This week we cancelled our BINGE and Apple TV+ subscriptions...and added back in Disney+. There is always some show on some other streaming service that we want to watch, but it's insane to just keep adding streaming services that charge per month when we really don't watch that much TV. Things got out of hand a while ago when we got up to about 5 concurrent subscriptions and so we made a house rule - We don't add a new streaming service unless we are cancelling another. That takes some discipline of course and is not without its flaws either...
One of the things I've noticed recently is that some streaming services are starting to drip feed shows with a new episode available only once a week. This is a clear throwback to the old days when my generation grew up with free-to-air TV and fixed programming times. Nowadays I am certain that this strategy is solely about trying to deter people from churning and cancelling their streaming service. There is no other reason to do it.
When I'm sitting down late at night to watch something with my wife we need to be able to pause (because of frequent interruptions) but if we like a show we might get through 2 or even 3 episodes in a night. Particularly shows with deeper plots it means we don't need to Recap every episode to remember what the hell was going on (Yes, we're getting old). We much prefer to binge watch a good show...and yes, they even named one service after this common viewing preference and now that very same service is drip feeding its shows!
Anyway, I am sure there is a better way to do this. Here in Australia we have Hubbl which appears to be attempting to create a hub where streaming service subscriptions can be managed in one place. I think eventually we get to a place where this all becomes a lot easier to manage but for now we're putting the steaming services on rotation and trying to be disciplined about how and when we watch shows. What does the future look like though? There has to be a better way? Would love to hear your suggestions or insights.
