Disney is as Disney does. They’re a powerhouse and I don’t care how you try to angle it. Recently (well not super recently) Disney came out and let the public know that they’d be starting a streaming service called Disney+, with it would contain old, present, and new content coming out. Needless to say it’s gonna be big. At $6.99 a month this product is cheaper with potentially the same quality content we’ve as a public have come to expect.
The wars between streaming services is in full effect. I can think of 5 streaming services right now that are huge, and there are plenty that I’m not even taking into consideration. Mainly I am going to focus on Disney+ (which owns most of Hulu), Netflix, and the most recent contender Apple TV+.
We are entering a new generation of streaming services. It's comical, it looks like this will all bundle into a oblivion, where we once again as the human race end up with something similar to Cable. That’s neither here nor there, these companies mean serious business when it comes to streaming. Apple coming in is a huge change in this ecosystem. With most people already using Apple devices it seems like they will easily pull people into their ecosystem in which they more than likely already use other products other than the iPhone. Disney, however, I think will take a different route. Disney has most of Hulu and ESPN. Sports, TV, Movies. It’s an easy formula, and with more investment (which I’m sure they could find) would lead them to a higher sales growth and more diverse landscape of content to choose from. I have proclaimed and made a point to say that the goddamn Mouse is up to something.
As for Netflix, stick to original content. It worked once and will definitely work again. From movies to popular TV shows, Netflix does get a little credit. They sign big actors, producers, and directors. It’s an obvious formula that does well for them. I never thought I said this, but Netflix needs to worry. They are just in the process of making content, and definitely not enough to hold out if everyone pulls their content from the platform. I will say that it’s a possibility, I mean shit, didn’t CD’s die out? Napster? MySpace?
It seems like we have just touched the start of what will be the long fought streaming wars. There will be winners and losers like everything else in life. So before you clutch that Zune and think of the good days, try to consider what has the best advantages moving forward.
Anyway, that’s my take on it.
-GS
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