We all love choices. But choices sometimes come with frustrating limits and constraints that ultimately end up creating more problems. This brings us to the topic of “streaming overload,” a way of referring to the rapidly growing selection of streaming-related possibilities. It’s not so much the options that are the problem as it is the way they are presented – but we’ll get into that down below. Read on to learn more about why Americans are increasingly fed up with too many streaming service options.
Survey Says… People Are Subscribed to Too Many Services
According to results of a survey published by Interpret, a media analyst company, 20 percent of the nearly 10,000 respondents said they subscribed to too many streaming services. In the average household, people are signed up for somewhere around 4-5 services. This doesn’t include free, ad-supported options like Pluto TV.
Looking for Convenience
A third of respondents said what they really want is to have a convenient place where a variety of streaming content from different sources can be accessed. This is already what’s possible with cable and satellite TV since there are various tiers that come with an assortment of channels and networks. Now, to be fair, there are already platforms like Amazon, Apple, and Roku that are attempting to present a more menu-like way of picking and choosing streaming content.
It’s Not Easy Getting All Streaming Services on Board
There is one big wrench in the plan of getting all streaming content providers to make their content accessible from one source – finding a happy medium. Many of the top streaming services have their own priorities and goals. What’s more, these services often prefer to hang onto their exclusive content as an incentive to get people to sign up directly. It’s worth noting smaller or mid-size streaming services can certainly benefit from being part of the offerings in a one-source model. In other words, it would give smaller players a chance to offer their streaming goodies to a broader audience.
‘Service Hopping’ is an Increasingly Common Thing
There’s data suggesting more streaming viewers are “service hopping” these days. This is a reference to the practice of periodically switching services based on what’s appealing and what’s available. Service hopping also refers to certain habits related to streaming services, such as:
• Signing up and canceling multiple times
• Going back to certain services only when certain content is available
• Switching briefly to take advantage of special deals or offers
OTT Subscriptions Are Dropping
Over-the-top providers, the ones where you have to sign up via a website, are actually seeing noticeable drops in sign-ups. According to one recent estimate, OTT subscriptions dropped from around 40 percent to just below 30 percent from early 2020 through the latter part of 2021. Instead, more people are looking to OTT aggregators to find streaming content. Industry insiders point out there are multiple aggregation sources people already use commonly in their homes, including:
• Streaming media players
• Gaming consoles
• Set-top boxes
• Smart TV interfaces
The point here is there are ways streaming providers could make their services and content available in a more convenient way. However, popular subscription video-on-demand, or SVOD, providers like Sling TV, Netflix and Disney+ aren’t willing to work with “middlemen” like Amazon Prime Video Channels. They prefer a more direct and exclusive approach.
What Streaming Viewers Can Do Now
It remains to be seen what will happen as all key players figure out a way to make streaming viewers happy. As far as streaming providers go, one thing they can do is tap into their data to identify habitual service hoppers so they can focus their efforts more on retaining loyal subscribers. Streaming viewers, on the other hand, can improve the streaming experience by taking some steps when making service choices. These include:
• Searching for specific shows or movies of interest to see where they can be viewed
• Looking for services that offer most of what’s preferred
• Taking advantage of free trial periods before officially signing up
• Supplementing paid subscriptions with free, ad-supported options
