Title : Too Much Of a Good Thing?
link : Too Much Of a Good Thing?
Too Much Of a Good Thing?
We could agree that there is such a thing as too much of something: ice cream sundaes and naps come to mind. An article I read recently presented a new type of "too much" that I must agree with.
Think back 15-20 years or so. When you wanted to stay home and be entertained you had a few choices: cable TV with premium services like HBO, over-the-air television, Blockbuster, or VHS tapes from the library. When Netflix began in 1997 it was strictly a competitor of Blockbuster's: DVD discs through the mail. Remember those red mailers?
Some of us had a VHS player/recorder so we could "time-shift" to see a program that we wanted to watch at a more convenient time. All the commercials were there, but at least we didn't have to rush home for the start of "Must See TV," particularly on Thursday nights on NBC.
It is hard to imagine, but streaming as an option began only a dozen or so years ago. Blockbuster started the transition, followed by Netflix in 2007 and Hulu a year later. Amazon Prime came along in 2011. Now, we tend to think of television entertainment as strictly an Internet-based function.
OK, so far, so good. Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV and others have changed how we are entertained. The time shift issue has disappeared, along with most commercials. Now, we can watch whatever we want, whenever we want, usually ad-free. The number of choice, even on one service, is overwhelming. And, with the big boys (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu) cranking out hundreds of hours of original content, we are no longer at the mercy of only what television networks or major film studios want to produce.
The expense of cable TV or satellite is gone for many. Cutting the cord meant an end to paying for hundreds of channels that held no appeal, while watching our cable bill increase every time an entertainment company decided it wanted more money.
Now, we find we "need" several streaming services to fill our fix. Netflix has so much there is never the likelihood we would run out of things to watch. Hulu has The HandMaid's Tale and Casual. Prime is the place to binge-watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Sneaky Pete. We don't want to miss those. Game of Thrones? Pay for HBO Now or wait for the DVD version in a year.
Then, comes the news that Disney is about to start a streaming service. Most of the content from that company will leave Netflix, Hulu, and other places on the Internet. If you want Disney movies and series, you have to sign up with The Mouse people.
But wait, there's more. Apple is joining the fun with its own Internet streaming service, pledging to spend tens of millions on shows that will get you to sign on their dotted line. Youtube has a premium streaming service, Sling TV allows you to watch what used to be only on cable, and record it all on a cloud-based DVR recorder. Never miss a Sunday football game because of church again.
Suddenly, you realize you will never have enough time to sample even a fraction of what is available. Your time in front of a television starts to creep up. You don't leave home as often for live entertainment, or even the multiplex. You even spend less time on social media, except to comment on an episode of House of Cards.
Amidst this world of plenty a new problem has arisen. One media expert calls it "subscription fatigue." Every few months, there seems to be another service we "must have," another source of streaming entertainment that has bits and pieces of what we enjoy.
A just-completed study shows that nearly half (47%) of streaming-video customers feel there are too many services...and that is before Disney, Apple, and others pile on more. The typical customer pays for three services, but some as many as eight.
Guess what? As the streamers splinter into more and more separate services, we are paying nearly as much as we did in the good old days of cable. Suddenly, we are faced with the need to prune what we are willing to pay for each month. We have too much of a good thing: endless entertainment, no commercials, accompanied with an ever-increasing bill and a feeling our lives are spent in front of a (large) box.
I am not against streaming video: I am a user, more so than is probably healthy. We have Netflix, Prime, Sling, Roku, and free options like Kanopy. But, I am facing even more when Disney makes its debut. With an entire family of Disney lovers, it is a given that service will join our lineup.
How about you? Is the abundance of streaming options like an all-you-eat buffett...eyes too big for your stomach? Do you have a hard time justifying the costs or time? Or, is your total bill still less than cable ever took out of your wallet, so no problems yet.
The entertainment world has shifted under our feet. Are you still standing?
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