Price of streaming Netflix, Disney+ will double in the next five years

Research company Reach3 Insights have told the world the price of streaming that we are willing to pay, apparently. They’ve come in at a hot $22.50 per month, per service. Not sure who they’ve been talking to, but it’s numbers like that which rise the tides, create fake news and cause corporations to hike prices.

Okay, only one of those three things is true, but a streaming price hike would be disastrous. We’re currently sitting pretty at $10 price points, so any service spotting this $22.50 average is going to lick lips and start plotting. Consider the deals currently on offer.

• Apple TV+ bundle is a convenient cord-cutting trend
• Disney+ bundles up with Verizon offer
• Watch free Apple TV+ shows without spending a dime
• Get CBS All Access trial membership

No one is expecting Disney+ to stay at $6.99 forever, yet it’s a long way to $22.50. Data like this gives too much encouragement to raise prices. Please Reach3, keep stuff like this on the down-low in the future.

Spidey senses tingling

The reason this report caused a deep-rooted tingling sensation is threefold.

1. The obvious: services jack up costs.
2. The sympathetic: higher costs mean some services will get no love.
3. And the selfish: I’m cheap.

So, the real third reason — okay, the fourth reason, is that this Reach3 Insight report looks scary accurate. So much so, I’ve been interrogating Alexa and her motives. I knew she couldn’t be trusted.

What I’m saying is that this research looks on-point for me personally. This could be the price point I’m willing to pay and they knew before me. They know me better than I know myself. That’s scary.

What should worry you is that I’m an average Joe. So if it fits me, it’s probably gonna fit snugly for you too.

Choice cuts from their data

Somehow, they’ve managed to glean this information from only asking 300 subscribers across the United States. Here are some of their research choice cuts:

• 35 percent of people asked planned to subscribe to Disney+
• 80 percent of streamers have Netflix
• 80 percent of streamers plan to subscribe to multiple services
• 58 percent of streamers would switch to an ad-supported version of a service rather than paying
• Two-thirds of subscribers would tolerate a 20 percent price hike before unsubscribing

All joking aside, the price of streaming will rise. The question is, how predictable and open are we subscribers going to be. It’s easy to see how data is used against us. Sometimes, we really don’t help ourselves or the cord-cutting movement.