Other streaming services should take notice
Time is Money
I’ve subscribed to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max and Apple TV. Frankly, their subscriptions aren’t cheap. And of course I don’t spend time subscribing to them all at once, that waste money. Most important question, do we have time to watch all of it?
What I Look For
So before I hit that subscribe button, I always ask myself — is there actually something here I want to watch? And do I even have the time for it?
My reasons for subscribing are pretty simple. Either a. something catches my eye, b. I’m curious whether a show or movie is actually as good as people say, or c. it’s free. Yes, free. Like when I got three months of Apple TV just for buying a new Mac. (Free stuff is always the strongest argument, let’s be honest.)
At the end of the day, nobody watches everything. We watch what we care about. So that’s where I start.
What I’m Willing to Pay
Once I know what I want to watch, the next question is always — okay, but how much is this going to cost me?
I subscribe through Telkomsel here in Indonesia, which bundles streaming services with data packages. Pure price-wise, Lionsgate Play is hard to beat at 16,000 rupiah for 30 days. But I’m not just chasing the cheapest option — if there’s something I really want to watch, I’ll pay for it. Priority first, price second.
Here’s my issue though. Most services lock you into a 30 or 31-day subscription. And look, I get it — that’s how they make money. But I don’t stream every single day. Sometimes I just want a few days to finish a series or watch a couple of films, and then I’m done. Paying for a full month when I’ll realistically use maybe a week of it? That’s always felt a little off to me.
So I started wondering — why doesn’t any streaming service offer something shorter? Something that actually fits how real people watch? Turns out, one of them does.
What Amazon Prime Video does right?
So here’s the thing — out of all the services I’ve tried, only Amazon Prime Video offers a 7-day subscription, on top of the usual 30 or 31-day options. Nobody else does this. At least not in my experience.
And the price? Through Telkomsel, the 7-day plan is just 16,000 rupiah. Same price as a full month of Lionsgate Play. For seven days. That’s a pretty good deal if you ask me.
Quick heads up though — the 7-day option isn’t something you’ll find just anywhere. I get it through Telkomsel, telecom provider here in Indonesia. They bundle it with data packages, which is how I landed on it. If you’re not on Telkomsel, it might not be available to you directly — but hey, it’s worth checking if your local provider has something similar.
The point is, the option exists. And it actually fits the way most of us watch — in bursts, not marathons. I don’t need 30 days. Sometimes I just need a week. Amazon gets that. The others? Not so much. Yet.
