November 26, 2019
The Streaming Shake Up
We have lived in the golden age of streaming thanks to the disrupting streaming platforms that have been available in recent years, but with more people ditching the over-priced cable model, and major media corporations moving their content to streaming services, the days of saving by cord cutting may be coming to a close.
We used to be able to get by with a couple streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, HBO) but it’s becoming an increasingly crowded set of choices. We now also have CBS All-access, Disney+ and Apple TV+, and soon we’ll also have Peacock from NBCUniversal, and WarnerMedia is rolling our HBOMax which will combine HBO with the rest of WarnerMedia content. With all of these new services, that means a shakeup is in the works with content bouncing around between different platforms.
HBO, Netflix and Amazon Prime have been the staples of original content, but Netflix Amazon and Hulu have benefited from lots of classic content. Right now Hulu is my favorite streaming service because it has the overall best selection of shows that I enjoy (many of which are classics) such as: Firefly, Saved by the Bell, It’s Always Sunny, Rick and Morty, Brooklyn 99, Party Down, etc. But, it’s now clear that many of these shows will move off of Hulu to other services as they launch. For example, Rick and Morty will go to the new HBO Max, as will Friends, West Wing and the Fresh Prince. Netflix will lose the Office and Parks and Rec to NBC’s Peacock.
If you happen to love Star Trek like me, you’re only choice to watch the new Star Trek shows (of which there will be 3 choices next year) is CBS All-access.
Here is a rundown of current and upcoming streaming services, and their pricing:
| Service | monthly cost | content |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix | $9/$13/$16* | Stranger Things, Glow, Atypical, The Crown, etc |
| Hulu | $6/$12* | The Handmaiden’s Tale, It’s Always Sunny, Firefly, Party Down |
| Amazon Prime | $10 | Fleabag, Catastrophe, Man in the High Castle |
| CBS All-Access | $6/$10* | Star Trek shows: Discovery, Picard, Below Deck |
| Disney+ | $7 | The Mandalorian, Star Wars, Marvel Cinematic Universe |
| Apple+ | $5 | Snoopy, New original content |
| HBO Max | $15 | HBO shows, Studio Ghibli, Sesame Street, Rick and Morty, Friends, West Wing, the Fresh Prince |
| Peacock | TBD | Parks and Rec, The Office, reboots of Saved by the Bell and Punky Bruster |
*Netflix plans range from $9 to $16 depending on number of screens and picture quality | Hulu’s $12 option is ad free, CBS All-Accesses’ $10 plan is also ad free
So if a consumer attempts to keep up with all of the content we’ve traditionally had available it will soon become more expensive than the traditional cable services. Making the whole point of cord cutting a moot point. If their is still one upside to these content disruptions, at least we have the choice to forgo advertising, and choose when and where we consume content.
Labels: streaming television, tv
