10 Ways To Save Streaming Services

Let’s not mince words here, this enormous change in the streaming landscape will mostly come from Disney taking over Fox, since it means huge amounts of pre-existing content coming exclusively under Disney’s control, and most likely off-limits to streaming services not owned by them.

Which means that producing original content is the best way forward as, if they are going to survive, streaming services need content that is completely theirs, whether they’ve made it themselves, or gone down the Disney route and bought out a pre-existing franchise. Bringing huge amounts of pre-existing content into one place was what made streaming services in the first place, but it’s just not sustainable in the long run.

The practical upshot is that after your initial investment, original content is yours permanently since there are no licensing fees to pay or contracts to negotiate, and it won’t be lost in a third party corporate merger. Lots of people started watching and rewatching Friends when it came to Netflix in the UK, but that’s as far as it goes, since you can’t merchandise or licence out shows you don’t actually own. Which is another reason why the way forward for streaming services is owning, not renting.

It’s unlikely that anyone will ever be able to match the library of content that Disney is assembling, but streaming services can sure as hell try. Every new intellectual property is another feather in your cap that your competitors will never get their hands on, and a way to both keep existing subscribers, and bring in new ones.

What do you think is the future of streaming services? Let us know in the comments below...