Are Streaming Services Replacing Cable TV?

Streaming movies and television series has become one of the most popular ways to watch media recently, and have become competition for cable providers and TV shows.

Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, DirecTV and even Youtube provide access to thousands of television shows and movies, for members who pay monthly subscriptions.

Streaming services make it possible to watch TV series episodes, and even whole seasons, one after another without commercials, which has been popularized as “binge watching.”

Jaidyn Makos, a junior at Dimond, said, “I use both equally, I like Netflix more though, because you can watch episode after episode rather than having to wait.”

Bernice Lloyd, a junior at Dimond, said, “Binge watching while I do homework is what I live for. Netflix is better than cable.”

Steaming allows for a wide range of entertainment options, without the commitment of buying DVD’s, and without the hassle of commercials.

Katelyn Dawson, a junior at Dimond, said, “I like Netflix better [than live TV], because there are no commercials, and it’s easier to binge watch, some shows I watch aren’t on Netflix [though].”

Kylie Negale, a junior at Dimond, said, “[Having] no commercials makes me happy.”

Makos said, “They have whale documentaries too. I don’t actually watch them but they’ve got them! I watched Blackfish, it’s sad.”

However, there are a limited number to shows and movies to watch, and streaming services don’t always have the specific shows and movies you are looking for.

New movies and TV shows are added to streaming platforms regularly, but this means that other movies and TV shows are often removed due to the cost of licensing, or the lack of viewers.

Makos said, “You can’t watch Ellen on netflix!

“One thing I don’t like about Netflix is the fact that they took off [the TV show] Bob’s Burgers. I haven’t been the same since, [and] they didn’t even warn me.”

Streaming services allow subscribers to watch their favorite television shows and movies on tons of devices, like smartphones and computers, not just on a television set.

This allows users to bring their television shows and movies with them to watch anywhere, whether it’s during a flight or in a waiting room, whereas regular television can only be watched from a television set at home.

Negale said, “Streaming services are better [than regular TV] because you can bring most of your shows with you, and have hundreds of options that are there when you want [them,] unless you’re like me and you’ve watched every show three times [already].

“I was watching cable and I was flipping channels while I was waiting for a movie to start and it felt like a throw back.”

CBS News said recently that the research company eMarketer’s research showed that internet users of all ages are more likely to use streaming services than cable television.

CBS news also noted that out of all streaming services, Netflix is the most popularly used streaming platform.

More and more people are choosing to pay for streaming service subscriptions and forgo cable TV altogether, according to the LA Times.

Many companies, most popularly Netflix and Hulu, have even started creating their own original movies and series.

Some examples of popular streaming service originals are Netflix series “Stranger Things,” and “Black Mirror,” and Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

Netflix has a plethora of original shows with varying genres, including their ultra-popular shows, “Orange Is the New Black,” “House of Cards,” “Thirteen Reasons Why,” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”  

Some people even subscribe to streaming services just to watch these originals, many of which have become well known through social media.

Although, many of the original shows and movies are relatively unknown to the public, and even to the platforms’ subscribers.

Makos said, “I watched [Netflix’s original], ‘Friends From College,’ once, because Robin from ‘How I Met Your Mother’ was in the cast.

“It’s not really great, but I’ve watched a few episodes.”