The Shifting Landscape of Streaming TV: A Déjà vu with Cable-like Bundles?

What’s that old adage? "The more things change, the more they stay the same." Over the past decade, the TV landscape has experienced rapid evolution with the arrival of streaming TV and the surge in “cord-cutting,” but are we about to experience déjà vu with cable-like streaming packages?

If you've recently felt that your streaming options are beginning to mirror your previous cable subscriptions, you're not alone. Where streaming began as the low-cost, ad-free, pay-only-for-what-you-want option, it has steadily risen in price, added commercials, and now welcomes streaming bundles.

New Bundles Arriving on the Market:

Disney, Hulu, & HBO Max – available this summer source

ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery (sports bundle) – date TBA source

Comcast Launching Apple TV+, Peacock, Netflix – available this month source

While upcoming pricing changes, bundle options, and cable subscriptions may have consumers reaching for calculators to figure out their best options, advertisers should continue to lean in and utilize the medium.

Why Consider Including TV Streaming in Your Media Mix?

Opportunity to Connect with Hard-to-Reach Audiences: Streaming combines the reach of traditional media with precise audience targeting. Currently, 89% of US households have a streaming video service (source).

Time Spent with Streaming Continues to Grow: In July 2022, streaming claimed the largest share of U.S. viewership for the first time in a given month (source), a trend that has continued.

Primetime all the Time: On streaming platforms, primetime is anytime. Consumers decide when they want to watch and what they want to watch. This includes a brand-new release to shows that with season finales airing years ago. In 2023 millions of viewers discovered (or rediscovered) Suits leading to 57.13 billion minutes of viewing in 2023. (source).

If streaming seems like a logical choice for your business but you're feeling overwhelmed about where to start, partnering with a media-focused company can ensure you make the right decisions. At Avail Media, we use research to create data-driven media campaigns, reaching target audiences effectively, regardless of the content they consume.