• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem

1

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

2

OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation

3

Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
TechVideo

Streaming bills are piling up: Do you care?

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 28, 2015, 10:28 AM ET
Courtesy of Netflix
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The cost to access content the way you want is on the rise—that is, if you’re the type of person who’s willing to pay for it.

Last week, Google-owned (GOOGL) YouTube announced a new streaming-video service called YouTube Red. The service, which will launch on Wednesday, provides ad-free access to the streaming-video platform for $9.99 per month. The subscription also includes access to YouTube’s recently launched Gaming app and an upcoming YouTube Music app. Starting next year, YouTube Red subscribers will get exclusive access to original content from the content provider.

The announcement, which had been rumored for months, came alongside the end of the initial three-month trial of Apple (AAPL) Music. Apple’s streaming service was available to all subscribers for free for a period of three months. Now, though, the company’s streaming-music offering will start charging subscribers $9.99 per month or $14.99 per family.

Apple and YouTube are by no means alone. Spotify, Amazon (AMZN), Pandora (P), and countless other companies all offer streaming music subscriptions. On the video side, companies ranging from Hulu to HBO to Showtime all offer paid services. Depending on the platform, users are getting ad-free content or simply the ability to access whatever it is the provider is peddling. In many cases, those services cost around $10 per month for access—a seeming deal.

The issue, however, is that the costs can very easily pile up. An entertainment-loving consumer, for instance, may dole out large amounts of cash to get his or her hand on content. If Netflix costs $9 per month, but the person also wants TV programming from Hulu and music streaming from Apple, they’re paying what amounts to a tank of gas each month for relatively little content. If Amazon’s wildly popular series Transparent catches his or her eye and the person happens to be a fan of professional wrestling and wants access to WWE (WWE) content, the costs go up again. And now that YouTube is dangling an ad-free service that would be complemented with original programming, it’s well within the realm of possibility that this theoretical consumer is paying $50 to $100 per month for all of the services he or she desires.

For the most part, however, IHS analyst Dan Cryan says consumers are just fine with those costs. In fact, his research suggests that consumers don’t generally feel that streaming services are slowly infiltrating their wallets.

“​This is not something that is being widely felt at the moment,” he says.

Meanwhile, content providers are expected to rake in the cash. In June, Parks Associates released a study that found video-streaming services in the U.S. will see revenue jump from $9 billion in 2014 to $19 billion in 2019. The company reported that 57% of households with cable or satellite service have at least one streaming subscription. That number, Parks argues, will grow as time goes on.

Also in June, research firm eMarkter reported that 49% of Americans have at least one streaming-video subscription. Netflix, the most popular of video-streaming providers, reported in July that it now has 42 million subscribers in the U.S. In the second quarter of 2013, it had nearly 29 million.

Nailing down exactly how much someone pays for streaming services is tricky, Cryan says. Those who only want a service or two may actually find themselves saving money. Those who are trying to “cut the cord,” or get away from pay-TV subscriptions but still have all the content they want, may ultimately fall victim to the streaming trap.

“If your needs are served by Netflix and you don’t feel the need to a traditional pay-TV subscription then streaming can provide real savings,” Cryan says. “Where things become more complicated is when you start to add more subscriptions.​”

Cutting the cord—at least in the U.S.—is starting to become more popular. In March, Experian Marketing said that 7.3% of U.S. households had totally eliminated their reliance upon cable or satellite and opted for streaming services. In 2010, that figure stood at 4.2%. Whether those people are ultimately saving money depends on their content desires, Cryan says. But at an average price of $10 for both video and music streaming, it doesn’t take long to get back to where they were with cable or satellite providers.

In Sept., the Leichtman Research Group reported that the average American cable bill is $99.10, up 39% compared to five years ago. Cord-cutters who watch Netflix and Hulu for their television needs, HBO and Showtime for their original programming, and want to sidestep YouTube for its ads, are about halfway to that price. Sprinkle in some other services here and there and the cost-savings of streaming start to wane. And let’s not forget that this only the beginning—companies like NBC, CBS, and other major networks have all found ways to break out their content from cable and satellite companies. Selective viewing, in other words, is coming into vogue. And it may not be as cheap as some thought.

“Despite the popularity of subscription-based streaming, the new wave of [streaming] services raises questions about how much consumers might be willing to spend on these services,” eMarketer analysts wrote in a statement in June. “Already, a set of [streaming] subscriptions to a handful of offerings could approach or exceed the price of a cable or satellite TV package. That scenario would eliminate cost savings as an incentive for consumers to cut the cord.”

Sign up for Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

For more on streaming developments, check out the following Fortune video:

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Tech

orson
CommentaryOpenAI
We got California to intervene about OpenAI’s corporate switch from nonprofit status. It’s time for the SEC to come to the table
By Orson Aguilar and Catherine BracyJuly 22, 2026
4 hours ago
A woman observes stock trends on her smartphone while a computer screen displays financial graphs.
NewslettersCFO Daily
Beyond SpaceX: Why great IPOs depend on more than first-day demand
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 22, 2026
4 hours ago
Arrakis cofounder and CEO Rafael Quintanilla.
Startups & VentureVenture Capital
Exclusive: Arrakis, betting AI’s biggest payoff is in industrial sectors not office work, emerges from stealth with $38 million in venture funding
By Jeremy KahnJuly 22, 2026
4 hours ago
ls
Commentarybooks
Confessions of an award-winning AI memoirist — the ‘slop’ debate isn’t really about good writing, and you know it
By Luke StoffelJuly 22, 2026
5 hours ago
b
Commentarythe future of work
Manpower President: The future of work question that even CEOs can’t answer
By Becky FrankiewiczJuly 22, 2026
5 hours ago
nela
Successdisruption
Exclusive: Stanford and ADP have new payroll data on Gen Z women losing ground to men in the job market—and AI isn’t the main culprit
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
2 days ago
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
Cybersecurity
OpenAI says its AI models secretly broke out of a secure test environment and hacked into AI company Hugging Face in order to cheat on an evaluation
By Jeremy Kahn and Emily ForliniJuly 21, 2026
21 hours ago
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
AI
Mathematicians grapple with a ‘very rapid and very unsettling change’ as AI cracks yet another century-old problem
By Eva RoytburgJuly 21, 2026
1 day ago
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
Success
‘I want to die broke’: Billionaire philanthropist Denny Sanford dies after giving away $4 billion
By Sydney LakeJuly 20, 2026
2 days ago
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
Success
Despite a $156 million contract, Knicks star Jalen Brunson still calls his parents for financial advice any time he makes a big purchase
By Emma BurleighJuly 21, 2026
1 day ago
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
AI
'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini says we're headed for universal basic income or 'some form of socialism' as AI revolutionizes work—He calls that optimistic
By Jason MaJuly 18, 2026
4 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.