Back in ye olde days, streaming sites were introduced as a substitute for cable television. With cable, you would have had to pick and choose your packages, which ended up costing exorbitant amounts. A few shows from this channel, a few programs from that, all together tallied up to ridiculous costs that would be insanely difficult to negotiate out of once the next billing period drew near. Due to the excessive costs, people turned to online piracy. There was a huge section of the internet dedicated to either streaming or providing downloadable versions of TV shows and movies illegally, but for free.
That’s where streaming sites came in. The point of streaming sites was to eliminate all those extra costs by containing many shows under a single service, which you only had to pay a small fee for. This cut down the piracy rates, as it allowed people to legally view all their favorite shows and movies with a single, low cost. However, as things go in capitalistic economies, the idea expanded beyond a single site and soon there was a multitude of streaming sites to choose from. The drawback is that with the advent of multiple sites, shows began licensing themselves to contracts with individual services. Ultimately, we came back to square one.
Another game changer is the rise of service original series and movies. With certain series or movies only available on certain streaming sites, not to mention the contracted networks that work similarly, the consumer market is faced with the same problems that they were faced with 10 years ago.
To put it into perspective, let’s look at the breakdown of what it costs to own just the most popular streaming sites.
Netflix’s plans start at $8.99 per month; Hulu’s commercial-free monthly bill is $11.99; HBO Now costs $14.99 per month and Showtime costs $10.99 per month. Altogether, the cost adds up to $46.96 per month without taxes. That is roughly the cost of a cable package, effectively proving that we have indeed returned to the crux of the problem.
The newest wave of streaming sites includes Apple TV+ and Disney+. Both services have launched within the last month and are making waves with their content. Apple TV+ features a variety of originals for a price of only $4.99 per month. Apple previously had iTunes, which allowed users to buy or rent movies and shows to expand their personal library. Apple recently nixed iTunes and replaced it with Apple TV+ and Apple Music – two new competitive streaming services for TV, movies and music, respectively.
Disney+, however, is different in the sense that it only contains Disney content, but using the word “only” is a huge understatement. Disney is a modern-day monopoly, being the parent company for many organizations and media sources. Disney+ offers content from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Star Wars franchise, all Disney original films and TV shows, Pixar and new original content. The price is currently set at $6.99 per month.
The problem with new streaming sites is that they are effectively ruining the purpose of streaming over cable.
Disney+, in particular, is the epitome of capitalization on a corporate revenue stream. Disney was still making big bucks when some of its shows and movies (not all, but some) were distributed among other streaming sites. But now, by forcing viewers to pay for a separate subscription and enticing them with old Disney original movies that no one has seen or wanted to see in years, Disney is just using its monopoly to generate more money.
And for the people who don’t or can’t spend $60 a month on streaming services? Well, put on your swashbuckling boots and your tricorn hats, because we’re about to see a resurgence in piracy.
