8 Developments That Will Change Streaming Forever
Netflix should be anything but chill.
In 2019 we stand on the precipice of a monumental shift in the way we consume media. The distribution landscape is already unrecognisable from what existed ten years ago, and Netflix has almost single handedly reinvented our relationship with TV and film, but the repercussions of their new business model have taken longer than expected to change the industry at large.
Most providers have gone as far as to launch catch up services, but that has been the extent of their ambition until now. Netflix’s ongoing success seems to have finally ruffled enough feathers among the major corporations that strategies to counter their dominance are being unveiled on a daily basis, and the future of streaming is now a furtile battle ground for control of the industry’s future.
8. Arrival Of The Competition
By far the most pressing and disruptive force in streaming is going to be the introduction of major competitors to a marketplace currently dominated by industry innovators Netflix. Public awareness of exactly which studio makes what; something that was previously irrelevant to the casual movie-goer, will suddenly become rather important.
Harry Potter, Friends, the DC superheroes and indeed Christopher Nolan's entire filmography belong to Warner Bros, alongside TV content from subsidiary ABC. Grey’s Anatomy is one of the most popular streaming shows around, and is currently licensed from ABC to Amazon Prime.
Observers are expecting Warner to keep HBO content separate, as the premium cable channel already has its own subscriber base and catch up TV platform to tend to. But if push comes to shove, the likes of Atlanta, The Wire, Game of Thrones and The Sopranos can all be leveraged in Warner Bros' favour.
They may need to be, because the other streaming titan about to make its presence known in the marketplace is none other than The Walt Disney Company, with Disney+ expected to launch worldwide this summer. Is the average consumer aware that Disney animation, Marvel Studios, Pixar and Lucasfilm are all owned by the same corporation? They’re about to be.