I came across a report from the online platform Bango about the state of streaming services. The report stated that the average American now spends almost $1000 a year on streaming services alone – that’s an average of $77 a month (USD by the way, not even in Canadian dollars)! And that doesn’t even include the cost of the internet needed to actually stream your favorite shows and movies. That puts you well over the $100 a month mark.

I remember when streaming services first became popular, they were seen as a way to cut the cord and save money by ditching cable. But now it seems like the tables have turned, and it’s actually cheaper to go back to cable in some cases. This is due to an oversaturation of streaming services, that hook people in with their exclusive shows and movies. You might have a Netflix account, as well as Amazon TV, Crave, Disney+ and more, each costing you $10-$25 a month. Sharing passwords is hardly a thing now since a lot of these companies are cracking down on that.

It’s a bit ironic, don’t you think? The whole point of streaming services was to provide consumers with more affordable and flexible options for watching TV, but now it seems like we’re just trading one expensive service for another. The report also suggested that piracy is on the rise as a result of these rising costs. Free TV shows and movies through pirating?? Sounds awful and very illegal! I definitely don’t recommend using those sites to stream stuff for free!

I think it’s time for streaming services to take a step back and reevaluate their pricing strategies. After all, the whole point of streaming was to make entertainment more accessible, not create another barrier for consumers. If you have a bunch of streaming services, take a look at what you use, how much it costs, and if paying $14.99 a month just to watch one show on there is really worth it.

Wanna hear Reader and I talk about it? Take a listen below: