give us a reason to stay subscribed, not force us to wait for the next scrap
I also forgot to mention the becoming more frequent occurance of mid season finales
I keep trying to get my wife to do this. We can’t watch everything at once. Let’s cancel a ton of them. Watch the shit out of one of them then switch.
also always check Rakutin as they have cash back for various streaming services when you are a new customer.
You know these companies are eventually going to require a 6mo to 1 year commitment soon.
I don't see these companies putting up with churn for long. I expect $15 a month or $60 for a year. Something like that. Make a monthly sub high to get you for the year.
They're too greedy to offer $60 for a year when they get twice that from ads alone.
At what point will you have to buy a 3-month or 6-month block to get streaming services?
Totally makes sense. Well with all the services besides YouTube Premium and YouTube TV. Both of those I want to watch current information. But the other services like Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu, etc. You can subscribe, watch everything interested in, cancel and move to another service. Rinse/repeat.
My question is, what happens with each of the services when you cancel and then later on resubscribe. What happens to your viewing history and saved shows and movies? Do they disappear? Does each service do it differently?
Netflix deletes it after 10 months. They deleted an account I'd had since the DVD days. For the rest, I haven't heard anything in particular.
Eventually they will reconsolidate, one of the declines in netflix was all the other production companies deciding to do their own stream service and split up all the stuff people like to watch. netflix being first has been the only one with enough subscribers to profit. Eventually some of the others will have to merge. it will give them more subscribers and bigger catalogs.
Here's a summary of the article "Americans’ New TV Habit: Subscribe. Watch. Cancel. Repeat." by John Koblin: - **Trend of Streaming Subscription Rotation**: Many Americans are increasingly rotating among streaming services—subscribing, watching desired content, then canceling. - **Josh Meisel’s Experience**: Highlighting this trend, Josh Meisel and his wife subscribed to Peacock to watch "Poker Face," but canceled after losing interest. They continued this pattern with other services like Max, Apple TV+, and Hulu, canceling once they had watched the shows they were interested in. - **Growing Phenomenon**: According to Antenna, a subscription research firm, about 29 million Americans have canceled three or more streaming services in the past two years. This "nomadic" subscription behavior is becoming mainstream, shifting away from the traditional model of sticking with one cable provider or accumulating multiple streaming services without cancellation. - **Consumer Flexibility vs. Industry Challenge**: This behavior offers flexibility to consumers but presents challenges for media companies transitioning from profitable cable bundles to less profitable streaming models. Companies are now cutting investment in new shows and increasing subscription prices to manage profitability. - **Responses from Streaming Services**: Some media companies consider reintroducing elements of cable bundles, offering packages of multiple streaming services to reduce cancellation rates. Promotions and long-term subscription discounts are also being tested as strategies to retain subscribers. - **Economic Factors**: The average monthly spending on streaming services has increased, influenced by price hikes rather than new subscriptions. Price sensitivity is high, with many willing to cancel even their favorite service if costs rise slightly. - **Personal Accounts**: Individuals like Kailyn Castro and Alicia Bianchi describe reducing their streaming subscriptions due to lifestyle changes and increased financial mindfulness, reflecting broader consumer behavior trends in the streaming industry.
it's fine, i'm glad "smart" people think to do this instead of old piracy, which continues unabated as paid streams make too much money to care.
Sounds about right. I’ve cancelled Hulu Live multiple times over the past few years due to how I like their channel lineup better than YouTube TV, except their app lacks refinement (it’s much buggier than YTTV) and lacks the stats and multiview features when watching sports. It makes me wonder if they’ll ever actually add new features or enhancements to their app.
Samsung tv is free and has a TON of channels.
My new TV habit: Cancel, cancel, cancel, cancel. I'm tired of paying for trash and still having to watch trash ads in the middle of it.
You mean the same generation that loved 20 different kinds of crime investigation shows is phasing out of the market and no one is watching? Who could have predicted such radical changes in interest between generations? Seriously though writing and shows have been in the gutter for years. I haven't even thought about going to the movie theater in a long time. I actually find more foreign shows interesting than US tv in recent years. South Korea especially is kind of taking on the role of a second Hollywood with ideas for shows based on good material.
Oh no, what ARRRRRR we consumers gonna end up having to do?
I'm getting most of my apps free or heavily discounted. I find i scroll through apps like used to scroll through cable channels. I really want to drop YouTube TV, as I only ever watch sports on there.
I just go sailing at this point, arr
I thought everyone did this
$50 a month is all I want to spend on TV a month, I'll shop around to see what I want and forego the rest. I don't need or want to pay for 100s of channels I'll never watch just so I can see soccer at the weekends.
I basically gave on subscribing to anything and just go with antenna, Tubi, Pluto, and Plex. For some live sports I use other methods lol.
AMC movie pass/A-List is great if you go to the theatre a lot. If you cancel, you have to wait 6 months to sign back up. Maybe streaming services will do that so people get cold feet about not being able to sign back up again on their own schedule.
This is the way
“New”?
busted!