I’m really starting to wonder why we continue to let this stuff happen.
If you don’t know – and I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t, Apple successfully kept it on the down-low – Apple recently acquired not only the holidays specials, but the exclusive rights to everything Peanuts-related.
Honestly, enough said. It should be obvious what I’m going to say: The continual growth of companies such as Apple, Disney and others is creating an entertainment monopoly.
And it’s elitist, wrong and just flat-out mean.
You know, I’m not sure how many people just call companies such as Apple “mean,” because it certainly does sound childish, but it’s absolutely true. And here’s why.
My family can’t afford every streaming service on the planet. We have three – Netflix, HBO and Amazon Prime – and that’s it at the moment. That’s almost exactly on par with the national average, which is 3.4 streaming services per subscriber in the U.S. The same study, which was conducted by the digital services monetization company Vindicia, found that 70% of all U.S. households have at least one streaming service.
Sounds like a lot, right? Yeah, it is. But look closer at the stat: While the data suggests that households may have more than one streaming service, it also implies that some households only have one. Because, honestly, paying for even one streaming service can be a strain on some families. The average cost per service is $8.53, and while that may not sound like a lot to some, it is to others.
And that’s where the beauty of network television comes in.
The major TV networks, which consists of channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and more, are the channels that almost everyone is guaranteed when they buy a TV. In other words, they’re free.
Every year since 1965, beginning with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and followed by such specials as “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” and more were on CBS, and then on ABC starting in 2000, for everyone to watch. They were there for everyone to experience a little bit of joy.
That little bit of joy is just gone now, though. And, even though I’m 18 years old and some may think I’m a little too old to do this, I actually started to tear up about this whole thing.
I get really mad at entertainment and lifestyle companies such as Apple. Admit it — they dominate our lives.
Knowing all this, I decided to do some math. There are approximately 122 million households in the U.S., and 70% of households have at least one streaming service, which is equal to about 85 million households. However, there’s that 30% left over. And, even though 70% is obviously much bigger than 30%, that percentage still consists of many households.
37 million households, to be exact.
Every year, I’ve watched Charlie Brown and everyone else in the Peanuts world fill my TV screen – whether it be for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas or something else – and I always loved every minute of it. Everyone seems to like Snoopy, but he’s actually kind of mean. Personally, I especially loved Charlie Brown. loved the way, and I know that this’ll sound weird, that it somehow felt like no one loved him.
He kinda just kept going anyway, though. He’s depressed sometimes, but watching him work through his sadness is a very universal feeling.
I just can’t help but think that Apple is absolutely robbing kids and adults of a chance to connect to someone who I honestly think is one of the greatest characters ever created. He’s sad, sure. He’s nervous. He’s a bit of a loner. If I went to school with Charlie Brown, there’s a good chance that he’d fall into the background pretty easily.
But he’s the sweetest character in the entire series. And it’s really not even a contest.
Honestly, Apple doesn’t deserve a character as good as Charlie Brown. I don’t think they get him. I don’t think they understand the underdog story, because, seriously – when has Apple really been an underdog?
Like, never.
That’s my personal connection to Charlie Brown, and I know there are other people in this world who feel the same way about him. Apple acquiring the rights to everything Peanuts is a real shot to the heart. Their elitism and monopoly is robbing at least 37 million households of just a little bit of joy they don’t get to experience now.
