The evolution of media platforms and technology as a whole are responsible for a shift in the ways people consume information. Today I’ll discuss my personal experiences with some of these modern methods and what I believe the future of these services could look like.
I primarily use YouTube as a means of getting news and entertainment. The combination of subscriptions and the variation of context is appealing to me. If I want to binge a web series or just check up on the events of the day, I don’t have to go very far. Ad blockers also push the website further than Hulu for example, which has the same ad frequency as television.
Netflix or HBO are much better alternatives. Access to tailored shows and the ability to watch at your own pace are much more appealing than paying for hundreds of channels that you’re never going to use (I’m looking at you, cable). Unfortunately, free services and mediums like the aforementioned are becoming more like the cable business model.
I started thinking about how prices have changed over the years and it’s almost as if companies are shifting the platform, but turning into the villains they claim to be better than. How long will it be before some of the same streaming services we know and love begin to offer “packages” like the golden days of Time Warner?
Let me be clear, I love some of these companies. It makes sense to charge more money for better content or offer free versions of a stripped down website to encourage more consumers to buy into useful extras. What troubles me is the path that this model can lead to if we’re not careful. The reason that these companies have been so successful compared to the now waning broadcasting networks is that no one wants to pay for things that they don’t use. As long as the shows are good, business will continue to grow. The second the status quo changes, the whole mission of streaming could be at risk.
What do you think? I wonder how much other people would pay for Netflix or HBO if the price went up.
Maybe it doesn’t matter whether it cost 15 or 20 dollars a month to watch shows. Either way, I’m sure that customers will ultimately decide how far things go before another source of entertainment wins the day.
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