Are we going back to the cable days?

With services raising prices and introducing ads, is streaming starting to look like cable?

Streaming was supposed to free consumers from cable’s woes — high monthly prices, tons of ads, and unnecessary programming.

Are we going back to the cable days?

But recent developments at the biggest streaming services are starting to reveal a different reality, per Bloomberg.

Streaming services…

… are making price increases a regular occurrence:

  • Netflix raised the monthly price on its standard plan to $15.49/mo. in January, its third increase since 2019.
  • Disney recently announced upcoming increases for Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, and its bundle after already raising prices multiple times since launching in 2019

Both platforms also announced ad-supported plans at a lower cost.

But not so fast

In July, streaming surpassed cable consumption for the first time. Even so, the median price American consumers pay for streaming is $20-$30 per month, a far cry from the $79/mo. the average cable plan costs.

So, while costs are adding up, you’d have to subscribe to pretty much every platform to pay more than you would for cable.

Topics: Streaming Media

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