8 Developments That Will Change Streaming Forever

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.