Jonah's Jabs: Streaming bills add up

By Jonah Unger
Staff Writer

Streaming platforms, along with overall pop culture, has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. Streaming services have been mass producing films and TV shows, pumping out more and more content as years go by. 

According to the website Statista, the percentage of movies released in the U.S and Canada from the years 2000 to 2018 increased 135 percent.

To give a comparison, 371 movies were released in the year 2000, whereas 873 movies were released in 2018. And that is not even including TV shows.

There are 200-plus streaming services available around the world, according to the website Cloudwork. To go along with that, Cloudwork states that the U.S streaming audience had watched a whopping total of 183 billion minutes of content by the end of December 2021. 

I myself am subscribed to seven streaming services. That adds up to an estimated total of $76 a month, or $912 a year.

To put that in perspective, a ticket to Disney World for one day is $109. I have never been to Disney World. Instead I have binge watched “BoJack Horseman” more times than I am proud to mention.

Do not get me wrong, I enjoy getting snacks and having a movie marathon with friends as much as the next person. However, I also like the thought of having a spare $900 in my back pocket. 

COVID-19 has had a large impact on the movie industry, with people streaming movies in their homes more than ever. That impact looks like it is here to stay.