[Esp./Eng.] El Cliente Siempre Tiene la Razón: Por qué el Modelo de Negocios del Streaming Colapsó. || The Customer Is Always Right: Why the Streaming Business Model Collapsed.
If you prefer the English version, click on the following link 👉 HERE
El Cliente Siempre Tiene la Razón:
Por qué el Modelo de Negocios del Streaming Colapsó
Hay una regla de oro en los negocios que solemos ignorar cuando nos obsesionamos con los Excel y las proyecciones de ganancias: el cliente es como el agua, siempre buscará el camino por donde fluya más fácil.
Les escribo desde una zona rural en Ontario, Canadá. Aquí la vida es pacífica, pero si quieres internet o entretenimiento, prepárate para abrir la billetera. Yo vengo de Venezuela, un lugar donde, seamos honestos, la piratería muchas veces no es una opción, sino la única ventana a la cultura por los bloqueos y la economía. Cuando aterricé aquí, pensé ingenuamente: "¡Al fin! El paraíso de la legalidad. Pagaré mis suscripciones y tendré el mundo a un clic".
— Qué golpe de realidad me dio la vida...
Bing IA
Hoy quiero compartir con la gente de BeEntrepreneur algo que he estado masticando sobre la actual "Guerra del Streaming". Hace poco vi un análisis estadístico sobre cómo la piratería, lejos de desaparecer, está rompiendo récords entre 2024 y 2025. También leí sobre la sentencia del TSJ allá en Venezuela contra MagisTV (ahora XuperTV). Ojo, no escribo esto para defender lo ilegal, sino para estudiar cómo una industria puede destruir su propia ventaja competitiva solita.
El suicidio de la comodidad
¿Se acuerdan del 2010? Netflix apareció y nos enamoró por una sola razón: “Conveniencia”. Por 10 dólares lo tenías todo. La piratería bajó muchísimo esos años. ¿Por qué? Porque nadie quiere lidiar con virus o torrents lentos si por un precio razonable todo funciona perfecto.
Primera lección para nosotros: la gente no paga por la película; paga por no tener problemas.
Bing IA
Pero la industria se disparó en el pie. Disney, HBO, Paramount... todos vieron la mina de oro de Netflix y la codicia les ganó. Dijeron: "¿Para qué compartir ganancias si puedo montar mi propio chiringuito y quedarme con todo?".
El error de romper el mercado*
El resultado fue un desastre para el usuario. Ese sueño de "todo en un solo lugar" se volvió la pesadilla de tener 7 apps distintas en el teléfono. ¿Quieres ver The Mandalorian? Paga Disney+. ¿Stranger Things? Paga Netflix. ¿The Boys? Saca la tarjeta para Amazon.
Para tener lo mismo que teníamos en 2012, hoy tienes que gastar 60 u 80 dólares. Y encima, el producto es peor: apps que se cuelgan, bloqueos geográficos (que duelen cuando eres inmigrante) y, para colmo, te meten publicidad en un servicio que ya pagaste.
El streaming iba a matar al cable, pero se convirtió en "Cable 2.0": caro y fragmentado.
Los "Piratas" entendieron mejor el negocio
Aquí calza perfecto lo que dijo Gabe Newell, el genio detrás de Steam: "La piratería es un problema de servicio, no de precio".
Bing IA
Si miramos fríamente el mercado negro actual (Stremio, Xuper, etc.), da miedo ver que entienden mejor al cliente que las multinacionales:
*#### Todo junto: No tengo que cambiar de app.
*#### Calidad: 4K real sin que se pegue.
*#### Experiencia: Cero anuncios, cero menús complicados.
*#### Archivo: Mientras HBO borra series para ahorrar impuestos, los piratas guardan todo.
Es irónico, pero en 2025, lo ilegal es más fácil de usar que lo legal. Si tu competencia gratis ofrece mejor servicio que tú cobrando 20 dólares, tu negocio está roto.
¿Por qué Spotify sí ganó?
Miren la música. La piratería musical casi murió. ¿La diferencia? Spotify no fragmentó nada. Pagas una vez y tienes a Sony, Universal y Warner juntos. El video intentó jugar a que "para que Disney gane, Netflix tiene que perder", y al final perdimos todos (y ganaron los sitios alternativos).
Lo que me llevo si fuera un emprendedor
####Manejando mis cuentas aquí en Canadá y viendo cómo se mueve el mundo, les dejo tres reflexiones para aplicar, sea en Hive o en un negocio físico:
1.#### No pelees contra la corriente: si se lo pones difícil al cliente, buscará otro camino. Es pura supervivencia.
2.#### Si subes el precio, sube el valor: el streaming hoy es más caro y ofrece menos que hace 10 años. Eso no se sostiene.
