Watch more, spend less doubloons by lowering yer monthly streaming booty. Aye, tis a good deal, me hearties!
2024-03-07
Avast ye scallywags! CyberGuy Kurt be delving into the treacherous waters of streaming services. He be weighin' the worth of keepin' certain services and offerin' up ways to save yer precious doubloons. Aye, listen well me hearties and set sail with CyberGuy!
Ahoy, me hearties! Gone be the days of boundless free trials and ad-free subscriptions for every tier o' subscription memberships. It seems now that every year our favorite subscription services be threatening to increase membership plan prices or strip away benefits previously provided based on your membership tier. Streamers be claimin' to be strugglin' with costs as well as increasin' their subscriber base.Despite people abandonin' costly cable bundles in exchange for cheaper streaming services, now those costlier monthly subscription services be really addin' up. It pays to take a good look at which services you’re subscribed to already, ways you can stop overpayin' and a clear look at the different plans and how they measure up against one another. Let’s check to see which services have gone up and which ones be worth stickin' with.According to Nielsen, "Americans streamed 21 million years’ worth of content [in 2023]", which be a 21% increase from 2022. Add up all of your monthly streaming bills, and you be likely spendin' more than you be aware of. Ninety-nine percent of U.S. households be subscribed to ONE or more streaming services. On average, Americans be spendin' around $46 per month on streaming services. Others be payin' more and sometimes don’t know it. There be an easy way to get a handle on out-of-control spendin' on streaming.Over the past year, Netflix just started offerin' advertisin'-supported subscriptions at a reduced monthly rate of $6.99 (vs. the ad-free standard tier, which starts at $15.49). Disney Plus costs $7.99 a month for ad-supported streaming (vs $13.99 a month for ad-free playback). Because most streaming services be month-to-month and offer the ability to cancel at any time, there be no reason not to start and stop your subscription.Most streaming services offer the ability to now add users to subscription plans. When done correctly and with the right people, splittin' a subscription can save you money. Some streaming services like Disney Plus allow you to bundle multiple platforms to save you money. While it sounds counterintuitive, if you know you’ll keep watchin' a platform for a whole year, it may save you money in the long run to buy the whole year upfront. Be sure to check out our picks for the best sites to stream free movies, TV shows, and live news in 2024.In an effort to help you get a bird's eye view of how much streaming services cost, below be a breakdown of the top streamers and their cost at the time of publishin'. The streamin' services market be very competitive, with different platforms offerin' various plans and prices. Though streamin' services be adaptin' to economic challenges by passin' along the burden to the consumer by increasin' subscription costs or eliminatin' some benefits at the base subscription level, these services aren’t goin' anywhere and be a staple of most American lives. Having good awareness, however, of what you be subscribin' to and adoptin' a savvy strategy could still have you comin' up on top.Has the risin' cost of streamin' services changed your viewin' habits? Be you plannin' on incorporatin' any of these cost-savin' strategies? Let us know by writin' us at Cyberguy.com/Contact. For more of my tech tips & security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by headin' to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter. Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover. Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions. Copyright 2024 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.