Streaming Costs in Mexico Reach Utility-Level Expense, New Study Finds
Mexico City – A new report from EAE Business School reveals that streaming service subscriptions are now a significant financial burden for Mexican households, costing families an average of 1,600 pesos monthly – a figure comparable to expenses for essential utilities like electricity, internet, and telephone. The study, titled “Spending on audiovisual platforms in homes: Habits and new consumption trends,” shows over half of Mexican households subscribe to at least one streaming service.
The rising cost of subscriptions is a key driver of this trend. Streaming rates have increased at a rate four times faster than general inflation over the past decade, leading 43% of non-subscribers to cite price as a barrier to entry. Despite these costs, Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney+ maintain the highest levels of user loyalty.
However, “subscriber fatigue” is on the rise, with consumers increasingly cancelling services due to high prices or a perceived lack of compelling content. This is fueling a shift towards “hybrid consumption,” where three out of four users now supplement paid subscriptions with free, ad-supported streaming platforms (AVOD or FAST).
The EAE Business School study concludes that while streaming has become an essential expense for many Mexican families, consumers are actively seeking more affordable and flexible options to mitigate the impact of continually increasing prices.
