Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Apple, Disney and NBC all want to give you free streaming TV, but don't expect the party to last

Apple, Disney and NBC all want to give you free streaming TV, but don't expect the party to last

With several new streaming services launching this year and next year, the companies involved are offering enticing deals to sign up for free. This will help Apple, AT&T, Disney and NBCUniversal gain a large base of subscribers quickly.
But eventually those freebies will expire, and prices will go up.

It’s a good time to be a cord-cutter.

Between now and the first half of 2020, Apple, Disney, AT&T and Comcast’s NBCUniversal are all launching their new video streaming services. (Apple’s service, Apple TV+, launched Friday.)

Even better for streamers: All of these services are available for free, one way or another.

Until now, the streaming space has been dominated by Netflix and its 150+ million global subscribers. But newcomers are starting to experiment with a “freemium” model where customers can get in for free or cheap at first. The hope is they like what they see enough to start paying later on.


Here’s the quick breakdown:

-Apple will give customers a free year of Apple TV+ when they buy a new iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV box. Subscribers to --Apple Music’s student plan also get the TV service for free. (Normal price: $4.99 per month)

-Verizon will give wireless customers and new Fios cable customers a year of Disney+ for free. (Normal price: $6.99 per month)

-AT&T will offer HBO Max, which includes loads of extra content from across WarnerMedia on top of the standard HBO stuff, for free to current “regular” HBO subscribers. (Normal price: $14.99 per month)

-Comcast is expected to give away an ad-supported version of its Peacock streaming service to everyone, CNBC reported Friday. (There will be an ad-free version of Peacock that costs money, but NBCUniversal hasn’t revealed a price yet.)

-That’s a lot of free stuff! A special congrats if you’re a Verizon Wireless subscriber who bought a new iPhone and also subscribes to HBO - you just hit the jackpot of free content.

The free offers should help each service grow at a faster clip than Netflix ever did. Apple, for example, will likely sell about 100 million gadgets eligible for the free year of Apple TV+ by the end of the quarter. Verizon already has over 150 million wireless subscribers. Even if a modest percentage of those customers take the free offers, Disney+ and Apple TV+ will have tens of millions of subscribers within months.

So, what’s the catch? (Because there’s always a catch.)


Just look to Netflix for guidance.

When Netflix first launched its streaming service in 2007, it was bundled together with its DVD-by-mail service. Eventually, it split of a streaming-only plan at $9.99 per month, a price that held firm for several years. But then users became hooked, and Netflix gradually began raising prices. Millions of people happily paid more, and Netflix’s subscribers kept growing. Today, Netflix’s most popular streaming plan costs $12.99 per month.

Netflix’s new streaming rivals are signalling that they’ve adopted the same strategy: Get subscribers in with a broad offering of engaging stuff to watch for cheap, then gradually raise the price over time. The deals may sound good today, but the streaming business is expensive and these companies have to make money somehow. AT&T, for example, said it expects HBO Max to be profitable in 2025.

In an increasingly crowded streaming space, it’s going to be impossible for everyone to be a winner. Something will have to give. We already saw the first casualty in the streaming wars on Oct. 29 when Sony announced it would shut down its live TV streaming service PlayStation Vue early next year. It likely won’t be the last one to die.

So binge while you still can. The free ride’s not going to last forever.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
×