So Worth It

But it does present a problem.

 

7 million people in America pay $15 a month for HBO Now.

They pay $15 every month so they can stream all of HBO’s content on their smart TV or computer whenever they like.

And this creates a problem for HBO’s new corporate owner, AT&T.

AT&T is going to announce their new streaming service soon, reports say, and the problem is that HBO, by itself, already costs more than these other streaming services, like Netflix and Disney+ and Hulu. Amazon Prime offers lots of video content with the membership, less than $10 a month.

Boy, would Radio love to have this problem!

Can you imagine having such great, exclusive content that a big percentage of your listeners would willingly pay $15 a month to hear it?

There is not a month I remember when the content I’ve seen on HBO has not been worth the $15. That’s about the cost of one movie, but I don’t subscribe to HBO to watch movies, I subscribe to watch The Outsider, The New Pope, Last Week Tonight and all the other proprietary content HBO offers.

If it were up to me, I’d keep HBO separate from the rest of AT&T’s streaming offer.

The only reason they wouldn’t is if they know the rest of that content isn’t really strong enough to create mass demand.

It doesn’t help AT&T that the long-time head of HBO resigned recently and is now working for Apple+.

There are more attention options for each of us, what we watch and what we choose to listen to, than ever before in history.

And people talented enough to create content we think we can’t live without are rare and in high demand.

They’re expensive. They’re often difficult to manage. Opinionated, strong, passionate about excellence.

Radio, if you don’t think you’re part of this discussion, you’re so wrong.

I can hear every song I love, be introduced to new songs I’m likely to love, and in the order I prefer on every device I own, soon in every car that is sold.

So the days of me listening only for your music are almost over.

What are you offering as glue around and between those songs to keep me listening?