Quick Links
I’ve grown bored of streaming services for several reasons, including the decline in quality and user experience. However, I’m sticking with YouTube—largely because it hasn’t been impacted by the issues plaguing streaming services. There are, however, other reasons.
Why I’m Quitting Most Streaming Services
Before I talk about why YouTube is not one of the services I’m going to quit, it’s worth identifying the reason why I canceled pretty much all of my other memberships.
1. Quality Has Been Sacrificed for Quantity
By far the biggest reason I canceled my streaming subscriptions is because the quality has, in my opinion, declined significantly over the past few years. Since around late 2020, I’ve lost interest in most shows on the big platforms.
I’m very much quality over quantity in all areas of life, and entertainment is no different. I do not like watching programs for the sake of watching them, so it’s pointless to keep a service that isn’t providing the value I want.
You’ll find severalNetflix codes to find romantic moviesand content in other genres. But personally, I don’t think that the quality is good enough for me to want to keep my subscription.
2. I Don’t Want to Pay for a Subscription Service and Still Have to Watch Ads
Besides being able to watch what you want on demand, streaming services also became popular because you didn’t have to watch ads like you do on TV. However, in recent years, several services—including Netflix and Max—haveintroduced subscription tiersthat cost less but include ads.
A lot of other tools (e.g. Duolingo and Spotify) let you upgrade if you don’t want to see ads. I understand the need for businesses to make money, but not at the expense of the user experience. I know that you can upgrade to a non-ads tier, but I would only do that if the quality of content was what I was looking for.
3. Password-Sharing Policy Changes and Enforcements
Netflix has cracked down on password-sharingin recent years, and other streaming services have followed suit. I can understand blocking password-sharing for people who want to basically use the service all the time for free, but let’s be honest—sometimes, we just want to watch one show or movie. And for that, I am not getting a subscription.
There’s also the risk involved for streaming services here. I’m guessing that the idea is that more people will pay for subscriptions, which in turn will equal more revenue. But for casual viewers who may have kept their subscriptions running otherwise, it could be a reason to leave.
4. The User Experience Has Declined Significantly
Above all else, I’m ditching most streaming services because the user experience has dropped massively. I’ve noticed that the apps are more difficult to use, and others have argued the same. This problem is, admittedly, even worse on free platforms; I have tried to use ITV multiple times, but it’s literally just a load of ads and I never actually get to the show I want to watch.
I’ve also noticed several glitches when using streaming services, such as issues with buttons and layouts. Again, I’m more than happy to pay for something that works—but I feel like that isn’t the case here.
Why I’m Staying on YouTube
Despite canceling all of my streaming subscriptions, I’m still keeping YouTube. These are my top four reasons why.
1. When You Pay for YouTube Premium, You Get No Ads
I have to say that I really don’t like the ads on YouTube, but you can get around this bysubscribing to YouTube Premium. And do you know what the great thing about YouTube Premium is?
… you get no ads. Not some “ad-supported” tier; you literally do not get ads.
YouTube Premium is a simple subscription with a very clear benefit, which is why I’m happy to pay it. As I’ve said before, I am more than fine for free information to be ad-supported; content and platforms need some kind of revenue. But I’m also all for having an opt-out option (and not just a paid ad tier).
Premium also has the benefits of other platforms, such as playing in the background and downloading content offline. So, paying to bypass ad access is worth it.
2. You Can Basically Watch Whatever You Want
Whereas many streaming services have suffered a decline in the content they offer, YouTube keeps getting stronger. I love that you may pretty much watch whatever you want, and don’t feel like I’m missing much by canceling my other subscriptions.
I mainly use YouTube for educational content about photography, fitness, and my other interests. So, it naturally meets my needs much better than the majority of streaming services. But even if you want entertainment-style content, you’ll probably find a creator that you like. Start with thesebest YouTube channels you should watch nextif you don’t know where to start.
3. The YouTube Algorithm Is the Best at Recommending Content
I sometimes feel like YouTube’s Recommended section knows me better than I do. Out of every app I’ve ever used, nothing has ever been better at giving me the exact kind of content based on my interests.
Because YouTube’s algorithm pushes content that you’ll probably like with minimal effort, you don’t need to worry as much about sifting through several pages. Instead, you can jump straight into watching. What’s also good is that you don’t even need YouTube Premium to access this feature.
4. YouTube’s Site and Apps Still Have a Good User Experience
Another reason why I like YouTube is because it’s so easy to navigate the website. Everything is well laid out, and it’s also very easy on the eye. More importantly, I don’t have anywhere near the same number of app crashes as I have with other services; the only real times I have problems with YouTube are when my internet connection isn’t working as it should.
I still remember when YouTube looked pretty bad, so this is something that has been worked on over time. I would actually argue that UX is more important than the product, so it’s good that YouTube is prioritizing this. It’s certainly not perfect; there is an annoying glitch that impacts videos played at 60FPS. But for the most part, it’s better than other platforms.
I definitely don’t think that the end is nigh for streaming services, but the way they operate is changing. Since I’ve grown tired of these changes, canceling my membership was a logical decision. I’d do the same if YouTube became worse, but I don’t see that happening.
