The Subscription Economy
From Newspapers to Netflix
Subscriptions are old, from magazines and milk delivery to Netflix's DVDs by mail, but digital technology made them universal.
The idea is not new.
Old models
Newspapers, magazines, clubs and milk delivery have long used subscriptions.
Netflix
It started by mailing DVDs for a monthly fee and later moved to streaming.
Software
Companies moved from selling boxed software to charging yearly or monthly fees.
Everything as a service
Cars, clothes, food and even furniture are now offered by subscription.
Boxed to cloud
Office software once sold as a disc is now rented through the internet.
Assuming subscriptions are only for digital goods
Physical goods use them too.
Key takeaways
- Newspapers used subscriptions early.
- Netflix began with DVDs.
- Software moved to SaaS.
- Many products are now subscriptions.
No recording for this one yet - EconReader can read it aloud for you.