Why 2026 may be the year to cancel your streaming subscriptions

Opinion
By published

A new year marks a new opportunity to think about how many streaming services you really need

Computer with logo: Netflix , HBO MAX, APPLE TV PLUS, NETFLIX, PRIME VIDEO are online video streaming services
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you’re reading this article, it likely means that you subscribe to multiple different streaming services. And while that isn’t necessarily a problem, at least a small part of you must be wondering whether it’s time to cut back a little. Otherwise, this headline probably wouldn’t have caught your eye.

Streaming once felt new and liberating — a cleaner, cheaper alternative to cable TV that promised choice without compromise. But somewhere along the way, that simplicity vanished. What was once refreshing now feels cluttered, confusing and increasingly expensive.

Rising costs have exposed how unnecessary streaming has become

Many people around the world are dealing with a rising cost of living, made worse by wages that haven’t kept pace. At the same time, streaming services have become increasingly comfortable raising prices, sometimes more than once a year. Put those two things together and something is bound to give.

As part of a New Year reset or spring cleaning routine, it’s worth taking a hard look at how much you’re actually spending on streaming each month. When you add up multiple subscriptions, the total can be surprisingly high. If that number is making a noticeable dent in your outgoings, the question isn’t whether to cut back, but where.

Streaming service apps on a phone screen

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

And this is where streaming starts to look especially bloated. Unlike music streaming — where most people pick one service and get access to an enormous catalog — TV streaming has encouraged the opposite behavior. Many of us are signed up to several platforms at once, paying for all of them regardless of how often we use them.

Let’s be honest: no one truly needs every streaming service. Canceling everything would be extreme (as my editor memorably asked, “What should people do — sit around and read books?”), but trimming your subscriptions is a far more sensible move. Figure out which one or two you actually need, and let the rest go.

A lack of truly must-see movies and shows

After you finish this article, open one of the streaming services you’re currently paying for. Scroll through the homepage and count how many titles feel genuinely essential — the kind you must watch at all costs.

If your experience mirrors mine, the list will be short. Instead, you’ll see plenty of filler: movies and shows that exist mainly to kill time. That shouldn’t be good enough. Too often, we’re simply settling for whatever Netflix, Prime Video or their competitors happen to offer that week.

Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) with her hand outstretched in a scene from Netflix's "Stranger Things" season 5

(Image credit: Netflix)

While streaming services have poured subscription fees into original programming, much of it lands squarely in the “fine” category. I’ve previously argued that "Stranger Things" is the defining show of the streaming era — but I could just as easily argue that 90% of original content being produced isn’t worth your attention, let alone your money.

Cut back, trim down and refocus your needs

I genuinely believe that 2026 could be the year streaming services start to feel real subscriber declines. What’s delayed that reckoning so far isn’t satisfaction; it’s inertia. Canceling subscriptions feels oddly daunting, much like switching banks: appealing in theory, rarely acted on in practice.

Prime Video will likely remain insulated thanks to being bundled with broader benefits. But services like Netflix and Disney+ may be in for a rude awakening. If you can comfortably afford every platform you’re subscribed to, by all means, carry on. But if you take an honest look at your monthly spending and the value you’re actually getting in return, you may arrive at the same conclusion I have.

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Dave Parrack
Writer

Dave Parrack has been writing online since 2007, covering entertainment, gaming, and technology. He has bylines at MUO and SlashGear, and currently writes features for PCWorld. He also launched the entertainment section at MUO, and worked for many years as an editor. He has been a Spotify subscriber since it first launched in the UK, and maintains subscriptions to Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, and more. He's a movie buff, consuming as many as he can across a wide range of genres. In his spare time, Dave enjoys exploring the world, shooting photographs, and generally seeking to live life to the fullest.

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