The End of Cheap Streaming: How the Industry Became What It Replaced

After spending a decade subsidizing cheap subscriptions to win market share, streaming services are abandoning the low-cost model for profitability. Netflix, Prime Video, and major competitors are raising prices in tandem while introducing ad-supported tiers and restricting password sharing, effectively converging toward traditional cable's cost structure. This marks streaming's fundamental business reset—the cheap alternative to cable is becoming cable.