How Many Online Video Platforms Will We Have To Subscribe To?

One of the nice things about a cable subscription, believe it or not, is that it aggregates all the channels we watch, basic, premium, on demand, and sells it to us in one monthly bill that we pay.  We may become disgruntled at the amount of the bill, but we pay it.  Sometimes we wish we could drop channels we don't watch to try and lower our bills, but ultimately we still complain.

Those that cord cut seek out more inexpensive options online.  A Netflix subscription at under $10/month becomes a good alternative to basic and premium channels. But demand for the most successful titles has brought competition to the online platform.  "Amazon.com has struck a multiyear licensing agreement in the U.S. with Epix, the movie network from Paramount Pictures, MGM and Lionsgate, to stream thousands of movies after Netflix's exclusive online window with Epix expired in August."  Of course those that like these titles and don't get Epix from their cable provider will now need to add an Amazon Prime subscription to their online bills. Multiple bills, multiple payments.

And depending on your interest in different types of entertainment, the likelihood is that more individual sites will arise to sell its own subscription service.  Whether its multiple newspaper subscriptions, multiple music subscriptions, and now multiple video subscriptions, our entertainment budget continues to rise.  There is something to be said for the cable model, one monthly price for music, sports, news, and movies.  It is our insatiable appetite for more content that keeps getting us to try and  find more without paying more for it.

Apple Next Product Releases

Some bits of news post Labor Day that Apple will be holding a press release next Wednesday.  The talk is that the next generation of the iPhone will be officially announced and new phones could be hitting the shelves shortly.  Some say the phone will be slimmer, others that the screen will be slightly larger.  And no doubt folks will be disappointed that it lacked this or that.

The other news, one that may or may not make it into next week's announcement is that Apple will also release its mini iPad in October.  Common sense would argue that one announcement a quarter is more than enough and to hold a second conference one month later seems a distraction.  Ideally, Apple making next week's announcement about both products would be big news for the company and the industry.  We can only stay patient for next week to learn finally what Apple is doing in the iPhone and iPad spaces.