Reduce spending on streaming platforms

How many times have you had to decide which streaming platforms to pay for, while new movies are on platform A, and a series is about to be released on platform B. The arrival of new competitors in recent years has boosted the offer of more content, and also of new subscription models such as the “Basic with ads” launched by Netflix.

So now users will have to decide between paying the cost of the normal subscription or purchasing a cheaper plan in exchange for viewing commercials. According to Israel Santiago de Rubín, president of LDM, the model proposed by Netflix presents users with an opportunity to improve consumption habits in order to pay only for what is seen and thus favor the pocket.

“Today streaming platforms compete to maintain users, for this they have to improve their content or create additional value through cost, that is why today we have this model that is similar to that of YouTube, you are watching content for free or for free. a minimum payment and after four minutes a commercial appears that lasts from six to 30 seconds; if you want to avoid the commercials you will have to pay an additional cost. These models allow the user to adapt their purchase decision to what suits them best”, commented the president of LDM.

According to the specialist, for users of streaming platforms to take advantage of the competition between the big technology companies, they must start by creating a consumer profile, which helps them weigh one platform over another, according to the content. or use, in order to pay the best price only for what is consumed.

For this they can start by designating a budget which is according to their pocket and not the number of platforms they want to see, one option to know how much to pay is that the amount does not exceed the cost of a cable television service.

The next step is to know the content that exists on the different platforms and identify which ones you consume the most, this will help you create the best combination of entertainment services and avoid subscribing to platforms that you only check occasionally.

For example, if you find yourself hooked on a series, you probably won’t watch other content until you finish all the episodes, so you may not need to sign up for the other two platforms during that month. One option is to cancel service for services you don’t use.

If you are one of those who do not like to deal with the cancellation of services and you have the payments of these platforms domiciled, one option to have greater financial control is to keep the payment of the platform you use the most domiciled, if you want to contract another service of streaming because you were interested in a movie you can buy a prepaid card.

Gift cards can be purchased at convenience stores or supermarkets, which have a cost from 150 pesos to 500 pesos, when you buy them you are given a purchase ticket with a code, which you can redeem either on the website or through through the app.

Maintaining the contracting of services in this way will prevent you from spending monthly on platforms that you do not see, which in a short time will mean savings for your finances.

To take better advantage of streaming services, it is appropriate to identify promotions or subscription models that can help reduce the amount used for entertainment.

If you have already identified which platform you will probably use most frequently, “this is the time to think about what I am going to see and how much I want to pay,” said De Rubín.

The platforms today are very active in terms of costs, if the ads don’t bother you, you can choose to pay a lower subscription and get savings or you can look for promotions for shared services, so you have to look for the best economic combination”, Israel commented. Santiago de Rubin.

joselyn.ugarte@eleconomista.mx