Streaming was supposed to free consumers from the worst parts of cable — bundles packed with channels they had no need for, exponentially increasing costs and ads crammed into every break. Already over 50% have cut the cord on cable and satellite television, moving over to streaming. But as more and more streaming services pop up, they’re starting to look a lot like the industry they were meant to replace.
Exclusive content, once a selling point, is now becoming a double-edged sword. Initially, there were small amounts of exclusive content on certain platforms, but now even entire sports teams are signing on to exclusive streaming deals. Amazon’s Prime Video, for instance, secured the rights to exclusively stream 21 New York Yankees regular-season games. That means fans must subscribe to yet another service just to follow their team — an even pricier ordeal for those outside of New England. While this practice does help companies gain subscribers, it splits content across different channels, forcing viewers to manage with multiple subscriptions, much like cable’s old channel bundles.
Bundling is making a comeback, too. Acting as further proof that television and movies are being separately fenced off like before is the concept of bundling different streaming platforms together. Disney, using their massive commercial empire, has been one of the companies to propagate this. In their “Disney Bundle,” people can get access to several different streaming services — those being ESPN, Disney+ and Hulu — together for a slightly lower cost. This convenience comes at the cost of limiting choice, forcing viewers to buy packages that may include content they don’t need, much like cable’s bundled channels.
Even more concerning is the growing trend of ad-supported tiers, another aspect of cable that streaming was meant to circumvent. While constantly increasing their prices, platforms such as Netflix, Disney+ and Hulu have all introduced subscription options at their older prices but chock-full of advertisements. Now, instead of paying for an ad-free experience, viewers are either forced to endure commercials or pay a premium for what used to be the standard.
With different streaming services increasing their prices and further separating content across platforms, streaming is starting to feel less like an alternative to cable and more like a rebranded version of it. The convenience of on-demand entertainment hasn’t disappeared, but now it comes with a catch: consumers have to ask themselves whether they’ve actually cut the cord or simply swapped it out for a different leash.
Streaming services crowd the entertainment industry, each claiming to offer the best experience. In order to trump their competition, many of them started to expand into creating their own exclusive content and even integration of interactive storytelling and video games. (Photo/Arsh Lalani)
