The entertainment streaming industry is on fire right now. Apple, Hulu, Netflix, Disney, HBO, and more brands are ramping up to fight it out for the monthly consumer subscription!
Here is how the current prices compare between services:
| Service | Monthly cost | Shows |
| Netflix | $12.99 | Stranger Things |
| Hulu | $11.99 (ad free), or
$5.99 (with ads) |
Handmaid’s Tale |
| Amazon Prime Video | $8.99 | Marvelous Mrs. Maisel |
| Apple TV+ | $4.99 | The Morning Show |
| Disney+ | $6.99 | The Simpsons |
| HBO Max | $14.99 | Friends |
Notice anything interesting in the prices? How each price ends? Which vendor is using penetration pricing? Or below-competition pricing? Name a price model and it’s probably on the list above. Blockbusters, as well as all-new created movies and shows are all offered from multiple services and it can be hard to determine which has which. The marketing focus should be on differentiation – the services are starting to sound alike, and be priced alike.
There has been a dramatic shift in recent years about how consumers get their information and entertainment, and how many more consumers use streaming services each year. The average consumer in 2019 has 2.6 stacked services. This is up from 1.6 stacked services in 2016, but far short of the projected 4.9 staked streaming services by 2023.
Think about it… how many services are currently in your household?
Group Activities and Discussion Questions:
- Poll students: How many subscription services does each household have today? Add them and average it for the class.
- Show a video about the topic: https://www.wsj.com/video/video-streaming-services-battle-for-subscribers/AED37E41-E1EC-447A-A47F-C55D1834B7E0.html
- Pricing is usually a complex topic. Discuss the six steps for pricing (determining objectives, estimating demand, determining cost/profit relationships, select price level, set list price, and make adjustments).
- Discuss the various pricing models in class: demand-oriented, cost-oriented, profit-oriented, and competition-oriented.
- For these streaming services, divide students into groups and have each group work on setting the price level.
- Assign each team a different model to use (demand-oriented, cost- oriented, profit-oriented, and competitor-oriented) and have the team explain how the model was used when setting their price.
- Compare the various pricing models and discuss advantages/disadvantages of each.
Source: FitzGerald, D., & Flint, J. (29 October 2019). AT&T lays out price, show line-up for HBO. Wall Street Journal; other news sources
