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Issue 55: December 9, 2019

Baby Yoda is the hottest meme on the internet right now, and it's all due to Disney+ and its hit new show, The Mandalorian. This week, we explore how shows exclusive are not only shaping the cord-cutting industry but our wider culture.Read on to find out more in this week's Stream Report.

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Streamer's Spotlight: Are There Too Many Services?

New PwC Report Shows Consumers May Like The Fragmented Environment

The cord-cutting economy is currently more fragmented than its ever been. With major services like Disney+ and Apple TV+ recently launching, as well as new options like NBC's Peacock on the horizon, consumers certainly have more choice. But consumers are also now forced to choose more strategically about which services to sign up for to avoid paying an exorbitant amount to get exclusive content.

But is this fragmentation something consumers hate? A

new PwC study

suggests otherwise.

Consumers are Happy With Their Choice

In a survey of over 2,100 consumers aged 18-59, PwC's study on consumer video streaming behavior found that

76 percent

of consumers expressed being satisfied with their current video subscriptions. And

73 percent

said they were satisfied with the quality of content services are offering. 

Why does this matter? Because just two years ago,

60 percent

of consumers PwC surveyed expressed feeling overwhelmed by the choices. Now, with even more choices on the market than two years ago, consumers are particularly happy with the options on the market. In fact, half of the respondents expressed that they intend to sign up for new services coming to the market, while

64 percent

said they'd downgrade or completely cancel one of their current services to do it.

Is 'Over Choice' a Myth?

PwC's survey results beg the question: Is "over choice" a myth? This is the concept that when faced with too many choices, consumers simply shut down, or default to the biggest option on the block (so, services like Netflix for on-demand, and YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV for live broadcasts). Y

Yet what may be happening is that consumers could be adjusting to the changes in the market. Additionally, the vast number of resources that are popping up to help consumers navigate those choices could be helping to reduce choice paralysis consumers often have when faced with too many choices. 

Ultimately, educational materials about cord-cutting and increased reporting on the market may be resulting in more educated consumers. And educated consumers are less likely to feel overwhelmed by an increase in choices, particularly when they better understand what those choices deliver, how to get them, and importantly, how to cancel the ones they don't want anymore. 

This Week's Streaming Guide

1. Amazon Prime's 'The Expanse' Drops this Friday

Season 4 Amazon's bought-from-SyFy show

The Expanse

is available to stream this FRIDAY on Prime Video

.

-

Amazon Prime Video

2. UFC 245 Live Streaming this Saturday at 10 PM EST

Kamura Usman and Colby Covington go head-to-head in the main event for UFC 245. What the Early Prelims on ESPN+, Prelims on ESPN 2, and the main event on ESPN+ PPV.  -

Flixed

News and Industry Developments

1. 40% of Pay-TV Market Still at Risk from Cord-Cutters

A new report indicates that 40 percent of the pay-TV market is still at risk of losing customers to cord-cutting services. -

LightReading

2. How Many People Have Viewed 'The Irishman'? Netflix Won't Say

Continuing its practice of keeping data close to its chest, Netflix hasn't released any viewing stats for its highly-regard crime drama movie,

The Irishman

. Nielsen, however, offers some potential insight into how many people may have viewed the film. -

TheWrap