Justin Timberlake Sings TV's New Theme Song

Justin's hit from 2006 sure sounds like words to TV's latest theme song. Just when we all thought that the revolution in streaming media had literally been televised, the whole thing has been turned upside down. Streaming TV is now awash with so-called FAST (Free Advertiser Supported Television) services. It's hard to keep track, but recent counts show almost 2,000 free streaming channels. Most are single channels which offer reruns of older shows, news or lesser sports in an endless loop. Others contain as many as 500 of those single channels all aggregated inside their single service with a viewer guide.

In April of 2023, I wrote a blog post explaining the FAST landscape titled, "What's FAST And Why Am I Furious?” You can read that post here.

https://www.lowertechbills.com/post/what-s-fast-and-why-am-i-furious

At the time of the post, a lot of companies were just expanding into the FAST lane and many people did not realize how many options were available.

Today, almost every big-name video company, TV manufacturer and several independents are in the business. Services such as Freevee (Amazon), Pluto (Viacom), Xumo (Comcast), Roku Channel (Roku), Stirr (Sinclair), Tubi (Fox), Sling Freestream (DISH) and Plex (independent) are available. TV manufacturers are also in the game by offering FAST applications inside their smart TV’s such as Samsung’s TV Plus and LG Channel Plus. It seems like everyone in the video space now owns a FAST service. And to make things even more interesting, Sling Freestream just became the first FAST service to offer a free DVR that allows users to record up to 10 hours of programming. The DVR also allows them to fast forward and rewind through content and to record multiple programs simultaneously. 

And just as Justin sings, "What goes around comes back around", suddenly, commercial TV is back. Just a few years ago, with the success of Netflix, everyone was jumping into paid streaming applications. Soon, there was Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock and HBO Max (now just good old Max) joined by the plusses – Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN+, Paramount+ and MGM+. It seemed like the world was moving to a place where paying for what we watch, with no commercials, was the future. Only the so-called "Linear Networks” such as ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC along with traditional cable channels like Lifetime, Weather Channel and USA Network would still run commercials while we also paid for non-commercial streaming services. The days of ratings and advertising dollars were on their way out. It was now about subscriptions. The entire ecosystem of television viewing had changed - or so we thought. Not so fast.

It now appears that the death of advertising supported Television has been greatly exaggerated. FAST has grown from a nascent service to the fastest growing area in video. It went from literally unknown just a few years ago to an over 4-billion-dollar industry in 2023 - double what it was in 2022. And it could double again in 2024. Not only that but the programming on these services is evolving – fast. When they first started, programming mostly consisted of perhaps 100 channels of reruns of old TV series, older movies, cooking, travel, quiz and other reality shows along with lower tier sports and reruns of network news programming. Well, in the past several months, all of that has changed. FAST services are not only growing in viewership, but their channel options are as well. Some now have over 500 hundred with more seemingly coming every week. In fact, one of this year’s Emmy Award nominees, "Jury Duty”, began on the FAST channel, Freevee. All of a sudden, commercial TV is back. Even the original pay service, Netflix, now offers a commercial version of itself.

It seems like the consumer is driving the rush back to the good-old days. That's because we are now up to our eyeballs in paying services and literally drowning in monthly fees. It's called "Subscription Fatigue". On top of that, with so many services, things are just too complicated. It’s getting harder and harder to find a show. "Let’s see – is the new season of "The Bear” on Prime, Netflix or Max? Maybe it’s on Starz, Peacock or Paramount+. Oh, that’s right, it’s on Hulu. How do I access that again?" Here's a question...How come we can’t get all of our choices in one place? It used to be so easy. Now, we need streaming boxes or TV’s that are smarter than us.

The results of a recent survey from Hub Research are really eye-opening. Among key findings, only half of the pay services are considered, "must-have’s”. While younger people and adults with families use the most pay services, that 50% must-have number still remains, regardless of how many services a household subscribes-to. The survey also shows that 82% of respondents say that there is a limit to the number of entertainment sources needed with budget being the main factor in determining what that number is. Finally, there is a distinct difference between what older and younger people view as entertainment. Gen Z, Millennials and younger consumers view social media like TikTok and YouTube as their first choices while Gen Xers and Boomers still look at more traditional media as their go-to places for entertainment. And those traditional places are costing more and more money each month.

Which brings us to what I do at Lower Tech Bills. First, I audit your Television, Cell and Internet costs for no-charge. Next, we determine which services are most important for your household. Finally, I look for the best ways to save money on those services. There is never an obligation. Since I retired from Radio, I’ve been able to save households from hundreds to even thousands of dollars in yearly savings. For a free "Tech Check”, email hmwellsradio@gmail.com or visit www.lowertechbills.com because you may not have the time to find all the savings, but I do.