More with fewer streaming services

A survey conducted by Cord Cutters News recently shows that nearly 60% of respondents are using three or fewer streaming services.

I've been advocating the cutting back of paid streaming services for some time. Now, I'm not at all suggesting that others are following my lead. Rather, I'm suggesting that others are seeing the same thing I saw: there is plenty of free content out there.

The driving force for the cutbacks is the same: saving money. As streaming services continue to up their prices, more and more subscribers are finding they can drop the services and find plenty of other content by subscribing to fewer services, and watching more free content.

Free ad-supported television (FAST) services carry a lot of good content. Sometimes, even original content (think Roku Channel, Freevee, and similar services). And more people are cutting subscriptions.

According to the survey, 58% of streamers subscribe to three or fewer services:

One type of streaming hit hardest by cord cutters cutting back has been live TV streaming services. Recently multiple live Tv streaming services have lost subscribers, including Hulu + Live TV losing 100,000 subscribers, Sling TV losing 97,000, and Fubo losing 118,000 subscribers during the 2nd quarter of 2023.

On-demand services have also been reporting drops in subscribers, including Max and Disney+. These drops are coming as some of our readers are telling us they are willing to rotate streaming services to save money. Instead of paying for a service all year, they are more willing got subscribe for just a month or two to a service so they can binge-watch everything. After that month is done, they switch to a new service to save money.

We have also recently seen free streaming services like Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, according to a report from Nielsen. Some of our readers said they are using free ad-supported services to save money.

That sounds a lot like me. I pay for three services. Well, two. Or maybe nine.

I pay for two: Frndly TV ($9/month) and Pub-D-Hub ($5/year). I get a third with a subscription that I have unrelated to streaming, so the streaming is a bonus (Prime Video, $120/year). I get three as part of bonuses with other services (Paramount Plus with Walmart Plus, Peacock TV with Xfinity Internet, Apple TV+ with an Apple device). I had other subscriptions for family members that are no longer needed, and have canceled and am waiting for the actual subscription term to end (Starz, AMC Plus, Curiosity Stream). So nine services, but three yearly subscriptions have already been canceled, and four that come with other services that I would have anyway, leaving just two to which I actually subscribe.

My Streaming Life has both more services than most, and fewer services than most. I'm complicated that way.