A few months ago someone retweeted a Tweet that was pretty brilliant. I thought I favorited it but I can't find it. But the gist is that with all these streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, CBS All Access, Disney Plus, etc) we've basically recreated cable TV on the Internet.
Think about the history of TV: you started out with the three main networks (CBS, NBC, ABC) and PBS. It was like that until the late 70s when cable came along. Then you had networks like HBO, ESPN, USA, TBS, MTV, etc. Through the 80s and 90s cable (and then satellite) added more channels, many of them more specialized like AMC, Comedy Central, History Channel, Food Network, and so on.
With streaming it started with Netflix. Then Hulu and Amazon basically made it like the big three over-the-air networks from the 50s-70s. Smaller services like Crackle or TubiTV would be like PBS or UHF stations.
But now we're seeing the expansion like in the late 70s with cable TV. And most of those are specialized in showing only the movies/TV shows of a particular entity like CBS or Disney. Provided these are successful then you can expect even more diversifying and specializing until like the Tweet said we basically have cable TV on the Internet.
Except the big difference is that with cable you pay your provider (Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, or whoever) and they provide all the channels. The same for satellite TV. But with the Internet you have to pay for your internet service provider and then you have to pay all of these services individually. Imagine what a nuisance it'd be if you had to pay HBO, ESPN, MTV, TBS, USA, AMC, etc individually.
But on the other hand it means while you have to maintain bills and logins and all that with dozens of streaming services, it also means you get only those you want. Unlike cable or satellite where you get "packages" that frequently have a couple channels you want and a bunch of channels you don't give a shit about. So I have a bunch of bills and stuff to juggle but I don't have to flip by a dozen religious or home shopping channels I don't want.
Still, the problem is slicing things too thin. Ideally I'd like just one platform where I can call up any movie or show whenever I feel like. But the way it's going you'll have to have dozens of services just to watch all the stuff you want. It sounds like a real pain in the ass to me.
I still maintain it's stupid to actively subscribe to all of these all year just to watch a couple of shows. It makes a lot more sense to just sign up for a month or two when the full season is out and then quit one and sign up for another and go around that way while maybe maintaining a membership to a more diversified platform like Netflix or Hulu (as long as they are diversified) or Amazon Prime, which also does a lot more than TV and movies. But that's probably too much work for people and there's FOMO--Fear of Missing Out. If I don't watch each episode of Star Trek Discovery or The Twilight Zone or The Mandalorian as it comes out I'll be missing out and my friends will think I'm lame! So that's why it'll work--at least for a lot of these services. But there will probably be failures along the way too. Like DC Comics's streaming service is already in trouble having canceled Swamp Thing before the second episode even aired!
Another interesting theory was mentioned in this article recently about Netflix losing subscribers--at least temporarily. There's a theory on consumer behavior that when presented with too many streaming services people will turn to broadcast TV and just watch whatever's on. Sometimes I feel that "decision fatigue" though I don't usually turn to broadcast TV. But if I can't think of any new or new to me shows I want to watch I'll just turn to a trusty old favorite and start rewatching it like American Dad, Archer, or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Or sometimes I just do that if there's a new season of that show and I want to get caught up as happened with Crackle's SuperMansion this last weekend. Pluto TV's MST3K and Rifftrax channels are also something I'll turn to if I just want to turn something on without really committing to watching a full episode of something.
So I think that theory is at least partially true; the thinner you slice the streaming pie the more people will decide to stop watching entirely.
And that's how you kill a golden goose.
4 comments:
Yeah, that's a really good point. Semms like all new streaming services always promote heavily their original or exclusive content so, in the end, if you want to watch everything then you'd have to subscribe to everything, which is just crazy.
I've long thought that the $$$ in the eyes of all these entertainment companies at their own streaming services will lead to disaster. I agree many people aren't going to like juggling a bunch of services and I think that some of them are relying on people essentially "forgetting" they are subscribed to them and rake in some cash.
WB doesn't know what they are doing with their DC stuff...although the DC service isn't entirely bad if you want to watch older stuff, like the old cartoons and 70s/80s Superman movies. they are probably the company most deluded by dreams of $$$ clouding their eyes. They want to be the MCU, but messed it up. They want to be Netflix, but they messed it up. They want to have their own originals, but they messed it up. :(
As with many things, we will see a rapid expansion in these bespoke streaming services until people get too upset and the companies lose money and then they will contract down again until there's a few survivors and the landscape settles down just in time for the next new thing to come along.
It will definitely backfire at one point. An average consumer likes convenience and having multiple devices just makes things more complicated. It will eventually narrow choices too much to be viable. Disney is changing the game by making the biggest entertainment conglomerate in the world locking down content. No one can get close which means the others will have to combine to match the content library. It’s leading to tough choices though
They're all trying to figure out how to make the most money.
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