Even then, total entertainment cost from all platforms can still amount to $150 a month -- not including another $60 or so a month for broadband access.

So where are the savings? 

Consumers are continually readjusting their home-entertainment packaging by mixing and matching individual streaming platforms, no-cost FAST platforms, extremely pared-down traditional pay TV monthly packages  -- cable, satellite, telco, virtual -- or other platforms. 

All this begs the question: Are consumer entertainment subscription monthly fees just being redistributed in new, but not completely significant, cost-saving ways?

A recent TiVO survey estimates total overall spending on video services is down $30 year-over-year to an average $140.06 -- with pay TV subscriptions at $178.06 (from $211.92 in 2022), and broadband subscriptions at $65.16 (up from $62.30 in 2022).

So an 18% reduction in overall spending on video services seems like a good deal.

At the same time, TiVo says consumers are not narrowing their total number of video services much -- down to 9.1 compared to 10.9 a year ago.

From the TV networks/streaming services side of things, they are just moving to where consumers are headed.

And if that means they need to dig more into brand/advertisers coffers to lure viewers to new video platforms with smooth-operating programmatic media-buying platforms -- for linear TV or streaming -- so be it.

This comes as companies like Netflix appear to be poised to raise monthly prices again -- something Disney+, Peacock and Paramount+ have done recently.

Legacy media companies -- more than Netflix and Prime Video -- are under much more financial pressure to build monetization.

That means consumers' monthly fees are still a major part of the business model.

On the flip side, it means consumers will continue to take advantage of easier ways to add and subtract all kinds of video services -- every month if they need to.