Although we’re nearly a year into spring, it’s only just starting to get warm in my part of the US, which has me focused on cleaning and freshening up as we head into summer. It’s not enough to just clean in and around my home, of course. Timed perfectly with tax day (Tuesday, for those procrastinators among us), I’ve also been looking at my finances, something that helped me realize just how much I’m paying for my monthly subscriptions.
This is, admittedly, also somewhat spurred on by this week’s announcement of Max, the rebranded version of HBO Max that mixes in decades of the best television ever produced with, well, Discovery originals. The addition of this content — alongside countless efforts to squeeze every last drop out of any Warner Bros. property — means anyone looking to stream in 4K (or on more than two devices at once) will have to pay $20 per month. In other words, another streaming service has adopted the Netflix model.
The invention (or reinvention) of yet another service is as good a time as any to dig into your bank account and figure out what you’re paying for. For example, I realized this week that I’ve had an ongoing Apple TV+ subscription for months, something I haven’t been using since Mythic Quest wrapped up its last season. Having fallen off of Ted Lasso in its second season, I’ve since turned auto-renew off on the platform. I also learned both myself and my partner were paying for Peacock without realizing it. We’ve since downgraded to one subscription, which may or may not stick around once we finish Poker Face.
Subscription services don’t just include movies and TV, though. There’s music, audiobooks, cable replacements like YouTube TV, online creator platforms like Twitch or YouTube Premium, specialized podcast feeds on Patreon — truly, the list of what can sync with your favorite streaming gadget is endless. So, for this week’s poll, I’m curious what everyone is spending per month. You can include any number of services, even outside the examples I’ve listed above, though try to keep it to digital goods (let’s eliminate subscription boxes or meal kits — those are their own beast).
We’ve been keeping our polls to about five options lately, so I’m not including a tier for anyone who doesn’t pay for a single service — let us know in the comments, though, because the idea of no longer being linked to subscriptions sounds great. I’m also capping our top option at above $150, which should include the vast majority of users who aren’t, among other companies, subscribed to YouTube TV. Hopefully, this range should fit everyone nicely, but if you want to expand on your streaming breakdown, let us know in the comments below.
