My family uses Verizon for our television access. We have premium access, allegedly the best package with the greatest amount of television  stations. Apparently, that is no longer sufficient.

I had read about the television series “The Handmaids Tale,” over a year ago while it was still in production. The book ranks as one of my favorite books of all time, so I was very excited for the release of the television series. I was shocked to learn that it would only be released on Hulu, which required a $9.99 per month subscription fee. While the fee may not appear exorbitant, given what we already pay for cable, I refused to pay it and did not watch the series. Instead, I reread the book.

Similarly, I was excited to watch the newest series in the Star Trek franchise last Sunday evening, Star Trek: Discovery on CBS. After watching the first episode  on network television, I learned that the rest of the series would only stream on CBS All Access. When I tried to watch the second episode on my smart television, I learned that CBS All Access can only be viewed after payment of a subscription fee equal to that of Hulu. So, if I want to watch Star Trek, in addition to what I pay Verizon to watch CBS, I  have to pay an additional fee to watch CBS All Access.

Star Trek has lost a potential viewer because I refuse to pay an additional fee to watch both CBS and CBS All Access.  Is this the future of television? How much will I have to pay to watch the shows that I enjoy?