Are we going back to the cable days?

Streaming was supposed to free consumers from cable’s woes — high monthly prices, tons of ads, and unnecessary programming.

But recent developments at the biggest streaming services are starting to reveal a different reality, per Bloomberg.

Streaming services…

… are making price increases a regular occurrence:

• Netflix raised the monthly price on its standard plan to $15.49/mo. in January, its third increase since 2019.
• Disney recently announced upcoming increases for Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, and its bundle after already raising prices multiple times since launching in 2019

Both platforms also announced ad-supported plans at a lower cost.

But not so fast

In July, streaming surpassed cable consumption for the first time.

According to Variety Magazine, Americans now watch more stuff on TV from streaming services than either broadcast or cable TV.

Streaming platforms, led by Netflix, in July 2022, for the first time, surpassed cable networks to claim the largest share of U.S. TV viewing for the month, according to new data from Nielsen. It was only a matter of time before the milestone was reached, as streaming usage has continued to climb while traditional TV declines amid the steady drip-drip-drip of cord-cutting losses.

For the month of July, streaming among American TV households represented a record 34.8% share of total consumption, while cable and broadcast came in at 34.4% and 21.6%, respectively. Streaming usage has surpassed that of the broadcast before, but this is the first time it has also exceeded cable viewing.

Even so, the median price American consumers pay for streaming is $20-$30 per month, a far cry from the $79/mo. the average cable plan costs.

So, while costs are adding up, you’d have to subscribe to pretty much every platform to pay more than you would for cable.