3.#### Tu competencia no es quien crees: Netflix creía que peleaba contra HBO, pero en realidad peleaba contra la paciencia de sus propios usuarios.
Bing IA
Al final del día, sea en Caracas o en Ontario, uno solo quiere llegar a casa, tirarse en el sofá y darle play sin que nos compliquen la vida.
¿Qué dicen ustedes? ¿Ya se cansaron de pagar mil suscripciones o todavía aguantan?
Creciendo como emprendedor, busca y encuentra lo que necesitas para ser un mejor humano en la Comunidad Be Entrepreneur. De seguro, hay un tema que te llamará la atención.
Banner de la propia Comunidad Be Entrepreneur
Dedicado a todos aquellos que, día a día, hacen del mundo un lugar mejor.
The Customer Is Always Right:
Why the Streaming Business Model Collapsed.
There's a golden rule in business that we often ignore when we get caught up in spreadsheets and profit projections: the customer is like water; they'll always seek the path of easiest flow.
I'm writing to you from a rural area in Ontario, Canada. Life here is peaceful, but if you want internet or entertainment, be prepared to open your wallet. I come from Venezuela, a place where, let's be honest, piracy is often not just an option, but the only window to culture due to the blockades and the economy. When I landed here, I naively thought, "Finally! A paradise of legality. I'll pay for my subscriptions and have the world at my fingertips."
"What a dose of reality life gave me."
Bing AI
Today I want to share with the BeEntrepreneur community something I've been mulling over regarding the current "Streaming Wars." I recently saw a statistical analysis showing how piracy, far from disappearing, is breaking records between 2024 and 2025. I also read about the Supreme Court ruling in Venezuela against MagisTV (now XuperTV). Mind you, I'm not writing this to defend illegal activity, but to study how an industry can destroy its own competitive advantage.
The Suicide of Convenience
Remember 2010? Netflix appeared and won us over for one reason: "Convenience". For $10, you had everything. Piracy dropped significantly during those years. Why? Because nobody wants to deal with viruses or slow torrents if everything works perfectly for a reasonable price.
First lesson for us: people don't pay for the movie; they pay to avoid problems.
Bing AI
But the industry shot itself in the foot. Disney, HBO, Paramount... they all saw Netflix as a goldmine, and greed got the better of them. They said, "Why share profits when I can set up my own operation and keep it all?"
The mistake of disrupting the market
The result was a disaster for the user. That dream of "everything in one place" turned into the nightmare of having seven different apps on your phone. Want to watch The Mandalorian? Pay for Disney+. Stranger Things? Pay for Netflix. The Boys? Get your Amazon Prime card out.
To get the same thing we had in 2012, you have to spend 60 or 80 dollars today. And on top of that, the product is worse: apps that crash, geo-blocking (which hurts when you're an immigrant), and, to top it all off, they bombard you with ads on a service you've already paid for.
Streaming was supposed to kill cable, but it became "Cable 2.0": expensive and fragmented.
The "Pirates" understood the business better.
This perfectly illustrates what Gabe Newell, the genius behind Steam, said: "Piracy is a service problem, not a price problem."
Bing AI
If we take a cold look at the current black market (Stremio, Xuper, etc.), it isn't very comforting to see that they understand the customer better than the multinationals:
Everything in one place: I don't have to switch apps.
Quality: True 4K without buffering.
Experience: Zero ads, zero complicated menus.
Archiving: While HBO deletes series to save on taxes, pirates save everything.
It's ironic, but in 2025, illegal services are easier to use than legal ones. If your free competition offers better service than you do charging $20, your business is doomed.
Why did Spotify win?
Look at music. Music piracy almost died. The difference? Spotify didn't fragment anything. You pay once and you have Sony, Universal, and Warner all together. The video tried to play the game of "for Disney to win, Netflix has to lose," and in the end, we all lost (and the alternative sites won).
What I take away if I were an entrepreneur
Managing my accounts here in Canada and seeing how the world works, I'll leave you with three thoughts to apply, whether on Hive or in a brick-and-mortar business:
Don't fight against the current: If you make it difficult for the customer, they'll find another way. It's pure survival.
If you raise the price, raise the value: Streaming today is more expensive and offers less than it did 10 years ago. That's not sustainable.
Your competition isn't who you think it is: Netflix thought it was fighting against HBO, but in reality, it was fighting against the patience of its own users.
Bing AI
At the end of the day, whether in Caracas or Ontario, we just want to get home, collapse on the couch, and press play without any hassle.
What do you think? Are you tired of paying for a thousand subscriptions, or are you still holding out?
