Page 1 of 1

Has Cord Cutting Reached The Saturation Point?

Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2021 4:01 pm
by Admin
With streaming TV sites popping up like mushrooms and more paid streaming services now needed to watch the same content that used to be watched before on just a few. What does the future hold for cord-cutters?

Image

Back when cord-cutting was just a pipe dream for many of us, there used to be Netflix and Hulu, and Amazon Prime which contained enough content that it was enough for most everyone. Then everyone and their brother wanted to get in the act. And now we have multiple streaming services all competing for our dollars.

But has this gone too far?

With each new paid streaming service released, and especially with content providers pulling content from sites like Netflix and Hulu in favor of their own. Are we now at the point of diminishing returns?

Most people can't afford to sign-up for all the various streaming TV services so they settle for one or two at a time. This means streaming TV providers are undoubtedly experiencing higher churn rates than ever before.

Already some content providers are turning to various tactics to reduce this turnover by offering cheaper rates for long-term sign-ups. Some like Netflix and HBO have even gone as far as to eliminate free trials.

When the cost goes up, piracy increases which is an unfortunate side effect of higher prices. When Netflix was a major content provider from many different studios and their monthly price was affordable. We saw actually saw movie and TV show piracy decline.

What Can Be Done to Fix This?

One solution is for some of the more popular content providers to do is what Apple was doing on their Apple TV platform. Content providers can begin bundling their services together at a discounted rate. On Apple TV, you used to be able to subscribe to CBS All Access (now Paramount+) and SHOWTIME for only $9.99 per month after a seven-day free trial.

Others like Roku and Amazon should follow suit as this seems to be a popular bundle. And it's saving Apple TV subscribers 50% off the price if they subscribed to each package separately.

While the CBS All Access and Showtime bundle ends with the rebrand to Paramount+, if you sign-up before March 3, 2021, you can get still get it for 50% off. Existing CBS All Access/Showtime bundle subscribers on Apple TV will be able to keep it.

With inflation again on a roll, the cost of streaming TV will continue to get more expensive with each passing day. Ultimately cord-cutters will reach a point where it becomes too expensive and they will seek other less expensive options.

Like watching mostly free content from some of the excellent ad-supported channels available like The Roku Channel, and Pluto TV.