Netflix. Hulu. Amazon.
Long ago, the three streaming services lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when DCUniverse, Disney +, and more new platforms attacked.
Today, cable is hanging onto their consumers by a thread that’s soon bound to break. Young adults are changing the entertainment culture by cutting the cord, hence their nickname the “cord cutting generation”. We no longer want to wait until a certain time of the day to watch one new 30 min – 1hr long episode only to wait another week, same time, same place to do it again. Wednesdays at 8pm only on this channel. Friday nights at 9:30pm only on that network. Primetime tv has officially become too routine. Young people refuse to stay confined to that one spot on the couch. From smartphones, robotic vacuums, and even smart doorbells, to food delivery and voice assistants, they are straying away from traditional lifestyles that their parents and grandparents grew up with and integrating technology into their daily lives. And with that being so, they are treating the way they watch tv like this too. With streaming services (and the internet), we have all of the content that we could possibly want right in our fingertips.
Now with the existence of such easily accessible content, the ultimate question is where does your individual loyalty lie? In order to keep their subscribers hooked onto them, content must be constantly supplied. However, it’s not just any content like 90210, Gossip Girl, Kung Fu Panda, or The Boss Baby. It’s the original content that matters. Where can you find a red panda who expresses her rage about adulting through death metal karaoke? Netflix. What about Marvel’s group of teenage heroes who uncover a secret that their parents hid from them their whole lives? Hulu. A superhero that is the living parody of other superheroes? Amazon Prime Video. With so many options at an individual’s disposal, it’s difficult to make a choice (or more than one if the person can afford paying for more than one service). Original content is what makes streaming subscriptions worth paying for. It’s what defines and distinguishes each service from the other.
In addition, companies are stepping their game up by jumping onto the streaming bandwagon. Disney has not only tossed its mouse ears into the ring by preparing to launch Disney+ and ESPN+ within the next few years, but also buying out companies. The mouse now has complete control over Hulu as of May 14th thanks to another deal that will force Comcast to crumble even more, adding one of the major streaming giants as a new notch under the mouse’s belt, placing it right next to 21st Century Fox and their new comic book additions to include in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). DC Comics has launched their fairly new service, DCUniverse, which not only allows consumers exclusive access to their content, but also provides a place to shop for merchandise. Tyler Perry has partnered with media giant Viacom to start up a service for the BET channel called BET+. At this rate, if every cable channel decides to try getting a slice of the streaming pie, then there will be too many services per individual to subscribe to. It will just be a mountain high pile of bills to keep up with in addition to the bills we consumers pay just to have the bare necessities (i.e. cars, house mortgage, apartment rent, utilities, etc). Also, we know that not all of the good things in life are free, There’s usually a price tag on things we want. With Disney+ being $7/month, Netflix $13/month (standard package), Hulu $6/month (standard package), DC Universe $8/month or $75/year, and the price of BET+ still unknown, the grand total can be quite hefty depending on how long the individual has held on to his/her subscriptions.
With the streaming market growing more and more in power, we may as well kiss cable goodbye unless they can offer consumers something better. Drop the prices of their bundles, improve wifi speeds, provide better customer service, expand and include more channels on cable packages. If cable companies genuinely value their customers, then they would at least try to supply these demands and listen to their feedback. Since the consumer pleas had fell to deaf ears, then cable as a whole will most likely to cease to exist as we know it.