By Cole Gee I Reporter
When Netflix first started to produce original content in 2012, it was considered an industry-shaking event by many. You no longer had to go through major television bigwigs like ABC, CBS and HBO to get your stories produced. At first, Netflix gave many opportunities to up-and-coming talent in order to promote its service, which in turn helped produce iconic shows like “Stranger Things,” “Haunting on Hill House,” “Squid Game” and “Orange is the New Black.”
However, like many things in the entertainment industry, if one company figures out a winning strategy, everyone else wants a piece of the pie. Soon enough, every major media company made a streaming service: Paramount Plus, Starz, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Apple TV+, HBO Max and more. The number of streaming sites is getting ridiculous.
Beyond the fact that the market has become severely oversaturated, many of these sites are changing or removing long-held policies that made them enjoyable in the first place. The biggest offenders are Netflix and Hulu, which are cracking down on password sharing despite promoting their service in the past as family-friendly and accessible. The new rule is that you have to log into your Netflix account on your registered home Wi-Fi, or else you lose access. This hurts those who work and live away from home, like college students.
Another frustrating part about streaming services is that out of the hundreds of shows they green-light every year, probably only a quarter of them will make it past season one. Netflix has become so notorious for canceling shows after the first season that many people wait until they get official confirmation of a renewal before watching. However, in the cases of “The Society,” “Glow” and “Warrior Nun,” even a renewal announcement meant little, as they were still canceled.
However, the most damaging aspect of streaming services is their insane rising costs. Streaming originally became popular due to the insane rising prices of cable television and the lack of quality shows to justify it. However, with Netflix recently increasing its premium price to $23, its basic plan to $10 and its ad-friendly version to $7, it essentially just reinvented cable television. The only difference now is that streaming services and major networks hold a majority of the power and production — which in turn harms not only us but, if the recent strikes prove anything, thousands of workers in Hollywood as well.
The era of cheap streaming and easy convenience is all but gone. For the sake of your wallet and maybe your sanity, it’s probably best to look for new ways to watch your favorite shows — because if these past months in the entertainment industry have shown us anything, it’s that Hollywood will do whatever it takes to make a cheap buck.
