AppleTV +, Netflix, Peacock, Disney +, AMC +, Paramount +, etc. Streaming services are the popular trend of today, but is that necessarily a good thing? More and more shows, movies, and music are becoming exclusive to streaming services only and less on basic cable, TV, or radio. This not only makes viewers angry, but other consequences are possible. 

Netflix was the beginning of streaming services. Back in 1997, August 29th the service first aired, bringing a whole new meaning to the word control, since subscribers can freely pause, watch shows and movies without ads. When the year 2000 arrived the service had 300,000 subscribers. The service started with rentals, each costing 50 cents. Later the rental would turn into a subscription fee of $9 to $14. The service would add and remove shows over time. Many subscribers loved the channel when the popular show The Office was added, later to be removed on January 1, 2021, and moved to Peacock, a streaming service created by CBS. Peacock costs $4.99 for the premium pack which grants more freedom. However, one would subscribe to both costing $19 total. Which cuts close to cable which costs $20 – $40 a month.

Over time many streaming services have appeared as well as the DVR. The Michigan Daily said, “In fact, the label ‘couch potato’ is almost obsolete because it has been overtaken by the term ‘binge-watch’” (Woiteshek 2020). With so many shows at one’s fingertip, they do not even use energy to change the channel any more. Reboots have become popular in this day and age, for example, ICarly, the popular Nickelodeon children’s show, is planning a reboot exclusively to Paramount + only. Imagine the sad faces of fans learning that their childhood show is on yet another streaming service rather than be broadcasted on TV. Another example is last year when the Charlie Brown specials were officially cut off from broadcasting, the special would later be picked up by Apple TV +. Eventually, the TV could be obsolete and that proposes another potential problem. Live news is not going to be easy to put on a streaming service, since viewers do not want to watch yesterday’s news. Also, emergency broadcasts barely work on phones since they are mostly heard through radios and TVs. Where is the solution to that? If TV’s become outdated will streaming services take this chance to jack up prices? It is very possible and with multiple services, the price shoots past the cost of cable currently. 

Stop losing track of time, because the show is so intriguing. Pay more attention to how much the service costs, and how many shows are actually watched on the service. Start paying attention to the world around or on the TV. Consider the thought of how streaming services have impacted life. Will streaming services be the ultimate source of entertainment? Or just be another costly way to watch a single show?