Streaming service costs ratcheting upward...

[wavinwayne]

YouTube Premium is all I need, I am still grandfathered in at $7.99/mo.

The incessant ads broke me, so I finally caved and paid for YouTube's blood money for premium. The price is offset a bit by the money Google pays me for answering various questions in the Rewards app, but it'll still cost me something per month. I have too many subscriptions, although I did cancel two this month (Max & Xbox game pass).

 

[GON]

We simply never watched Hulu, largely because their buffering technology is seemingly non-existent and we still use cellular.

The commercials were too many and often twice the volume, so with the last price hike we dropped them.

We basically just have Netflix and Prime.

I don't know what special sauce Netflix has, but their buffering tech has always been top-notch.

Hulu is so painfully Woke, it was nice to drop them.

Do you think Netflix will be around in the next ten years? I am not sure Netflix can stay in business long term without owning or significant partnership of delivery infrastructure. Without question, Comcast and the likes has Netflix as enemy number one.

If every American household had multiple choices for Internet service, Netflix has a chance at long term viability. Unfortunately, most of the Internet connection services are owned ok r have financial ties to the streaming services.

 

[Vil_Riker]

Do you think Netflix will be around in the next ten years? I am not sure Netflix can stay in business long term without owning or significant partnership of delivery infrastructure. Without question, Comcast and the likes has Netflix as enemy number one.

If every American household had multiple choices for Internet service, Netflix has a chance at long term viability. Unfortunately, most of the Internet connection services are owned ok r have financial ties to the streaming services.

I think most of Netflix revenues come from overseas. Comcast only threatens the US market.

 

[GON]

Interesting, the streaming services are suing the FTC because the FTC wants subscribers to have the ability to cancel their subscriptions without trickery.

I am confident the streaming services will be victorious in their lawsuit. The streaming services pay hundreds of millions to lobbyists and political donations annually.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/23...-lawsuit-telecoms-security-advertising-groups

 

[alarmguy]

Interesting, the streaming services are suing the FTC because the FTC wants subscribers to have the ability to cancel their subscriptions without trickery.

I am confident the streaming services will be victorious in their lawsuit. The streaming services pay hundreds of millions to lobbyists and political donations annually.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/23...-lawsuit-telecoms-security-advertising-groups

Wow, amazing. I was so happy when I heard the new requirement that I told my wife. I had no idea about the suit.

These sites have easy ways to sign people up. It goes for everything, magazine subscriptions, TV, car insurance, everything. In many cases the consumer doesnt even know they are agreeing to auto debit. That is ok as long as they provide a simple means on their website to cancel. I just had to call to cancel my Costco Connect Car insurance. Even though I signed up online, they offered no way to cancel auto-renewal. IN fact, the site did not even address if you wanted to cancel. Granted when I did call, no push back and it was simple.

I have seen it on the consumer side of the security business. Many seniors (but not only seniors) accounts get debited on a monthly basis for services they do not use. Their lack of awareness IS taken advantage of. For those that realize it, they have to jump through hoops and phone calls to cancel. Lets call is what is - It's really disgusting and I am generally a pro business person, however this is an outright nasty business practice treating other humans, some less fortunate in this manner.
Im sure the suit will fail. No way will even the most powerful lobby stop this ball from rolling.

Now that I said that, here we go again and Im sorry but I have to say it. My wife aware too. Here goes the fanboy thing that I will get flamed for.
One exception to automatic subscription services. If I use for lets say, TV programing through my APPLE account. It gets added to the account. Recent example was HULU that I just canceled. From my phone or any computer, I go into my Apple subscriptions, click cancel (or remove) done. Thoughtless process and the only one where I get that simplicity .

 

[Hermann]

Recently bought the Sling TV football bundle to watch local big college football in my area. 4 months at $40 which included their extended sports tier for gratis. . Other than the sports their is very little that grabs my attention anymore. Plus so many commercials. Aargh!
Otherwise my only pay services is YouTube premium ($14) and FrndlyTV ($10) after the 4 months.

 

[KYMISTWALKER]

What’s funny to me, I’ve had Netflix for several years at $13 a month with no commercial, they axed my old plan off and put me on a basic plan or I think I’m paying 5.99 a month with limited commercial, they shot her self in the foot

I’m not upgrading to the 15.99 plan, stupid movie on Netflix’s part

 

[53' Stude]

Not sure how many of you use them, but the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle has been increasing fairly quickly-just went up another 10% or so, would have been $90/month after taxes if I hadn't dumped them for Sling.

We have over air antenna that gets us 24~ channels. And my roku. Fire stick acting up so tossed it. And I have my dvd player and 68 DVD’s

 

[ripcord]

We've got Netflix and Disney+. All I know is it feels just as hard to find something good to watch as it ever did in the days of video rental stores and OTA TV.

 

[SC Maintenance]

We've got Netflix and Disney+. All I know is it feels just as hard to find something good to watch as it ever did in the days of video rental stores and OTA TV.

Content has gone to crap. The only movies they’re making have to be the 12th part of a series or have a superhero in it. We’ve actually only gone to the theater maybe twice in the last three years. Both times we saw semi Indy movies. Both I thought were really good, but I looked them up, not long ago and both lost money in the theater relative the cost to make.

Best content is on YouTube at this point.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Do you think Netflix will be around in the next ten years? I am not sure Netflix can stay in business long term without owning or significant partnership of delivery infrastructure. Without question, Comcast and the likes has Netflix as enemy number one.

If every American household had multiple choices for Internet service, Netflix has a chance at long term viability. Unfortunately, most of the Internet connection services are owned ok r have financial ties to the streaming services.

Your model in this process is long distance telephone in circa 1995 or so. Comcast does not own the easement there wire sits on. So they will either be regulated as a utility or broken up by the FCC if they try to squeeze out everyone else.

The ones in the catbird seat are the ones that own the actual content.

 

[Finklejag]

I’m down to watching 2 shows a week on my iPad. My second hand apple tv box finally went. I go to the PBS’s website and watch This Old House and Ask This Old House on Thursdays.

I’m pissed I have to pay $78 a month for internet. I have to have internet in my house because I only get one bar of cell service inside my house.

 

[GON]

Your model in this process is long distance telephone in circa 1995 or so. Comcast does not own the easement there wire sits on. So they will either be regulated as a utility or broken up by the FCC if they try to squeeze out everyone else.

The ones in the catbird seat are the ones that own the actual content.

Not to get into politics, but very worth of noting the very first thing our current president did after announcing his run for president in 2020 was to go to the home of a comcast senior executive. The current president did not have a press conference, did not answer a single question from the press of the people in attendance. Instead he stepped on a private jet and went to the comcast executives home.

Follow the money, big tech spends billions, yes billions every year in political donations and lobbyists. Billions is not chump change for anyone. There is a reason tech donates billions annually to elected officials and lobbyists.

Connect the dots.

 

[vavavroom]

To pay for streaming is like paying for having garbage delivered instead of it being picked up and taken away.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Not to get into politics, but very worth of noting the very first thing our current president did after announcing his run for president in 2020 was to go to the home of a comcast senior executive. The current president did not have a press conference, did not answer a single question from the press of the people in attendance. Instead he stepped on a private jet and went to the comcast executives home.

Follow the money, big tech spends billions, yes billions every year in political donations and lobbyists. Billions is not chump change for anyone. There is a reason tech donates billions annually to elected officials and lobbyists.

Connect the dots.

If your trying to get goad me into making several funny jokes about that situation to get me banned, it almost worked.

Still, tyrants have been buying influence since the start, yet the Republic remains. I imagine Netflix, Warner Brothers, Disney, Apple, Amazon and NBC Universal buy some themselves, and there market caps dwarf's Comcast, so I doubt comcast will be telling us what to watch any time soon. Also, what cable package is Comcast going to sell when all those companies who are also the primary content owners - no longer sell content to Comcast?

