So I’ve Decided That Streaming Sucks
Having 5+ streaming subs is too expensive — just bring back AUSTAR already.
Netflix, Disney+, Stan, Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Shudder, BINGE, Hulu, Stan, Britbox, YouTube Premium… there are way too many streaming services and they all cost a bomb, writes Charles Rushforth. Here, he shares his love letter to cable TV and what to make of the hot mess that is the streaming wars.
On average, Millennials and Gen Zs spend almost $1000 a year on entertainment subscriptions. Enough is enough!
As a child growing up in Coffs Harbour, an easy way to identify which of your friends’ parents were extremely rich (or recently divorced) was whether they had an active Austar subscription.
Yep, once upon a time, the prospect of paying to watch television was a topic that divided households across the nation — you had to pick your friends very carefully to remain across the latest unadulterated content from the Jackass cinematic universe.
Long ago, scenes from Viva La Bam were vividly brought to life via oral histories in school playgrounds for the many deprived of Pay TV, but that’s all gone now. The value proposition offered by modern entertainment subscription services has eroded those once water-tight arguments against spending money to watch television.
We’re all ‘Pay TV Kids’ now.
Spoilt For Choice
The latest Deloitte Media Consumer Survey declared that consumer choice “exploded” over the past decade as online streaming services like Stan and Netflix quickly became the de jour method for watching TV.
But while $11 per month for a basic Netflix subscription seems reasonable enough, the reality is that we’ve all gotten far too comfortable: 67 percent of Millennials have three or more entertainment subscriptions on the go at any one given time!
The great irony is that the amount we’re spending on this pantheon of streaming services now actually eclipses the monthly cost of good ol’ fashion cable TV. Deloitte’s report confirms it: we’re spending over $80 per month — on average — just to stream stuff.
And worse still: corporate streaming giants are knuckling down on password sharing and introducing advert breaks into budget account tiers. Plus, with Netflix announcing the launch of its very own TV channel in France, the fundamental differences between our modern-day streaming era and those humble Pay TV days lessen with every passing day.
Won’t Somebody Think Of My Budget!?
The battle for collective audience attention has only intensified as streaming overlords fight to retain subs in an economic downturn. The desperate arms race between streaming services to secure the next viral show and attract fresh customers has led corporate streaming chiefs to make ruthless decisions about axing programs.
Lindsay Katai, writer of the critically acclaimed animated series, Infinite Train, says that streaming giants are “maximising profits over any kind of artistic voice”. Her show was unceremoniously scrubbed from HBO Max as part of a cost-saving measure back in August.
“It’s hard because it used to be [that] your show would air and it could go away forever, regardless if it was on cable or network. That was always sort of the consolation [with streaming services] — we’re not getting paid as much [but it would stay on the platform] … And lo and behold, that’s not the case anymore.” Katai told The Washington Post.
Despite this merciless treatment of artists’ work behind the curtains, there’s no doubt that our collective appetite for entertainment has grown courtesy of two years spent in periodic COVID lockdowns. Still, we’ve all become far more shrewd about where we’re spending our money.
According to the Deloitte survey, 46 percent of streaming customers periodically review their subscriptions, while 64 percent of Aussies say they’re concerned about the total cost of all of their streaming subscriptions. As the monthly subscription model begins to burn through audience’s pockets amid a cramped market, Deloitte warns that the streaming bubble could be about to pop.
“With budgets already stretched; rising inflation, and cost of living will further challenge media companies’ ambitious growth aspirations and market forecasts as consumers face tough choices on entertainment,” Deloitte warns.
Is It Wrong To Miss The Cable Days?
If you have lofty goals of staying up to date with the latest in popular culture, it probably means being subscribed to an unholy rotisserie of streaming services. Yes, it may initially be possible to ‘game’ the system by carefully cancelling subs before the free trial period expires or signing up via a VPN, but the emotional labour is steep and the pay-off slim. Either through forgetfulness or pure desperation, the house always wins in the end; trust me.
Others soured by the failures of modern streaming services have simply resorted to good ol’ fashion internet piracy, but there’s not much you can do if you miss the ecstatic thrill of hunting for cheap seasons of Scrubs in the discount DVD bins at your local Sanity store. Those days — like the collective imagining of unseen Jackass stunts — are gone.
As streaming platforms frantically try to pick the next zeitgeist in television (or at least market their own derivative) and the economy heads for more turbulence in 2023, perhaps the only winning move in the streaming battles is not to play — and save $80 per month as a bonus.
Charles Rushforth is a staff writer at Junkee. Follow him on Twitter.