Brace yourselves, the "streaming wars" are here

Photo courtesy of Variety

Okay, so I’ve got something to share so here it goes: I don’t have cable. There I said it. Only need WiFi, which is all I need if I want to watch a movie or TV series. Not that this is an uncommon problem though, having the opportunity to choose from countless streaming services available online; with a monthly subscription to the site of course. 

Over the past decade, how we consume our entertainment, news, and media has been quickly evolving. As many people are in the process of switching from TV cable to streaming services recently termed as “cutting the cord”, due to countless factors such as the cheaper, less confusing bills, more variety and options, and more convenience. But there is an excess of these streaming services, and soon the contracts between the services and the studios for streaming content are coming to an end – between 2020-2021. According to Wired, entertainment companies and corporations are creating their own streaming site for their content, and warn us to prepare for the “streaming wars”. The “streaming wars” is basically where once their contracts end with current streaming services, instead of renewing contracts they will keep that content for their own streaming platform and create new original series. Essentially, the end goal is for your subscription.

The new Disney+ platform set to release later this year - photo courtesy of CNN

Many attribute the start of streaming services to YouTube and Netflix. YouTube struggled in its early days to keep up with the bandwidth of users and copyright infringement, until Google came in to support them and increased in popularity when Saturday Night Live began posting clips and videos. Netflix was iconic for its red envelope delivered via mail in the past, and their eventual agreement with their opponent Blockbuster to be their streaming site. Soon they began making agreements with TV studios to stream their content, notable shows include Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead. Not long after, companies saw the potential in streaming services leading to the creation of other services such as Prime Video and Hulu. In a short span of years these platforms made tremendous growth, there seems to be a series or movie for everyone’s preference, that can make it difficult to keep up with all of them. Recently I’ve noticed this trend where each of the streaming services started to offer their own original content along with the contracted content; most people being familiar with “Netflix Originals” or “Included with Prime” series. Streaming service originals are the uncharted territory of TV series, they don’t seem to have to abide to the strict rules of TV cable content. This could be good for filmmakers because the vision of their content won’t be restricted.  

Just this past Sunday, the Emmy Awards were broadcast on cable and live streamed over streaming services; and its results prove the power and effect they already have on the entertainment industry. While HBO, Prime Video, and Netflix received most of the awards; during the commercial breaks advertised new streaming services such as Disney+, Apple TV Plus, and Peacock. So how will people know which one to choose? Well to start there is every type of content available for different interests. No matter whether people label this as a good or bad thing, it will be an interesting transition in the world of entertainment. More importantly, where are the streaming services heading and how will people react to this transition when it can be hard to keep up? It’s already too late for me, so I guess I’ll sit back with my popcorn and enjoy the shows. 

Photo courtesy of Reddit