Streamers have an eye for convenience. Many, in fact most, are subscribed to more than one streaming service: a study by Hub Entertainment Research from earlier this year showed that consumers need an average of four streaming subscriptions before they feel their TV needs have been met.
The number of available options is continuing to grow, as media companies continue to see the writing on the wall: Cord-cutting is the new normal.
“There’s no question that the golden age of streaming has made TV more fun for consumers,” Jon Giegengack of Hub. “But it’s no fun trying to get the most out of that content when it’s spread across so many providers.”
That’s where aggregators come in. Aggregators are devices or sites that collect streaming apps in one convenient place. Bigger companies like Amazon Prime Video, Google, and Roku dominate the marketplace, but smaller options like MyBundle.TV and Redbox are also available. These aggregators put all of a streamer’s subscribed content right at users’ fingertips, and consumers are responding in a major way.
According to another Hub survey, 91% of respondents said that aggregators provide a better viewing experience, with 52% saying it made the experience “a lot” better. The response is also shared by pay TV customers, 70% of whom say that accessing their streaming apps from their set top box provides good or excellent value.
Value is a key component when discussing aggregators, especially since streaming services are only getting more expensive. The same Hub study shows that streamers support ad-free and ad-supported price tiers, and the ability to share accounts makes people 33% more likely to sign up for a service. Aggregators and streaming bundles allow cord-cutters to feel more in control of their choices and budget.
And as that budget is growing tighter every day as consumers feel the pinch of inflation, viewers’ estimates of what they spend on TV subscriptions have fallen from an average of $94 in 2020 to $82 in 2022. With less money to go around, streaming subscribers are making more conscious choices than ever about what services to subscribe to and which ones to unsubscribe from. Aggregators have become an invaluable tool in increasing convenience while helping keep costs down.