In the golden days of the streaming era, the ability to access favorites like The Office and Suits with only a Netflix subscription felt like a true gift. Sure, DVD box sets were still viable but, with the rental market dropping off, convenience seemed to win out. That was even despite the eventual segmentation that saw studios retaining the rights to their material, if only to grab subscribers into their tent. Remember that time Peacock made you subscribe to the top tier in order to watch all of the aforementioned workplace comedy?
Cut to the present day, where services like Disney+ and Max are removing content for tax write-offs, password-sharing crackdowns have been announced and price increases seem to be more common than ever. An even ad-supported plans are an option. It all inspires me to ask a question that I’m sure you’ve all contemplated as of late: is anyone else exhausted by where the streaming landscape is heading?
The Netflix Password Crackdown Has Arrived On My Doorstep, Just As Another Increase Has Been Rumored
Admittedly, this is coming from a very personal place for me. Not several days after I made my peace with Netflix’s DVD rental company shuttering, my wife and I logged onto the company’s streaming service and were greeted with a message. That notice was a prompt for me to sign up for an “extra member slot,” for $7.99/mo. All my wife and I wanted to do was continue watching Ugly Betty, and here we were finally assaulted by this controversial choice.
The fun was apparently just beginning, as it was later reported that the streamer is reportedly raising prices again for all tiers of access. The company that once encouraged password sharing is now asking me for more money, for my dad to be able to access my Netflix subscription, while allegedly getting ready to ask for even more for my base subscription. What’s worse is this isn’t the only tiring worry that’s cropping up in the world of streaming price hikes.
Disney+ And Hulu Have A Cool New Bundle Available, But Now I Have To Jump Through Hoops To Get It
We all knew that Disney+’s price hike was coming down the pike, along with a rate increase for a Hulu subscription as well. Looking at the figures for what’s coming, in addition to the options that are being presented to attract new Disney+ subscription holders, there seems to be a way to save a good amount of money in the near future.
As of October 12th, here’s what I’m going to be paying for both of the services mentioned above. Also included for reference is what I could be paying for consolidation of those platforms, under the recently introduced package known as the Disney Bundle Duo Premium:
- Disney+ (ad free): $13.99/mo
- Hulu (ad free): $17.99/mo
- Disney Bundle Duo Premium (ad free): $19.99/mo
I know the Disney Bundle has been around for some time, with the intent of saving folks money on their subscriptions. But in the past, my choices were to stay with ad-free Hulu and Disney+ billed separately, or to move forward with the Disney Bundle. That package not only includes ESPN+, which I have no interest in using whatsoever, but only encompasses the ad-supported variants of those services.
At least, until now. There are finally options that ad-free households can partake in to gain access to the bundle; and you can choose to axe ESPN+ as well! With a projected savings of $11.99 a month, and the absence of ads, you can bet I'd take that deal! That is, if that option was showing up on either my Disney+ or Hulu account management pages.
You see, you need to be “eligible” to sign up for something like the Disney Bundle Duo Premium. That name is quite the mouthful, but nowhere near as taxing as the wild goose chase I went through in both Hulu and Disney’s FAQs to find out I’m apparently not eligible. Or at least, I'm not eligible without spending time either calling or chatting online with the support staff of the House of Mouse's flagship streamer.
As a loyal subscriber of both Disney+ and Hulu, I’m frustrated because of the fact I can’t select this option easily through either platform’s account settings. Disney+ and Hulu are eventually going to be in the same app anyway, so why wouldn’t its parent company want to streamline consumers' access preemptively on the billing end?
Is Cable Starting To Look Good Again?
I’ll admit, I’ve been sharing my streaming services with my family, because we like a lot of the same programs. Disney+ is especially wonderful, as we’re a Disney family that loves to watch a movie like Hocus Pocus during this time of year, whether we’re together under one roof or in our own dwellings. Between password crackdowns looming for D+ and other platforms and the increasing cost of subscriptions across the board, I’m sorry to say it, but cable TV is starting to look like a good option again.
DVR helps record the material that’s not readily available on demand, while certain streaming services or suitable alternatives are available with a terrestrial broadcast package. I can also synchronize my viewing habits through checking the channel guide. Not to mention, you could very easily skip streaming altogether if you wanted to, as there are vendors like GameFly that still rent out discs; and in 4K to boot!
Naturally, I’m a bit heated about the matter, but who isn’t tired of all of the increases in subscription prices for what seems to be a shrinking universe of titles available? Streaming was supposed to open doors and allow us all to share in cultural moments like Bridgerton and Loki.
While I'm clearly still hooked on shows such as those, it feels like it's about time to sit down and crunch some numbers. Much like the old cable days, we might see a resurgence of the old-fashioned practice to strategically pause and renew certain in order to get the most bang for the buck. Remember how many people used to brag when they'd cancel HBO whenever Game of Thrones wasn't airing?
Netflix’s password crackdowns seem to be working at the moment, and that’s a trend that might change on the road ahead. I don’t know about you but, for now, I’m going to get on the horn with Disney to see if I can get that sweet bundle deal, while also taking a deeper look at my streaming budget.
