How Streaming Became Cable, But Worse

Hosts Ed Bennett and Chris Boyer face the modern entertainment apocalypse: streaming content. What started as freedom from cable has devolved into a fragmented, confusing, overpriced mess where your favorite show is always on the one service you canceled last month. They unpack the chaos behind subscription juggling, studio feuds (yes, YouTube TV vs. ESPN/Disney, we see you), and why your monthly bill now looks suspiciously like 2008 Comcast. This week’s recommendation is for Cory Doctorow’s new book “Enshitification” - a takedown of how platforms rot from the inside. The hosts then kick-off the official “Surprise - It’s Not a Toaster” Book Club - asking readers to follow along from home. In the AI Stump, they use various GenAI tools to create a new word describing the fear of leaving something behind. Tune in to find out which tool - ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity - created the best term. SNAT50: Streaming is broken, AI is weird, books are angry, and now we have a new neurosis. Mentions from the Show: Enshitification book Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Ed Bennett on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Ed Bennett of BlueSky Chris Boyer on BlueSky