(This is the conclusion of the information provided in Chapter 8. If you so desire to read the rest of this edition (Chapter 8, or any/all previous editions of Cracker Croakers) there are blue numbers at the top of the page. Click on them and they will take you to all the previous editions of Cracker Croakers).


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Candice: Welcome to Cracker Croakers for Wednesday, January 9, 2019. I'm Candice Bergeron, your hostess with the mostest. On yesterday's program we began discussing pending changes in the popular world of video down-streaming. Today, we will continue our discussion.

Colton: And, I'm your other host Colton Wyatt.

Candice: Joining us at the round table is consumer watchdog Delores Riggins. Welcome, Delores, to Cracker Croakers.

Delores Riggins: Thanks for having me, Candice. The cost of streaming videos continues to soar. In December, Netflix spent 100 million dollars to license "Friends" from WarnerMedia. Currently, Netflix charges a fee ranging from 8 to 14 dollars a month for its service.

Colton: True, media companies collect a lot of money when they sell their programs to Netflix and others.

Candice: For streaming services with ad-based options the data of who bings on what shows equal more advertising cash.

Colton: Those services who rely on subscription dollars can better tailor their programs to suit the individual taste of consumers.

Delores Riggins: What media companies need to better realize is they'd best create a positive relationship with their audiences, or with more choices available to them, those same customers will go to other providers.

Candice: Couldn't multiple streaming companies overwhelm consumers and force them to subscribe to several services to receive the full gambit of what is available to them now?

Colton: What the market appears headed for are companies like Hulu that offer a wide range of videos from various sources.

Candice: Or maybe Sling, who provides a selection of live channles.

Colton: And, Disney-Plus type companies who offer specific services for consumers to select from.

Delores Riggins: What needs to be guarded against is that this explosion of new streaming services does not become an unaffordable cost for many consumers. Currently, these costs are projected to near more than 100 dollars a month.

Candice: It's unlikely any one service could charge more than perhaps 10 dollars a month.

Colton: The bigger question is how many streamers are customers going to be willing to commit to?

Delores Riggins: Consumers would save money if they were allowed to bundle packages together. For instance, Starz, HBO, and Showtime can all be added to Amazon Prime.

Candice: What is the best way for consumers to deal with these changes?

Delores Riggins: In this fast paced, high tech world we live in today, consumers need to have the patience of Job. That will go a long way in forcing streaming companies to keep the prices for consumers down and offer them more services for their money.

Candice: There you have it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. We'd like to thank our special guest Delores Riggins for joining us today. Well, that about wraps us up for this edition of Cracker Croakers.

Colton: In that case, smarty-pants, I suppose we better say adieu. She's Candice!

Candice: And, he's Colton!

Candice and Colton: And, we invite you to join us again tomorrow for another entertaining edition of Cracker Croakers (Featuring Candice and Colton).