Name: Streaming going back to the cable format | THE WEDGED
Brand: thewedged.com
SKU: thewedged-com-1
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

Streaming going back to the cable format | THE WEDGED

preview

I’ve been thinking about streaming services a lot more than usual as my itch for more content during quarantine is getting more intense. I just subscribed to Disney+ making it them the first additional video streaming service I’ve subscribed to since I got Netflix, not counting Hulu which I got packaged with Spotify Premium. As of right now there’s hundreds of options for streaming starting from your more well known names like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime going all the way to ones you’ve probably never heard of like Xumo or KlowdTV. Not only are they offering movies and tv show streaming but also live tv. I’m sure everyone’s seen the “Hulu has live tv” ads if you haven’t been under a rock the past couple years and they’re not the only ones, YouTube TV offers 70+ channels including local channels as well as many premium channels. At first I was excited about having more and more options to stream but then I got a little bit of dejavú.Feel free to point out flaws in my argument but doesn’t it seem as though streaming services are just turning into a rebranded version of cable? I mean before when I subscribed to Xfinity, I was given 1,000 channels, 20 of which I actually used, along with an on demand service that let me stream content from the channels Included in my package. What about that is any different from subscribing to Netflix, Hulu + Live TV and Youtube TV besides being able to stream from anywhere? Even if you get the most expensive package from Xfinity, it’s probably cheaper than getting premium versions of Netflix, Hulu and Youtube TV. For just the Xfinity TV package alone it’s around $90/month. Hulu + Live TV costs $60/month, Netflix Costs $13/month, and Youtube TV costs $50/month. That all together costs around $123/month.You could say “you don’t have to pay for all 3 services” and that’s true, you could just pay for Netflix at $13/month and you might be able to get all you want out of it. Essentially though the temptation to pay for other services is the same temptations that cable services use to get people to upgrade their package. You could pay for just Netflix but that means your limited to whatever Netflix pays to have on their platform, so if Hulu has another variety of shows that appeal to you then you’re forced to buy another one or live with what you have. Basic cable worked the same way by offering all the typical channels you needed and but some people want a sports package or movie channels added on to give them more options. Yeah Netflix might have a lot of the stuff you want but if you want a good movie package or access to premium shows you might buy HBO Go or if you want access to live sports you’d buy Hulu + Live TV. Roku has been very smart about tapping into this market by making products that are tailored towards streaming apps so more like it’s a streaming TV with a cable option rather than a cable TV with a streaming option if that makes any sense.What I see for the future is something pretty close to what we already had in the past just improved. I see companies like Verizon and Comcast striking deals with streaming services to bundle their services into one package that includes streaming, phone, and internet similar to the TV, phone and internet packages they have right now. Cable companies know you need internet to run a streaming service anyway and these streaming companies don’t have the resources to offer you an internet package themself, so I see it as very likely that in the future you’ll see an “all in one” streaming bundle that includes phone and internet that offer upgrades to include additional content. Already Xfinity is offering Netflix included with their X1 packages in some areas. Next thing you know we’re back to the original idea of cable bundling the only difference is that it’s streaming and you can access it anywhere.June 1, 2020

I’ve been thinking about streaming services a lot more than usual as my itch for more content during quarantine is getting more intense. I just subscribed to Disney+ making it them the first additional video streaming service I’ve subscribed to since I got Netflix, not counting Hulu which I got packaged with Spotify Premium. As of right now there’s hundreds of options for streaming starting from your more well known names like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime going all the way to ones you’ve probably never heard of like Xumo or KlowdTV. Not only are they offering movies and tv show streaming but...

public

A sports enthusiast, Ryan helps cover sports betting news from around the country, highlighting some of the more interesting events going on in the USA.

Streaming going back to the cable format | THE WEDGED

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS