"We're just back at cable again."

[Dave Gray]

I hear this all the time from people who are lamenting that if you get all the streaming services bundled, it's just being back at cable.

But I don't understand this.  Don't bundle.  The problem with cable is that you had to have the basic channels which included a bunch of stuff you didn't want.  So, yes -- if you absolutely must have MAX, Hulu, Netflix, AppleTV+, Amazon, Disney, Paramount, ESPN+, AMC -- then sure -- you're going to essentially be paying for cable again.

But I don't do that.  I pick and choose a few and then I just....do without in some cases or try to share with others.  Or I cancel what I'm using less and switch over to something else.  This model is definitely better, in my opinion, but you can't just set it and forget it for every channel, forever.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

My approach  is to only have one at a time.  Binge watch everything that interests you on one.  When there is nothing left that interests you switch to different one. Frequently I am one a free or discounted trial period.

[Spider-Dan]

I think the problem is that if you look at the dozens of channels you had during the cable days, getting cut back to a Netflix channel, an Amazon Prime channel, a Disney+ channel, an ESPN+ channel, a Paramount+ channel, and a Max channel for the same price "feels" like you're getting ripped off... you went from over a hundred channels to only six!

But in reality, that's an unfair comparison, since you can watch thousands of different episodes or movies on those services at any given moment.  So a better comparison would be that with cable, you had (say) 150 "programs" to choose from - one for each channel on the air - at any given moment, whereas on just one of these streaming services, you have many hundreds or even thousands to choose from (albeit with less variety).

Effectively, there's no such thing as "back at cable again" with on-demand streaming.

[Denver2]

Hulu, Disney, ESPN: 9.99
Paramount and Showtime : 11.99
MAX 9.99

For 33 bucks you get something better than cable ever was HBO and SHO used to be that just by themselves.

If there’s something you really need to watch anywhere else then do it watch it drop it’s still a better deal than cable