Streaming was once a cost-effective way to ditch cable, but as time has gone on, we’ve seen the costs go up drastically. So, as a ton of different services strain your wallet, what’s the one streaming service you won’t give up?
What feels like ages ago, streaming was pretty simple. You signed up for Netflix and/or Hulu and had access to basically everything you wanted. But, quickly, that’s changed. Over just the past few years, tons of competitors have popped up and fragmented the game. Content has been split between Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+, Max, and others, and that’s just to name a few. With that, the cost of streaming has also gone way up.
Just last week, Disney announced a coming price hike for both Disney+ and Hulu, which brings the price way up. Assuming you stick with an ad-free plan and bundle the two services (because why wouldn’t you?), the price of having all major streaming services as of later this year will be over $82 per month.
- Disney+/Hulu Bundle: $19.99/month
- Netflix Standard: $15.49/month
- Max: $15.99/month
- Apple TV+: $6.99/month
- Peacock: $11.99/month
- Paramount+: $11.99/month
And that’s not to mention two other popular streaming subscriptions. YouTube Premium currently runs $13.99/month following a recent price hike, and YouTube TV is now up to $72.99/month. That puts the bill as high as $170/month for someone who really wants it all.
Top comment by mmidgley
There's none I would never cancel.
Not sure which one I'd cancel last, but Disney+ was the first to go.
Remaining: Netflix, Prime, Youtube Prem.
Considering to add: Max
Is Amazon's service not a big enough competitor to get listed?
Realistically, that just won’t be worth the cost for a lot of people, which leaves the question down to what service you actually want to keep using. Everyone has preferences in what they want to watch, and each streaming service has its strengths and weaknesses. Back before all of the price hikes, I was subscribed to just about everything, but at this point, my subscriptions have boiled down to Disney+, Hulu, Max, and Netflix, alongside my YouTube subscriptions. And, really, Max and Netflix are both currently on the chopping block, as my usage of both has been declining lately.
Disney+, Hulu, and YouTube Premium are my must-haves. I have Disney+ constantly streaming Star Wars content, and Hulu currently has basically all of the shows I’ve been watching through. Netflix, Max, Peacock, and others have a lot of great content, but as their costs have ballooned, I’ve found myself only subscribing in brief stints.
But if I had to pick just one service to keep, it would be YouTube Premium. Google’s use of ads to support YouTube has inflated drastically over the years, and Premium just makes for a drastically better experience. I probably spend more time watching cooking videos and mini-documentaries on YouTube than I do watching shows and movies on any other platform. And, sure, while many will point to ad-block as a way to watch YouTube without ads, I prefer not to effectively steal from the creators who make the content I’m watching (though, apparently, Hollywood has no problem with that).
What about you? What’s that one streaming service you couldn’t live without?
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