Re:Streaming video has surpassed cable subscriptions worldwide
by bamboozled on Sunday March 24, 2019 @02:59AM
(#19474874)
It will only take one company to jump the gun, introduce advertising and the rest will follow after a huge increase in revenue. People won’t just leave automatically, especially if their locked to service specific content.
Unlike cable TV in the US currently, which is either a monopoly or duopoly, there is a decent bit of competition on streaming. Currently, there is Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, YouTube, among others. Yes, the content is often only partially overlapping, but the point is -- there is competition. This is much more promising for customers than the current situation -- where you often have one and only once choice and they can do whatever they want.
Overall, I'd say advertisements are the least of worries for me. The greater worry is you sign up for a $90/mo plan and the bill magically becomes $120/mo. You are forced to watch TV on their schedule. You sign up for a 12 or 24mo plan which you cannot cancel, even if you lose crucial channels (e.g., Disney) And the thing is near-impossible to cancel without spending hours in call-wait hell.