Should You Cancel Your Streaming Services? Complete Cost Analysis

How much are you really spending on streaming services each month? It’s easy to forget when you’re just tapping a button to start a show. But if you’ve got five, six, or even seven accounts running at once - Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, Max, and maybe even a niche one like BritBox or Hayu - you’re probably paying more than $100 a month without even thinking about it. That’s over $1,200 a year. For many people, that’s more than their monthly rent. And yet, most don’t cancel because they think, "I might want to watch something someday." But here’s the truth: you’re not watching most of it.

What You’re Actually Paying For

Let’s break down what you’re really paying for. In New Zealand, here’s what the big players cost as of early 2026:

• Netflix Standard: $18.99/month (HD, 2 screens)
• Disney+: $13.99/month (4K, 4 screens)
• Apple TV+: $9.99/month (4K, 6 screens)
• Amazon Prime Video: $11.99/month (included with Prime, but standalone is $11.99)
• Max: $17.99/month (ad-free, 3 screens)
• Paramount+: $10.99/month (ad-free, 4 screens)
• BritBox: $8.99/month (UK content only)
• Hayu: $7.99/month (reality TV focus)

That’s $90.92 a month if you have them all. Even if you skip two, you’re still paying $70+.

Now, here’s the kicker: a 2025 survey by Consumer NZ found that the average subscriber watches only 2.3 services regularly. The rest? They’re just sitting there - collecting dust, eating your budget, and making you feel guilty every time you log in.

How Much Are You Really Watching?

Most people think they use their subscriptions equally. They don’t. In reality, 80% of viewing time goes to just 20% of the content you have access to. You might love Stranger Things on Netflix and The Mandalorian on Disney+. But what about that 12-part documentary on ancient Roman aqueducts you watched once in 2023? Or the 500 episodes of Love Island you signed up for because it was "free for the first month"? You’re not watching them. You’re just paying for the illusion of choice.

Try this: open your streaming apps and check your watch history. How many titles have you watched in the last 90 days? If it’s less than 10, you’re overpaying. You don’t need seven services to watch ten shows. You need one or two that deliver those shows - and maybe a third if you’re a true fan of a specific genre.

The Hidden Costs of Streaming

There’s more to the cost than just the monthly fee. Think about:

• Device clutter: You’ve got apps on your TV, phone, tablet, laptop, and smart fridge. They all slow down your devices. More apps = more storage used = more battery drain.
• Decision fatigue: Scrolling through endless menus to find something to watch takes time. Studies show people spend up to 17 minutes just choosing what to watch - that’s over 10 hours a year lost to indecision.
• Subscription creep: Companies love to sneak in price hikes. Netflix raised prices 12 times since 2019. Disney+ went up 40% in three years. You didn’t sign up for that. But you’re still paying.
• Ad-supported tiers: If you’re on the cheapest plan, you’re watching ads. And not just a few - sometimes 8 to 12 minutes of ads per hour. That’s 30+ hours of commercials a month. You’re paying for the privilege of being interrupted.

When to Cancel - And When to Keep

Not every service is worth canceling. Here’s a simple rule:

• Keep if: You watch at least one new show or movie per week, and you’d miss it if it disappeared.
• Cancel if: You haven’t opened it in 60+ days, or you only use it for one show you’ve already finished.

Here’s a real example from a household in Wellington:

They had Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and BritBox. They watched Stranger Things, Andor, and Shakespeare & Hathaway. That’s it. They canceled Apple TV+ and BritBox. Apple TV+ had no shows they cared about. BritBox? They’d only watched one season of a British crime drama - and it was on Netflix anyway. They saved $19 a month. That’s $228 a year. They used that money to buy a new pair of running shoes - and didn’t miss a single episode.

How to Cancel Without Missing Out

Canceling doesn’t mean you’re giving up entertainment. It means you’re being smarter about it. Here’s how to do it right:

1. List every service you pay for. Write them down with the monthly cost.
2. Check your watch history on each app. Go back 90 days. How many things did you actually finish?
3. Identify your top 2-3 shows. Which ones would you miss? That’s your core content.
4. Find where those shows live. One show might be on Netflix. Another on Disney+. A third might be on Freeview or TVNZ+. You don’t need a subscription for everything.
5. Cancel the rest. You can always resubscribe later if you really need it.
6. Set a reminder to check again in three months. Your tastes change. So should your subscriptions.

Some people worry they’ll miss out on new releases. But most big shows are available for free on TVNZ+ or ThreeNow within a week of airing. And if you’re waiting for a movie? Wait three months. Most streamers drop their originals into the "vault" after that. You’ll still get to watch them - just not on day one.

What You Can Do With the Money You Save

Let’s say you cancel three services and save $40 a month. That’s $480 a year. What could you do with that?

• Put it into a KiwiSaver account - that’s $480 extra retirement savings.
• Buy a new bike and stop paying for petrol.
• Take a weekend trip to Taupō or Rotorua.
• Pay off a credit card balance.
• Buy a better pair of noise-cancelling headphones - and actually enjoy the shows you do watch.

Money saved on streaming isn’t just money saved. It’s freedom. Freedom from clutter. Freedom from guilt. Freedom to spend on things that actually matter to you.

Real People, Real Savings

A teacher in Christchurch canceled four services last year. She kept only Netflix and TVNZ+. She said: "I used to feel like I had to watch everything. Now I just watch what I love. I’ve got more time, less stress, and $500 extra in my bank account. I bought a bookshelf. I haven’t watched half the stuff on it yet - but I love having it there."

A student in Dunedin cut his streaming costs from $85 to $18 a month. He kept only Disney+ and Freeview. He said: "I thought I needed all the apps. Turns out, I just needed a good playlist. I started watching older movies on YouTube. Found some classics I’d never seen. Now I’m hooked on 1970s sci-fi."

Final Thought: You Don’t Need Everything

Streaming services want you to believe you need them all. That you’re missing out if you don’t have every single one. But that’s not true. You don’t need seven apps to be entertained. You just need the right two or three - and the discipline to stick with them.

Canceling doesn’t mean you’re giving up. It means you’re choosing. Choosing what matters. Choosing your time. Choosing your money.

Take 10 minutes today. Open your bank app. Look at your last three months of streaming charges. Ask yourself: "Is this worth it?" If the answer is no - cancel it. You won’t miss it. And you’ll be surprised how much better you feel without it.