Oct 9, 2024 3 min read

I was reminded of the old saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” the other day when I heard a news story on the radio about all of the promises politicians are making as they campaign for public office.

The practice, of course, is as old as the democratic process itself and led Herbert Hoover’s opponents back in the late 1920s to allege that he had promised voters “a chicken in every pot.” But the news story that got me thinking about all of this wasn’t about politics at all. It was about streaming entertainment services.

It seems Disney+ is going to crack down on customers who share passwords in an attempt to save money. Disney is following in the footsteps of Netflix by cracking down on password sharing and has told subscribers that people outside their households need to sign up and pay for their own subscriptions. The alternative is that extra users on an account will cost extra money each month. All of this comes on top of a price increase for U.S. users set to take effect this month.

Last year, Netflix angered customers when it changed course on a previous policy meant to attract more customers that allowed password sharing. That is no longer allowed.

I remember friends and work colleagues a few years ago gleefully telling me they were “cutting the cord” by getting rid of cable, installing an antenna and going to Netflix. I asked one of them how many streaming services he would have to have to get television shows on basic and cable networks, sporting events plus movies. At the time, some of them were free. Not anymore. Those programs cost money to produce, and someone has to pay for them (other than cable subscribers).

I thought about ditching cable and my huge monthly bill (which includes internet), but it seemed like too much of a hassle and too confusing. A recent post on social media made me laugh when someone listed about 10 different streaming services you’d have to pay for to watch all of this season’s NFL games (now including Amazon Prime).

All of this also reminds me of what happened when newspapers began posting their articles online, many for free. Eventually, publishers wanted readers to pay to access content (or subscribe to a digital version of newspapers or magazines). People were outraged, but someone has to pay for production costs or news outlets will go out of business.

So, we’re back to square one when everyone complained about soaring cable bills. Now, they squawk about soaring streaming bills. The truth is, we either pay now or pay later because there is no such thing as a free lunch – or, apparently, free television – except for those few basic channels you can still get over the air with a digital antenna!

Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.