Growing as an entrepreneur, seek and find what you need to be a better human in the Community Be Entrepreneur. Surely there's a topic that will catch your attention.
Community Banner Be Entrepreneur
Dedicated to all those writers who contribute, day by day, to making our planet a better world.
Dedicado a todos aquellos que, día a día, hacen del mundo un lugar mejor.
The Customer Is Always Right:
Why the Streaming Business Model Collapsed.
There's a golden rule in business that we often ignore when we get caught up in spreadsheets and profit projections: the customer is like water; they'll always seek the path of easiest flow.
I'm writing to you from a rural area in Ontario, Canada. Life here is peaceful, but if you want internet or entertainment, be prepared to open your wallet. I come from Venezuela, a place where, let's be honest, piracy is often not just an option, but the only window to culture due to the blockades and the economy. When I landed here, I naively thought, "Finally! A paradise of legality. I'll pay for my subscriptions and have the world at my fingertips."
"What a dose of reality life gave me."
Bing AI
Today I want to share with the BeEntrepreneur community something I've been mulling over regarding the current "Streaming Wars." I recently saw a statistical analysis showing how piracy, far from disappearing, is breaking records between 2024 and 2025. I also read about the Supreme Court ruling in Venezuela against MagisTV (now XuperTV). Mind you, I'm not writing this to defend illegal activity, but to study how an industry can destroy its own competitive advantage.
The Suicide of Convenience
Remember 2010? Netflix appeared and won us over for one reason: "Convenience". For $10, you had everything. Piracy dropped significantly during those years. Why? Because nobody wants to deal with viruses or slow torrents if everything works perfectly for a reasonable price.
First lesson for us: people don't pay for the movie; they pay to avoid problems.
Bing AI
But the industry shot itself in the foot. Disney, HBO, Paramount... they all saw Netflix as a goldmine, and greed got the better of them. They said, "Why share profits when I can set up my own operation and keep it all?"
The mistake of disrupting the market
The result was a disaster for the user. That dream of "everything in one place" turned into the nightmare of having seven different apps on your phone. Want to watch The Mandalorian? Pay for Disney+. Stranger Things? Pay for Netflix. The Boys? Get your Amazon Prime card out.
To get the same thing we had in 2012, you have to spend 60 or 80 dollars today. And on top of that, the product is worse: apps that crash, geo-blocking (which hurts when you're an immigrant), and, to top it all off, they bombard you with ads on a service you've already paid for.
Streaming was supposed to kill cable, but it became "Cable 2.0": expensive and fragmented.
The "Pirates" understood the business better.
This perfectly illustrates what Gabe Newell, the genius behind Steam, said: "Piracy is a service problem, not a price problem."
Bing AI
If we take a cold look at the current black market (Stremio, Xuper, etc.), it isn't very comforting to see that they understand the customer better than the multinationals:
Everything in one place: I don't have to switch apps.
Quality: True 4K without buffering.
Experience: Zero ads, zero complicated menus.
Archiving: While HBO deletes series to save on taxes, pirates save everything.
It's ironic, but in 2025, illegal services are easier to use than legal ones. If your free competition offers better service than you do charging $20, your business is doomed.
Why did Spotify win?
Look at music. Music piracy almost died. The difference? Spotify didn't fragment anything. You pay once and you have Sony, Universal, and Warner all together. The video tried to play the game of "for Disney to win, Netflix has to lose," and in the end, we all lost (and the alternative sites won).
What I take away if I were an entrepreneur
Managing my accounts here in Canada and seeing how the world works, I'll leave you with three thoughts to apply, whether on Hive or in a brick-and-mortar business:
Don't fight against the current: If you make it difficult for the customer, they'll find another way. It's pure survival.
If you raise the price, raise the value: Streaming today is more expensive and offers less than it did 10 years ago. That's not sustainable.
Your competition isn't who you think it is: Netflix thought it was fighting against HBO, but in reality, it was fighting against the patience of its own users.
Bing AI
At the end of the day, whether in Caracas or Ontario, we just want to get home, collapse on the couch, and press play without any hassle.
What do you think? Are you tired of paying for a thousand subscriptions, or are you still holding out?
Growing as an entrepreneur, seek and find what you need to be a better human in the Community Be Entrepreneur. Surely there's a topic that will catch your attention.
Community Banner Be Entrepreneur
Dedicated to all those writers who contribute, day by day, to making our planet a better world.
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Hola @amigoponc, Muy buenas las lecciones que nos dejas, efectivamente cuando pagamos un servicio y mas si es de entretenimiento lo que buscamos es que todo fluya y sin complicaciones, cuando sucede lo contrario, alguien del otro lado, como señalas, se equivocó.