In 2024, the most important question for video services is how to make money. That has meant that big services like Disney+ and Hulu have had to raise the price of their service. Now that people are cutting back on cords, that move puts stress on smaller services.
The problem for smaller streaming services that have been thought of as an extra way to watch TV shows and movies is that services like Disney+ are very expensive. This could mean that people who have cut the cord will keep cutting back on streaming services they don’t want or that offer less material.
Out of the more than 1,000 people who read this, 63.3% pay for four or fewer streaming services, 47.3% pay for three or fewer, and 27.3% pay for two or fewer.
Most people who cut the cord still only pay for four or less streaming services, but since October 2023, there have been a few more people who pay for five or more. In October of last year, 66.2% of people who cut the cord paid for four or fewer services. Some of that number may come from the fact that more and more streaming services offer sports. For example, in January, the NFL only showed a playoff game on Peacock.
If prices go up, more people may decide to cut the cord and subscribe to fewer services. Long-term, this probably won’t have much of an effect on big streaming services. But smaller services that cater to a specific audience might have a hard time as users decide whether to pay for a service that only shows anime or fishing shows or Disney+.
