At the beginning of the new year, it's time to renew the annual fee for video members.

"It costs nearly a thousand yuan a year to buy members of several platforms." This is not an exaggeration, but a true portrayal of what many people spend today.

In order to follow dramas, watch variety shows or animations, consumers often need to recharge members on multiple platforms.

Considering that the advantages and content of each video platform are not the same, it is reasonable for people to charge different platforms separately, but now even within the same platform, the charging items have begun to vary.

　　For example, for the definition of the projection screen, low-level members only support 480P resolution. To achieve 4K image quality, you need to recharge to a higher-level member; The account registered on the mobile phone or tablet cannot be used on the TV side. Only by opening a membership account on the TV side can you continue to watch the relevant content of the platform; "Sports membership", watching cartoons and listening to nursery rhymes requires "children's membership"... In short, spending money to buy a basic ordinary membership is far from enough. If you want to project a big screen temporarily or watch an extra sports event, you need to pay extra.

Such a cumbersome and complicated "matryoshka-style" payment system has made many consumers feel angry and helpless.

　　Faced with the increasingly segmented and differentiated entertainment needs of users, it is not unreasonable for video platforms to switch to an "intensive farming" charging model.

However, the result should point to the upgrade of service quality and the improvement of consumer experience, rather than clever name and fee increase.

Many people complain that in order to chase a drama, they first charge money to buy the viewing qualification of the whole drama, and then charge money to enjoy the high-definition picture quality.

You must know that content consumption is not a one-time business. When consumers feel "squeezed" and routine, their willingness to pay again will decrease.

In such a vicious circle, only the video platform and users will lose.

　　The charging model of the video platform should also be more detailed and transparent, and the terms should not be changed suddenly midway, or the additional fees that need to be concealed.

The "Consumer Rights Protection Law" stipulates that operators should provide consumers with information about the quality, performance, use, and expiration date of goods or services, which should be true and comprehensive, and must not make false or misleading publicity.

It is necessary to make every sum of money spent by consumers clear and clear, and the service standards covered by membership fees must be clearly stated. In order to make people willing to pay for the bill, attract more users to stay on the platform.

　　In recent years, with the improvement of people's copyright awareness and more mature and convenient payment methods, people are more and more willing to pay for high-quality content, and the paid membership system of domestic video platforms is gradually improving and maturing.

However, the establishment of a healthy and sound payment ecosystem is a long-term process that cannot be accomplished overnight. It requires the joint efforts of major platforms and users. In particular, platforms must respect users and operate with integrity.

Whether it is the advanced on-demand and single-chip payment previously named by the China Consumers Association, or the current "matryoshka" payment, the fancy routines that are renovated every year may increase platform revenue in the short term, but the overdraft is the future of users. Willingness to pay and trust in the platform are not long-term solutions after all.

　　In the final analysis, it is still necessary to return to the core and origin of the payment mechanism.

Paying for viewing on video platforms is a protection of copyright, a support for high-quality original content, and a healthy development of the video platform and the entire industry.

Rather than routinely tricking consumers in the charging model, it is better to spend more time on the creation and polishing of high-quality content. After all, only good content is the key to the success of a video platform.

　　economic daily