Streaming Services
We have accounts with a few streaming services, but I think we’ll give up a bunch of them when the kids leave for college. The conversation about Netflix morphed into a discussion about streaming services in general in one of my Facebook groups, and I learned that the kids would only be able to access one of our services (where I purchased five user slots) once they leave home.
So they can use Hulu while in the house, but once they move out to a dorm, we need to get them their own account for the months they’re away.
On the one hand, I get it. They’re not technically at home. But on the other hand, college is not living independently. They’re still coming home for breaks and the summer — a temporary situation with more in common with long-term travel than an established separate life. I doubt they’ll have much time to use the services while away, so better to cancel them and bring them back for a few months over winter break or summer.
I wish more services would shift to selling slots, and then I’d leave them running all year. Or make shows available for sale on another platform after some time. We used to buy shows we wanted to see a year or so after release. Now most shows never go on sale to own, so you need to keep up the streaming service to watch them again.
This system doesn’t really work for us anymore.
3 comments
I wouldn’t worry about it too much – making them seek out entertainment also makes them seek out other people. It’s probably best NOT to have a streaming service at this point. (I’m probably wrong and everyone will think you’re weird if you don’t have Netflix or Apple TV+ or something…because it comes free with your phone plan or some nonsense.)
I just found it very entertaining to see Netflix walk back their password sharing info because it led me to see the meme that says:
Streaming services seem to have forgotten that the reason they are in business is that they’re only slightly more convenient than pirating.
(Or, ya know, borrowing things from the library, as the case may be!)
It’s been a long time since my college days, but I remember there were “common” rooms with TV’s for everyone to use. Back then, it was lots of channels via cable. Now – I can imagine dorms may have some sort of deals with streaming services (maybe?). Also, think cozy evenings with kids home for the holidays (or weekends?) catching up on shows with you 🙂
@a: just wanted to say, we don’t have Netflix, or AppleTV, or Hulu or Disney+ (gah!), or HBOplus… We “make do” with Prime and a couple of channels we get with antenna. I am happy to be weird 🙂 I wish more shows were available at the library (Station 11! Also still waiting for season 3 of His Dark Materials to come out as DVDs – so we can borrow from library…)
“slightly more convenient than pirating” – I love that.
I wasn’t planning on giving DC1 any streaming services. First because I hadn’t thought of it and second for the reasons mentioned above– there are so many better things to do in college and watching shows is a great group activity.