Rising cost of streaming

"The cost of streaming services keeps going up. There are plans with and without ads. Standard and premium options. For the Wall Street Journal, Melissa Korn, Elizaveta Galkina, and Stephanie Stamm charted the rise in prices across the major services and the companies' shifted priorities from acquiring new customers to making a profit. Years ago, I was reasoning my way out of cable television, which I did eventually."

"As streaming continues its convergence with cable, I'm figuring out when to get rid of streaming services, because it's cheaper to just buy physical copies or check out DVDs from the library."

Streaming service prices keep rising, with providers offering ad-supported and ad-free, standard and premium tiers, and raising fees across major platforms. Companies are shifting priorities from aggressive subscriber acquisition to driving profitability through higher prices and tiered offerings. The convergence of streaming and traditional cable is increasing costs and complexity for consumers. Many subscribers are reevaluating the value of multiple streaming subscriptions. Some consumers find buying physical copies or borrowing DVDs from libraries more economical than maintaining multiple streaming accounts, prompting reconsideration about when to cancel services.

Read at FlowingData