I think at least for me it would be cheaper to rent or “buy” movies à la carte on YouTube and similar platforms than subscribing to that amount of services.
Streaming TV costs now higher than cable, as 'crash' finally hits
Submitted 1 year ago by tst123@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
https://9to5mac.com/2023/08/14/streaming-tv-costs/
Comments
kungfuratte@feddit.de 1 year ago
geekworking@lemmy.world 1 year ago
If anyone is old enough to remember when cable first showed up, it followed a similar path. They had to complete against “free” over the air TV, so cable had to be a good deal at first to get subscribers.
Once they got the frog in the pot, they slowly turned up the heat.
The next stop for streaming will be the prominent platforms jockeying to be the next “cable” monopolies.
The sales pitch will be “buy a package of channels at a discount” over individual.
It has already begun. Amazon, Apple, Hulu all resell other channels. HBO re-branded their entire channel just to start carrying non-HBO content.
Bigger platforms will leverage subscriber base to lock in content deals so the smaller ones won’t be able to compete.
Consumers will get some deals until smaller players are choked out, but as soon as they can companies will start the dry anal rape that only a near monopoly can deliver.
redeyejedi@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I think what a lot of people forget is that what Streaming did was allow you to watch what you want when you wanted it. No need to TiVO it and worry about space. No need to pay a separate fee for OnDemand. Now I can choose to watch 6 seasons of a show day in and day out at the time I want.
It was inevitable that they would start to package streaming services together. It’s still better than old school cable. There’s always the High Seas for those that have the technical chops necessary for that.
AA5B@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Unfortunately, they’re trying to push a variation of on-demand again. Last night my kid saw a movie he wanted to watch”for only $3”. It kept showing him the only choice was to rent it …. Until I pointed him to another service we already subscribe to
faintedheart@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Start using torrents. The good old ways are better. Don’t feed the corporate motherfuckers undeserved money. I even cheated disney+ for a subscription. I was getting disney+ subscription for one year (with ads) in my credit card if I spent a certain amount. I spent that amount and got the subscription for free and cancelled the order and got my money back. Now I have one year of disney+ which I will watch in the browser with ublock origin. No ads with all content unlocked. Do I care or regret?. No fucking way.
pfannkuchen_gesicht@lemmy.one 1 year ago
better don’t start using torrents in germany though.
jenniebuckley@lemmy.world 1 year ago
just pirate it lol
ultratiem@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
I’m actually good with pirating being a small time affair 🤫
Hazdaz@lemmy.world 1 year ago
We watch YouTube Premium 95% of the time. No more cable TV. We have Netflix and a few of the other services, but YT has the content we usually want to watch.
Misconduct@startrek.website 1 year ago
YouTube feels almost as bad as paying for cable tbh. Maybe worse because at least the cable companies don’t pretend not to be evil
Hazdaz@lemmy.world 1 year ago
If you’re talking about the ads, the viewer experience with and without ads is night and day.
pinkdrunkenelephants@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
And this is why we 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️
thorbot@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I sit back and laugh as my Plex server streams my 4k video to any device inside or outside my network for free. And it has content from every major streaming service. My monthly fees for streaming are $0.
pomodoro_longbreak@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Hmmm I’ve been avoiding joining the neighbourhood Plex because Netflix has been adequate for me. But they keep dicking around with the price despite soaring profits, so I may just take my business elsewhere.
thorbot@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Having your own collection is the way. Plex has a Netflix style interface and it has apps for every platform. A simple port forwarding rule in your router allows you to watch it from anywhere and it costs nothing.
joel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
I mean you still need to pay for your VPN/ Usenet server subscription, but it’s more like $80/ year as opposed to per month
thorbot@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I don’t use a VPN service. I only use vetted private trackers that don’t host flagged torrents.
davi@lemm.ee 1 year ago
up until now; i thought plex only did stored media and streaming service with a subscription. are you using streaming aggregators of some type?
thorbot@lemmy.world 1 year ago
No, I just download the box sets of shows or mp4 rips of movies from a private torrent tracker, and they are automatically detected and added to my plex server
CCatMan@lemmy.one 1 year ago
Yep, streaming is dead to me.
DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 1 year ago
Here’s a hot take:
You can just cancel services you aren’t using, until you want to watch something they have.
CrypticFawn@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
I used to do this but I honestly got tired with the swapping. Just dumped them all.
Nioxic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Here, we have 1 at a time.
But we dont watch anything on a daily basis
CCatMan@lemmy.one 1 year ago
I did, i cancelled everything lol
ScaNtuRd@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I only have 2 words in response to this: qBitTorrent, Jellyfin
AdamHenry@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
I need to go down the rabbit hole and figure out what lurks in the depths. When I switched over from PS to Xbox, the clerk that was helping me out joked that I was switching over to the dark side. In retrospect, that was like moving from mayonaise to another brand of mayonnaise.
Squander@lemmy.world 1 year ago
All of these services are trying to justify the price hikes for their poor decision to make their own streaming platform instead of adding to established ones. We went from cable (+100 channels), to paying for every channel’s stream. Its illogical but if consumers are stupid enough not realize it, then more power to them. You know its a problem when theres apps to make sure you canceled subscriptions to apps.
thatsnothowyoudoit@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
A bit odd that the article doesn’t mention advertising on cable/sat/fiber/traditional(?) media delivery into the home.
The single biggest draw, to me, isn’t that I can watch when I want (that’s second). It’s not having to spend my time watching ads. Life is just better without someone trying to sell me something for 20 minutes out of every hour.
I’m willing to pay for that privilege.
I value my time - or at least the opportunity to spend it how I want when I’m not making someone already rich, even richer.
Copernican@lemmy.world 1 year ago
With cable do you still lease set top boxes? Or do they give those away for free now? Couldn’t tell if that was factored into the cost.
Someology@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Usually you get 1 set top box included in your plan and a limit on how many devices can stream to the cable app at once (cable is all streaming now in most places, and even many small cable companies have Android and iOS apps to stream for their subscribers). You cannot usually watch cable directly with even a very new TV and coax alone, because its just video streaming over Cable Internet now. Then you pay a rental fee per box for any extra TVs, or if you need to stream to more than the included limit of 3-5 you have to upgrade your plan/package.
Drop_All_Users@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I pay for YouTubeTV, and to be honest it’s basically Cable, expect it’s over the internet, I don’t need a set top box, and I can watch it on my TV/Phone/Laptop, whatever.
So when I hear people say “cable”, I really think YouTubeT, Live Hulu, or other similar services…
Touching_Grass@lemmy.world 1 year ago
What’s next? The internet is harder to find and share free information than a brick and mortar library?
hairinmybellybutt@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The most retarded thing about streaming, is that it costs so much more in bandwidth and energy and hardware, like it’s not even funny.
When you broadcast, everybody watch the same thing at the same time, so the infrastructure COPIES information directly in their network.
When you stream, EVERY USER REQUIRES SERVERS TO SEND DATA OF A HD OR 4K VIDEO FILE.
THIS MEANS THAT A NETFLIX SERVER MUST MULTIPLY ITS BANDWIDTH BY THE NUMBER OF USERS. IN HIGH DEFINITION.
WHY AM I YELLING?
Oh nothing, it’s because the world is burning.
matlag@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Could we define a trade-off system? Classic broadcasting can take way too long to send out a large catalog. Streaming is, as you say, a heavy resources consuming system.
So how about a combo of a box or a software that can follow a broadcast N times faster than human, and broadcast N movies/series episodes a day? The application let you pick what you’d like to get on your box/app, and then it’s like classic video recording, but on steroids.
It would be like live-streaming, but at 2, 3, 10 times the normal speed. No human needs to follow that.
