As news of new streaming bundles and price hikes rolled out in 2024, it became official: we’ve spent a decade escaping cable, only to lovingly reconstruct it with better logos. Disney, Hulu, Max, sports add-ons – it’s less “cutting the cord” and more “braiding several smaller cords into one slightly more expensive rope.”
The original promise was choice. Pick what you want, pay only for that, and avoid paying for channels you never watch. Now we’re back to spreadsheets, free trials, and that moment every month where you wonder why you’re subscribed to three services just to watch one show on each.
From a business standpoint, bundling makes sense. From a user standpoint, it feels like UX designed by a billing department. The value is still there – there’s more good content than anyone can realistically consume – but the mental overhead keeps going up.
If entertainment requires this much account management, how long before people just… watch less? And which platforms will realize that simplicity might be the most valuable content of all?
Related article: WSJ