Besides, Comcast isn't even a Tier 1 owner of the internet backbone. Verizon and ATT are, and even there portions are miniscule. The backbone is owned / maintained by hundreds of companies including universities and all kinds of government agencies as well.

So no, I doubt there will be much changing. Possibly they will throttle or cap total usage, or charge by block. They were looking at that a few years ago and the internet went nuts so they stopped.

 

[GON]

Also, what cable package is Comcast going to sell when all those companies who are also the primary content owners - no longer sell content to Comcast?

Besides, Comcast isn't even a Tier 1 owner of the internet backbone. Verizon and ATT are, and even there portions are miniscule. The backbone is owned / maintained by hundreds of companies including universities and all kinds of government agencies as well.

So no, I doubt there will be much changing. Possibly they will throttle or cap total usage, or charge by block. They were looking at that a few years ago and the internet went nuts so they stopped.

Comcast is the owner of:
AT&T Broadband, NBCUniversal, Sky, DreamWorks Animation, and XUMO.

It is the last mile that counts for streaming delivery.

Of note, the U.S.'s largest, most efficient, and modern fiber long haul backbone was Level 3 communications. Unlike ATT and Verizon who placed their fiber in the ground, Level 3 ran their fiber in conduit. Level 3 also ran ten conduits per run, and usually filled one or two conduits with fiber. When more capacity was needed, or a more efficient fiber, Level 3 didn't need to dig the ground to install, like ATT and Verizon often do. Level 3 simply run the additional fiber in one of their empty conduits.

For all purposes, Level 3 essentially went bankrupt. How could this awesome company with the U.S. best fiber and data center backbone go (near) bankrupt when competing with ATT and Verizon...... who had old fiber technology.

Simple, the lobbyists at ATT and Verizon were very successful and retaining the largest user of fiber in the world- the U.S. government.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Comcast is the owner of:
AT&T Broadband, NBCUniversal, Sky, DreamWorks Animation, and XUMO.

AT&T broadband is not affiliated with AT&T corporation that retains the backbone. They offloaded there consumer business. I did not know they owned NBC, but good to know - I will avoid them.

It is the last mile that counts for streaming delivery.

I guess this where we disagree. Yes, they have access to the customer. But in the end its just fiber on a utility easement owned by me and controlled by my county / state. The State could eminent domain all of it tomorrow and set up a regulated utility, and in 20 years it might make it to the Supreme Court. Or community wifi is getting better and better. So is starlink. Its an asset for them now because they charge a price that most can afford - $100 a month +/-. If they get too greedy and try to control what people stream - we shall see.

Of note, the U.S.'s largest, most efficient, and modern fiber long haul backbone was Level 3 communications. Unlike ATT and Verizon who placed their fiber in the ground, Level 3 ran their fiber in conduit. Level 3 also ran ten conduits per run, and usually filled one or two conduits with fiber. When more capacity was needed, or a more efficient fiber, Level 3 didn't need to dig the ground to install, like ATT and Verizon often do. Level 3 simply run the additional fiber in one of their empty conduits.

Interesting. Never heard of them, but sounds like a broken business model - spending all that money on empty pipe you might need in the future. I am guessing they had cash-flow problems? Also, pulling wire through really long conduit is not actually very easy. Might be faster to dig a new trench depending on where exactly it is. In my neighbourhood for sure. In some intercity, OK might make sense.

 

[andrew_j]

I get Hula and ESPN+ w ads and Disney no ads for $20/month added into cheapo Verizon plan ($25/phone)

 

[andrew_j]

What did we do before streaming services? That is the question.

Paid a lot to other streaming company the cable company or paid to go out to the movies or video tape/DVD rentals.

 

[Encinoman]

I use Tubi for live TV and Teatv for movies and shows for free on my Amazon Firestick. Minimal ads/commercial breaks. No need to pay for any streaming services.