Streaming Subscription Fees Have Been Rising While Content Quality is Dropping (arstechnica.com)
- Reference: 0175308619
- News link: https://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/24/10/23/121259/streaming-subscription-fees-have-been-rising-while-content-quality-is-dropping
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/10/subscribers-are-paying-more-for-streaming-content-that-they-are-enjoying-less/
> Subscription fees for video streaming services have been on a steady incline. But despite subscribers paying more, surveys suggest they're becoming [1]less satisfied with what's available to watch .
>
> At the start of 2024, the industry began declaring the end of Peak TV, a term coined by FX Networks Chairman John Landgraf that refers to an era of rampant content spending that gave us shows like The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones. For streaming services, the Peak TV era meant trying to lure subscribers with original content that was often buoyed by critical acclaim and/or top-tier actors, writers, and/or directors. However, as streaming services struggle to reach or maintain profitability, 2024 saw a drop in the number of new scripted shows for the first time in at least 10 years, FX Research found.
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> Meanwhile, overall satisfaction with the quality of content available on streaming services seems to have declined for the past couple of years. Most surveys suggest a generally small decline in perceived quality, but that's still perturbing considering how frequently streaming services increase subscription fees. There was a time when a streaming subscription represented an exclusive ticket to viewing some of the best new TV shows and movies. But we've reached a point where the most streamed TV show last year was Suits -- an original from the USA Network cable channel that ended in 2019.
[1] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/10/subscribers-are-paying-more-for-streaming-content-that-they-are-enjoying-less/
"Streaming pile of shit" (Score:1)
nuf sed
This here is what we used to call a "na doy." (Score:2)
First off, there's an argument to be made that Game of Thrones didn't survive the "peak TV" era. Granted, that was mostly about the egos of the show runners, and not about cost cutting. In fact, you can't really blame cost cutting for most of the shit-shows we're getting now. Isn't Scamazon's Rings of Power the most expensive TV production ever? Yet they couldn't bother with pretty elves. I don't even mind the diversification, even if it blatantly flies in the face of the original material that pretty much
An analogy (Score:2)
When 24-hour news networks were created on cable TV, the quality of news declined to the point that news organizations created or mutated stories to attract viewers. Now, news networks parrot each other, filling time with garbage. It's a sad indictment when more people trust the Weather Channel than [1]CNN. [yougov.com]
Now we have lots of pay streaming services that create content to keep viewers from dropping them. I mean how many times can you "re-imagine" J.R.R. Tolkien? or Destroy the Star Wars franchise?
[1] https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/45671-trust-in-media-2023-what-news-outlets-trust-poll
Re: (Score:2)
"Now, news networks parrot each other,"
That's a different problem, and would afflict them if the news networks were only OTA broadcast. Looks the same, on the surface, yes,
enshitification (Score:2)
Ever sense I heard of it "enshitification", I see it everywhere including non-tech. It's seems very true to me.
Streaming is the new cable (Score:2)
Just different providers. And more bills.
Re: (Score:2)
I am surprised how far backwards it has gone in the last 5 years it so. At one point you could pay a modest subscription to Netflix and watch almost whatever you wanted. We are nowhere near that now. At this point I would choose to go back to Netflix DVD by mail program if I could.