Screentime

Streaming Is Starting to Look A Lot Like Cable TV

Streaming services are raising prices and introducing advertising now that their subscriber growth has slowed.

The Disney+ website on a smartphone in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Monday, July 18, 2022. Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN will raise the price of its streaming service by 43% next month, betting that it can help cover the escalating cost of sports rights without losing subscribers who are grappling with soaring inflation.Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg

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Prices are going up. Advertising is coming in. And there are more channels to watch than anyone wants or needs. The streaming business is starting to look like cable TV from 10 years ago.