On the ‘Streaming Is More Expensive Than Cable’ Complaint ⇥ birchtree.me
A social media post flew by today where someone was complaining that they stopped paying $180 for cable and now they’re paying $200 for streaming apps. I see this sort of complaint a lot, and I find myself feeling like I’m taking crazy pills whenever I do: I had cable, I know how bad it was, and the new streaming world seems so much better to me, even if it is creeping up in price.
I always appreciate when people bring evidence to a discussion instead of basing their analysis entirely on vibes. Here, Birchler demonstrates the combined cost of streaming services is, for lots of people in the U.S., less than cable television.
I remember when the cost of cable was a routine complaint. You paid for all these channels, but you only watched a handful of things on three of them — and, so, would it not be better if we could just buy the channels we wanted?
I have nothing to support this, but I strongly suspect the rosy glasses reaction to cable in a streaming world is driven by two things. First, the lack of bundling feels worse. If you were told you could get a “complete streaming package” for $60 per month — including Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Paramount Plus, Peacock, and Prime Video — that might sound like a better deal than subscribing to them individually for the same total cost. A single cable subscription made you feel like you were getting everything, while you now need multiple subscriptions if you like to watch a lot of stuff.
Second, as Birchler acknowledges, some stuff still is not available on streaming, and so some people still feel they must add a cable subscription, too. Because most of the big streaming services are owned by the same broadcasters as cable channels, it gives them an opportunity to double-dip.