Of course, you still have the issue of glitches, communication interruption, but we’ve dealt with those for years, and there are certainly ways to indeed stream the missing parts, or use rediffusion.
You read it first here. I’m off to file for a patent and make billions (or not…)
o_0@slrpnk.net 1 year ago
Personally I prefer to just not pay for anything exept internet and torrent and stream everything for free, much cheaper, no restrictions
EmperorHenry@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
Using torguard VPN, and torguard’s proxy service inside of qbittorrent would be extremely immoral and you should never do that!
sturmblast@lemmy.world 1 year ago
pirates don’t care about morality in this situation
Sendbeer@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Well, to be fair they are counting streaming ad free versions against cable tvs ad ridden service. Not exactly apples to apples. But yeah, streaming is starting to not look like such a bargain. And it’s going to get worse no doubt. But I quit cable, and I can quit streaming as well. Not sure I even need to pirate, plenty of other low cost entertainment options.
RoseRose56@lemmy.world 1 year ago
For sure it id, do you think they are stupid too lose easy money? First of all, subscribing in more than streaming service, it was never a wise option. Second, is the content worth of watching ? Third, you watch 1 or 2 seasons only to learn it got cancelled, most of the series dont last long. Forth, you never get to watch what you want, because they don’t have all the series and movies. You have to find another streaming service that offers what you want.
I don’t have any subscriptions, and I want to keep it that way.
sexy_peach@feddit.de 1 year ago
lmao “innovation”. Fuck big tech.
gunpachi@lemmings.world 1 year ago
I have Disney+ and Prime video, but my family watches Youtube on tv for the most part. So I was thinking of cancelling those subscriptions anyway.
And if I ever happen to need any particular show, I can just go on a little fishing trip to the sea.
Khalic@kbin.social 1 year ago
How is streaming more expensive than cable? Am I obligated to pay disney+ to see something on TV+?
fadhl3y@lemmy.one 1 year ago
Steaming was only cheaper because the streaming services never paid writers
sj_zero 1 year ago
Cable TV companies don't pay writers...
And neither cable TV nor streaming services are free, but OTA television is, and they pay their writers...
DJVIIIMan@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’m still paying a lot less for my streaming apps than I was for Direct TV. A lot less.
SeeJayEmm@lemmy.procrastinati.org 1 year ago
Maybe if everyone and the uncle didn’t have to have their own streaming service it wouldn’t be so expensive and they wouldn’t be bleeding subscribers.
markr@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Eventually this will settle out to three streaming platforms, call them ‘ABC, CBS, NBC’', with shitty ad-filled shitcoms, fake reality dramadies, and tru-crime idiocy, all generated by ai. Your screen will provide the necessary data back to the ai models to keep your gaze fixated and your credit maxed out. You will be consumed. You are the commodity.
In other news Taylor Swift will sell her 2023 tour as data for the TS2023 Virtual Experience, which will play globally for all eternity everywhere.
csolisr@communities.azkware.net 1 year ago
Have you considered going without media altogether?
moitoi@feddit.de 1 year ago
The good old days remember to somes.
josheron@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Other thing I see is that people fall on the trap that they NEED to watch what everyone is watching.
Just don’t. Rotate if you need to.
I pay Netflix one month per year, most other services even less.
YouTube Premium is the only I pay full year. It’s my TV now.
Sargteapot@lemmy.nz 1 year ago
I’m the same with YouTube premium but that’s mainly because years ago when it was cheep me and a few mates did a family plan, between the 5 of us it’s like $6 NZ per month and they have grandfathered us so the price hasn’t changed. (Tho I think originally it was $4 per month) since it’s pretty much all I watch it works perfectly and comes with YouTube music!
MrMukagee@lemmynsfw.com 1 year ago
Or just use one stream … then if you really want to watch something you can’t get … just put on your peg leg and raise the flag on your ship.