The generational cost of cutting cords
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Mounting subscription prices are causing a rift between streaming services and the young customers they convinced would save money by ditching cable.
The big picture: More than half of Gen Z and millennials believe they are overspending on streaming services each month, a recent poll reports.
By the numbers: 58% of viewers would rather watch ads than pay more for ad-free streaming, according to an analysis from The Harris Poll on behalf of Tubi, an ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox.
- 62% prefer free, ad-supported streaming, according to the poll.
Between the lines: 71% of Gen Z and millennials admitted to canceling memberships that require a premium to gain more access.
What they did: The Harris Poll surveyed 2,503 adults who streamed video for at least one hour a week from December 2023 to January 2024.
💭 Jay's thought bubble: My biggest gripe about streaming services — other than, you know, the rise of subscription costs, the fall of physical media and ethical concerns surrounding some original content — is the lack of an affordable way to stream the Astros.
- I spend about $50 a month on four streaming services. The cheapest option I've found to stream Space City Home Network, where the Astros are broadcast, is nearly twice that.
- I love watching the Astros, but I reckon I'll stick with listening to games on the radio this season.
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