Irene and I watch a fair amount of TV. But I believe we do so rather inefficiently: we have several streaming services that only get occasional use and yet I am still paying full fees for access. I started thinking about this after reading Wilhelm’s post about his own state of household streaming, and I think it is worth at least a bit of self evaluation.
What we subscribe to
- Cable (Telus Optik)
- includes Crave TV
- $60 with loyalty credits
This is the baseline service for our TV watching. We have a digital box (DVR) and have a number of series programs set up to record. Although there are often nothing but re-runs available we still go back to these recordings on a regular basis, so I don’t think we can do without it at the current time.
- Netflix
- $18.99 for standard Ad-free
Netflix has a large selection of programs that act as a fallback when other streaming services provide nothing of interest. Irene will often find something on this channel to watch when I am unavailable and she doesn’t want to continue watching some program we have been sharing together. One that she found that we both enjoyed watching was the Lincoln Lawyer series.
- Amazon
- Included with Prime
I don’t really think of Amazon Prime Video as ‘normal’ streaming. We get it as part of our Amazon Prime service that we already get our money’s worth on reduced shipping costs each year. But there are definitely programs on Prime that we make a special effort to watch: Reacher and Fallout are two that spring to mind.
- Apple TV+
- $14.99
This is more of an occasional watch for us, with a few programmes that have drawn us in like Silo and Severance. Irene also got into Ted Lasso and a bit of Shrinking. Every time I think maybe we should stop subscribing to Apple TV they seem to come out with some sort of must-watch series like Murderbot.
- Paramount +
- $11.99
We have this for complete seasons of every Star Trek series ever made. Thus far that’s the only thing we’ve used it for, but given the number of series and how much we enjoy watching them I suspect we are going to be stuck with Paramount + for a good long time.
- Disney+
- $120 annually ($10 a month)
I used to have Disney+ for Star Wars programming, but that seems to have dried up. Now it is just the occasional movie release or the odd series program that Disney owns for some reason like RJ Decker, Will Trent, or The Testaments. Like with Apple TV, Disney keeps just enough surprise content that I fear getting rid of it.
Conclusion
I like having a broad selection of content, and the streaming services I’ve picked grant us that. But we are paying more for TV programming than I’d like just to cover the off chance that something we really want to see will turn our to be exclusive to one of the less commonly used channels. I’m not yet at the point of wanting to stop and start subscriptions, but I can definitely see the appeal of doing so.
My sense with each of the services is that cancellation is made to be difficult, but I think I fear having to re-subscribe more. I have things set up so they just work with program “Likes” and watchlists configured so we can find things. Cancelling a service would probably clear out those watchlists leaving my list of ‘next shows to watch’ behind after each unsubscribe / resubscribe cycle. It might be completely painless, but I don’t trust these companies to make it so.
When streaming started as a thing nearly twenty years ago there was a strong belief that it would untether us from the monolithic cable companies and their expensive practice of channel bundling. Instead what we have is content bundling: if you want Disney programs you need to take their whole channel even if all you want is one or two series. Likewise with Star Trek and Paramount Plus, although I’m currently giving them a pass as the sheer volume of Star Trek content almost makes the monthly fee worthwhile.
Our entertainment has gotten even more expensive, cord-cutting is no easier now than it was twenty years ago, and there is no brilliant solution in sight. I suspect that spending around $100 or $150 a month purely for television programming is the new normal. I remember when cable TV was $30 a month: something has gone the wrong way here. I will agree that I have more programming to choose from in a more accessible, more convenient form, but the cost has gone up too high too fast.
The header image for this post was AI generated using ChatGPT
As someone who frequently jumps streaming services based on deals, as long as you re-subscribe using the same account, nothing gets cleared. I sometimes run into issues when I grab something as a “channel” on Prime or Roku, but mostly? My profiles, lists, etc. sticks around even if I take some time off, which I frequently do.
If there’s any you’re comfortable with doing without for a bit, I’d cancel sooner rather than later, as good deals usually drop around the end of November. I currently have HBO for $2.99 a month and a Hulu/Disney package for $4.99 a month. I locked in those prices on Black Friday sales last year, and they’ve been active since then.
…except Netflix. Netflix is SUPER committed to never offering deals, and I am super committed to no longer giving them my money.
It is good to hear that the watchlists/likes stay through resubscriptions, Krikket. Curiously, the one I’m most likely to cancel would be Disney+ but it is also an annual subscription currently. The next opportunity to cancel is in November as it happens: I’ll talk it over with my wife and decide whether to cancel or keep the subscription active.