It has been a fantastic few years for all things digital as online platforms continue to thrive, esports leads the way for gaming but online platforms particularly for mobile like those found here for games of chance are amongst the most popular, music continues to thrive on Spotify, and the announcement from Disney last year that its own streaming platform of Disney+ was able to hit 100 million subscribers in just 16 months is very impressive. With recent news of price hikes though, some subscription platforms are struggling, and there are suggestions that piracy for entertainment is on the rise once again.
One reason for why this has been occurring is suggested by the biggest shows being cut early on – Netflix has been suggested to be one of the major contributors here, shows either being cut in their first and second season before really getting off the ground or even some shows lately in the third and fifth seasons which already have a well-established audience – it leads to viewer frustration when becoming invested in a new show only for it to be cancelled very quickly.
(Image from ft.com)
Price hikes have been another issue and once again most recently aimed at Netflix as it has aimed to increase the price of it’s HD service once again, whilst also suggesting a trial of introducing an additional cost for users who share their account with a few dollars per additional user being considered – with the library of shows stagnating and new shows either not releasing or being cancelled early, it is leading many to ask the question of why they’re paying for a subscription fee when the service they’re receiving is no longer worth it, particularly when there are many resources online that offer the same for free.
It has been the somewhat untold truth of digital release, with the box office it would often take weeks to months for a copy to appear that is of good enough quality, but when released digitally HD versions are immediately available and often online on the same day too – as individuals re-evaluate costs and exactly how valuable their favorite streaming platforms on, these same piracy sites report increased numbers of users regularly. It’s safe to say that online alternatives are reaping the benefits of some greed within online entertainment based around streaming, and that until the service returns to a point where it’s better than free alternatives, users will continue to seek out something that meets their newer standards.
