Irritatingly Genius: The impact of streaming services

Every time I sit down at lunch, I hear my friends talking about the most recent episode of “The Bachelor” they watched on Hulu or the new documentary, “Cheer,” they are watching on Netflix. The only way to keep up with the their TV show endeavors is to subscribe to every streaming service they pay for. We live in a world where we want things at the exact moment we ask for them, causing cable TV to become a thing of the past. Why? There is a laundry list of streaming services for every area of TV you could possibly want. 

These streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ come at a cost. According to The Observer, consumers are willing to spend as much as $42 dollars a month on about five different streaming services.

So why subscribe to so many services?

It’s simple — each streaming service has something the other one doesn’t have. Netflix has “Stranger Things,” while Hulu has “Nashville” and Disney+ has “Minute Men.” This has led to a “streaming war” where each streaming service is constantly trying to one-up the other, adding as many shows as their budget can stretch to support.

The more they try to one-up each other, the heftier the subscription cost gets. While Netflix and Disney+ don’t have ads, while Hulu makes you pay more money to get rid of the ads that come with the cheapest subscription option. But Hulu lets you watch the “Greys Anatomy” episode you missed the day after it aired, compared to waiting a few months after the season ends to watch it on Netflix. 

All these different features have created a competitive atmosphere where consumers are never satisfied — and the only way to be satisfied is by getting a subscription to the newest streaming service.

While it’s nice to be able to watch any episode of “Gossip Girl” whenever you want, I’ve found myself having serious FOMO (fear of missing out) from not having streaming services. It’s gotten to the point where you can’t watch a KU basketball game if you don’t have a subscription to ESPN+ and kids feel compelled to pay for a Disney+ subscription on their own when their parents won’t pay for it just so they can relive their childhood and watch the newest “High School Musical, The Series” episode. 

The FOMO that the streaming companies have created has caused consumers to feel pressure to subscribe to all these streaming services because they don’t want to be judged for being the only person who doesn’t have them — one of the many reasons why streaming services are so irritatingly genius. 

And the “Streaming War” has gone even further than TV — companies like Sprint have started to include Hulu in your monthly phone bill and Verizon gives their customers who have an unlimited plan Disney+ for free. It seems as though everyone is investing in the streaming service market, but what happens when people realize they’re spending $100 a month for multiple streaming services they only use for one TV show?

Bottom line — consumers spend way too much money on all these streaming services that basically provide the same thing. Why should you have to pay $13 a month to watch your sporting events or a nostalgic TV show? People need to stop playing into the hands of streaming services because before we know it, we’ll be spending a fortune on streaming services for every different channel — and the prices could keep increasing.