Just Culture #20: The Streaming Maze. Finding Your Way and What's Next

Why Netflix Dominates for Movie Buffs, Apple TV+ Wins for Global Families, and Why YouTube is the Sleeping Giant

Just Culture brings you reviews and thoughts from all spectrums of culture in a timely and untimely fashion.

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I was going to review Just a Movie, but I decided to jot down some thoughts on all the streaming platforms available. The first section covers search results, and in the second section, I jot down some of my thoughts on the platforms. Finally, I cover some product opportunities in the space.

It’s not the time of the year we sit inside in Finland, but there might be a rainy day, and this review may stand the test of time for some time. This post is long so you’ll need to get the Substack App to read the whole piece.

Headlines:

1. Psychometric profiles by streaming platform

2. Streaming Platform Comparison: Pricing and Multi-Household Policies

3. Recommendations by Use Case

4. Personal Thoughts on platforms of choice

   1. Netflix

   2. Disney+

   3. HBO

   4. Amazon Prime

   5. AppleTV+

5. Product Opportunities

The content is handwritten and copiloted with Gemini for clarity and structure.

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During the pandemic, people were subscribing to multiple platforms.

Psychometric Profiles by Streaming Platform

I did a perplexity search, and had it first create a prompt for me to structure a prompt for a search on psychometric profiling of the platform. The result came out as follows.

and the simplified summary

Looking at the table as such, I find it hard that anyone would make a streaming platform choice based on this information. It’s maybe more of a platform content strategist map of the current market, and a curator’s responsibility to know more or less what the average majority is attracted to.

Hence, factors such as pricing, actual content, and other terms may come into play. Additionally, each country will have different sorts of competing local networks, offerings, and viewing habits. E.g., in Finland, I have a hard time imagining people consume as much media content as they do during the winter.

Additionally, my decision regarding a streaming platform wasn't initially driven by the availability of children's content. This was because my kids could easily watch shows via national media organizations, specifically YLE's TV app. Unfortunately, when that app was deprecated, it directly influenced my streaming subscription options.

Furthermore, many people want to watch a single movie available on a specific platform but find it more cost-effective to pay slightly more for a monthly subscription than to rent that movie for at least €5+. Sharing subscriptions with friends and family is also common, though not all platforms allow this without extra charges. Considering these factors, I then filtered streaming platforms based on their pricing and sharing policies.

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Based on the search results, here's an updated comparison table including pricing, account-sharing policies, and geographical flexibility for each streaming platform:

Streaming Platform Comparison: Pricing and Multi-Household Policies

Platform Base Price (Ad-Free). Pricing Tier,s Multi-Household Polic,y Extra Household Cost Netflix.

Key Insights

1. Strict Household Enforcement
   Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu explicitly restrict usage to single households. Netflix offers paid "extra member" slots ($6.99–$8.99/month) but requires members to be in the same country. Disney+ and Hulu prohibit any external sharing.

2. Flexible Platforms
   Apple TV+ and Rakuten TV allow the most flexibility:

   • Apple TV+ permits 6 simultaneous streams across locations.

   • Rakuten TV allows 3 concurrent streams without geographical restrictions.

3. Hybrid Approaches

   • HBO Max (Max) allows 3 streams without active geo-enforcement, but discourages external sharing

   • Amazon Prime limits to 5 devices (only 2 TVs), but doesn't specify household boundaries

4. Pricing Strategies
   Disney+ and Hulu offer a bundle at a competitive rate (e.g., Disney+/Hulu ad-free bundle: $19.99/month), while Netflix charges premiums for 4K and additional users. Apple TV+ remains the least expensive standalone option ($9.99).

Recommendations by Use Case

• Multi-household sharing: Apple TV+ or Rakuten TV (no extra fees)

• Budget-conscious: Netflix Standard w/ads ($7.99) or Rakuten TV (free base)

• Premium content: HBO Max Premium ($20.99 for 4K + sports)

• Family households: Disney+ (4 streams) or Apple TV+ (6 streams)

This analysis synthesizes pricing, psychometric alignment from previous tables, and sharing policies. For personalized recommendations, provide your trait scores using the earlier template.

ChatGTP produced design.

Personal Thoughts on platforms of choice