In 2018, streaming was rising as the most popular form of entertainment, beating out DVDs, Blockbuster rentals, movie theaters and cable. It was an inexpensive way to have any movie you could want at the click of a button. Today, streaming service prices are at a steep incline, especially as advertisements become a factor in how much you are paying.

   Louis Saggio has been paying for streaming services since they rose in popularity in the mid 2010’s, as well as cable since the early 2000’s., “A few years ago cable plus streaming only cost $160 per month and streaming was about $45 a month,” Saggio says.. “Cable costs $200 a month, but includes our internet (without internet, it costs about $100) but streaming costs are over $100 a month.” 

   It is free to the public eye to see how much streaming services cost today. Prices can range from $5.00 a month, to $22.99. The average American can be paying up to $80 a year, or more, if they wish to have all streaming at their fingertips.  Netflix has plans ranging from $6.99 with advertisements, to up to $22.99 for their premium service.

   Now to compare, Netflix was only priced at a single membership of $10.99 a month, with no ads and less cut downs on password sharing. In 2018, The Odyssey posted an article that says that streaming was the cheaper option, compared to cable.

Cable’s prices haven’t increased much overall, as it used to cost around $50-$60 and the price has raised only $10-$20 on a package that typically also includes your internet.

   This price increase affects everyone, especially those who are soon going to start paying for their own streaming services. The Verge says streaming has not only been raising prices, but cutting corners and lowering the overall quality of entertainment provided by the service. 

   People don’t want to pay a hundred dollars or more for these streaming services and have to watch

 advertisements, or only be able to have one or two accounts on the service. Change doesn’t seem to be coming, unfortunately, as most people share the same mentality as Saggio, “When paying for it, we pay for all of it anyways.”