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Canceled Streams
Subscription overload is a problem that is finally being discussed in the open. The mainstream spenders seem to have had enough of it — especially when it comes to streaming services. The Wall Street Journal, citing research from analytics company Antenna, writes:
About one-quarter of U.S. subscribers to major streaming services—a group that includes Apple TV+, Discovery+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, and Starz—have canceled at least three of them over the past two years, according to November data from subscription-analytics provider Antenna. Two years ago, that number stood at 15%, a sign that streaming users are becoming increasingly fickle.
I am one such subscriber. I canceled Disney+ (including Hulu & ESPN), Max, Paramount+, and Netflix. Currently, I have Apple TV+ because I have “Apple One,” Amazon (Prime), and YouTube (without ads). I don’t really use Amazon Prime that much; it doesn’t have shows I really want. Moreover, they too have plans to start showing ads. John Gruber, in his typical colorful manner, said it best: “This is a rinky-dink move that solidifies Prime Video’s status as a second-rate streaming service.”
It’s not that I don’t want to subscribe to these services — they just don’t provide good value for money. If something particularly good pops up, I sign up for the service, binge for a week or two, and then cancel. For instance, during the holidays, I re-signed for Acorn TV and BritBox. I will unsubscribe in a month or two. I use Apple to subscribe to these video services, as it masks my email identity, and I don’t need to deal with giving up personal details.
Subscription madness is not just restricted to streaming services; you can hardly get any software as a one-time purchase. Instead, everyone wants you to keep paying for things perpetually. At some point, you have to ask yourself — do I really want to spend $100 a year on a note-taking app when I can get Apple Notes for free? Between media subscriptions, software subscriptions, and streaming subscriptions, I was spending enough money to actually hit pause and streamline.
This spending rationalization is also going to hit the “SaaS” companies too — there are simply too many SaaS services that don’t provide enough value for their customers to keep spending big dollars. But that’s a topic for another story!
So which “subscription” service are you still paying for these days?
January 2, 2024. San Francisco
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Well, so far “only” for Netflix, Apple TV+ and YouTube.
I’m not really paying for Prime Video since it’s included in Amazon Prime.
Apple TV+ by far the best around these days.
I am not sure what is good Andrea these days — except for the “shows.” When I hear about a good one, I add it to the list and then wait and watch when I can.
Hi Om,
Good points you make.
There are so many great shows. One can’t watch them all.
So now we keep a note on our iPhone.- someone mentions a good show on x channel, we add the note.
When we have a nice backlog on x channel we subscribe and watch everything. Then cancel.
I’m old. I’m lazy. But this is easy to do. The young people do this in their sleep. Bodes poorly for all the streaming services.
Indeed. I think this is an opportunity for a collaborative service (channel on WhatsApp) where a few friends can create their own WatchPool 😉
It’s even worse if you’re interested in something like Tennis. Half the games appeared on ABC, half on ESPN+, very few on the tennis channel but that did have the tournaments leading up to the US open. When we get to the US open it’s going to be a different set of channels. It’s enough to make anyone throw their hands up in frustration.
Indeed. This is when you kinda have to wonder if you just sign-up for a cable subscription and forget about using the cable till you have to 🙂
Sorry, I meant, the Australian Open (then a different set of channels for the US Open).
that isn’t the half of it, sometimes it’s almost impossible to figure out how to cancel one of the streaming services once you have subscribe to it. I almost needed to hire detective to figure out how to cancel Disney+ I couldn’t figure it out Without a lot of sleuthing!
which brings me to a much larger issue about subscriptions in general. Credit card companies and other payment services need to have a way for you to easily stop or forbid recurring charges on their accounts. This has become an insanely difficult issue and needs to be fixed unwanted recurring charges are just plain old fraud in my opinion!
I agree 100% it is a huge issue. So that is why I use “Apple ID” to sign-up and cancel. It is very simple way to start and stop subscriptions. Just make sure you don’t sign up for annual plans. Credit card companies need to do this as well. I also have heard some startups are rocking on solving this problem as well.
[Sorry for the lack of paragraph breaks. reformat as you wish.]
In the beginning, CATV (Community Antenna Television) brought a VHF tuner knob full of channels to places where rooftop antennas provided fewer than one hand’s worth with fingers left. I grew up in such a place and it was great.
Then came the first satellite madman, Ted Turner, who convinced CATV systems to add just one more channel, but the programming was very different.
Once Turner proved how to make money squirting signals at geosync satellites, others piled on with avarice ablazin’.
The result was often characterized as “500 channels and there’s nothing on!”
Now add the new “over the top” or “streaming” providers and the latest version of the lament is “5000 channels there’s nothing on!”
Now add the “vampire capitalism” business model of a needle in your arm. the reason for the initial bite doesn’t matter as long as the needle stays in the vein and the blood keeps flowing. That’s all that matters. Anything beyond that is just “bait” to keep the needle in the arm.
And now people are feeling crappy from a frightening, unjustifiable blood loss. And don’t forget the annoyance of all those needles and catheters because anyone who can buy kit wholesale claims they have a right drill a test well in your arm.
As for the streaming services themselves, just as in the downhill slide of cable TV, the streamers often have just a few shows you’d watch if you can find them, and the
rest is a time machine to the heyday of black&white TV out of the lower depths of early TV. (Sometimes real gems return from the dead, but not often.)
Once upon a time, I was asked what worried me most about the future of the Internet. I replied, “That it will become just one more cable for more Cable TV.” The interview just scoffed.
Oh well.
Mike
You know that is the saddest part of the Internet’s present. It has become Cable TV.
PS: I remember reading that quote!