Streaming is quickly becoming the norm for most families. A few recent polls seem to suggest that families may be open to the idea of rejecting cinemas completely in favor of the more budget-friendly, comfortable home streaming option. That’s not all. Cord-cutting guides show that ditching traditional cable TV is easier than ever. Due to this, it’s interesting to explore what streaming is going to look like in the future and what families can expect. Will prices rise and what streamers will be left standing after the war is over?
The Streaming Wars Have Only Just Begun
You might have heard of the streaming wars. This is based on how quickly new streamers are rising. Currently, the names to watch are Apple, Disney, Paramount, Peacock, Amazon, and HBO Max. If you are aware that Peacock is Universal, then you’ll know there’s a big Hollywood name missing from this list. Why is that? Instead of setting up their own streaming service, and potentially losing money, Sony have been quietly selling the rights to stream their movies to different streamers. Netflix took most of the pie while Disney sliced off a small chunk. Specifically, Sony claimed the rights to add Spiderman to their streaming service. That’s important as it was the only part of their Marvel IP that was missing.
So, who are the current winners of the streamer war? Arguably, this is Netflix and Disney with others like HBO Max are struggling. A big issue with HBO Max is that it’s mainly based on delivering to customers in the USA. Other big streamers have rolled out internationally with Netflix available in most places around the world.
A big problem facing all streamers right now is the slow down in new subscribers. It will be up to each individual streamer to determine how they are going to tackle this and the answer could reveal the true victors. Do also note that some streaming services are essentially side hustles of bigger businesses. Amazon Prime is an example of this. This is just used as a side benefit to entice customers to sign onto a much larger service.
How Will Streaming Change For Consumers?
Will password sharing vanish in the future? This is a big problem from streamers with Disney and Netflix openly admitting that the issue is costing them a lot of potential subscribers. But how do you fix it? The rumours are that both companies are working on software to change the game here while streamers may soon limit the number of people that can be watching things at the same time. Currently, Disney allows virtually every member of your family to watch something different simultaneously. However, if they continue to struggle to get the numbers in subscribers then they are going to need to rethink this.
Ads are also an option that are being widely considered by streamers. Part of the appeal of streaming is that you don’t have to worry about ads. But, ads are already part of the model for certain services. For instance Peacock does come with ads but will let you pay extra to avoid these. On the other side of the pool, HBO Max is about to launch a cheaper service where you can get the same content with ads. Although premium content including the movies that are also hitting cinemas won’t be available if you opt for this cheaper package.
Netflix have previously dismissed the idea of adding ads to their service. But desperate times call for desperate measures and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see their tune change over the next few years.
In terms of the quality of content, this is certainly on the rise. Disney’s original content rivals that of what you would see on HBO or even at the cinema while Netflix is pouring money into their original IPs too. They’re about to release a massive blockbuster in Army of the Dead that could spin off into a huge franchise. You should expect to see more power plays like this shortly. There are some great TV shows on all the streamers right now too.
The Death Of Cinema
Since Netflix exploded and disrupted the industry, there have been suggestions that streaming could lead to the death of cinema. Is this likely? If you look at the numbers for Fast Nine, the answer is probably not. However, streaming could certainly change the cinema experience. Indeed, there have already been quick deals to ensure that films will play in cinemas but will also head to streaming early. The typical three-month window has been cut down to just 45 days for a lot of studios. COVID-19 changed everything for cinemas but some would argue that it just sped up a process that was ultimately, somewhat inevitable.
Even if you do ignore the fact that cinemas are more expensive than ever and there’s far more content on streaming services than in previous years, you would be hard-pressed to dodge the fact that streaming is just a more attractive choice for a lot of families. Some do still love the theatrical movie-going experience but others would much rather watch movies from the comfort of their living room.
So, while cinema might not die it could evolve. There are a few paths this could take. As Peter Jackson predicted, we may be heading to a future where theaters are reserved for the biggest titles imaginable. In other words, it’s unlikely in the next decade anything will be on a movie screen unless it’s a known IP. Smaller titles will be reserved for streaming.
Or, we might see a home streaming service specifically for cinema titles. For this to work, Hollywood would need the answer to piracy which grows more prevalent every year. They haven’t cracked this code yet but you can bet with the rise of streaming there are people working on that particular solution.
We hope this helps you understand some of the key changes that could reshape the streaming world over the next few years. It’s fair to say that things could look quite different for both customers and content providers. It will be interesting to witness how both adapt.
*This is a collaborative post