The Streaming Wars
Netflix. Hulu. Amazon Prime Video. HBO. These are the major players right now in the streaming TV/Movie world. And yes, I know I said HBO. Don’t tell me they aren’t a streamer because everyone watches Game of Thrones on HBO Go or HBO Now. But these giants are about to be joined by a few more streamers; and frankly, it’s getting to be a bit much.
By now, everyone has heard about Apple TV+. If you don’t, I’m guessing you don’t follow the news. Apple TV+ is Apple’s entry into the streaming world, which will be launching this fall. People are thinking why is Apple launching a TV service? Well, let’s start with the obvious: They’re actually the ones who started streaming to begin with. If it wasn’t for Apple offering digital versions of movies and TV shows on iTunes, maybe we wouldn’t have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. But that’s why Apple used “It’s Showtime” as the tagline for their announcement event on March 25th. They used that tagline when introducing movies on iTunes. But now, they are looking to be a MAJOR player in the streaming world. JJ Abrams, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Mamoa, and Reese Witherspoon to name a few. Oh and two giants in entertainment: Steven Spielberg (who is anti-Netflix winning Oscars) and Oprah Winfrey. Yeah, the talent level is HUGE when it comes to Apple originals. It’ll be interesting to see where they go. From the footage they showed on the 25th, they are gunning for the awards right off the bat.
Then there’s the other major player launching this fall: Disney. Of course the Mouse House wasn’t going to sit by and not join in on the streaming game right? And this is something they’ve been working on for a long time. That’s not just counting them starting to pull their content from Netflix. They have had plenty of original content and movies in production for a couple of years now. Not just small stuff. Star Wars and Marvel content including The Mandalorian, which is created and produced by Jon Favreau. There’s also original shows that will be produced by Pixar, Walt Disney Animation, and Marvel Studios. The Marvel Studios shows will directly connect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, unlike the shows that have been on ABC, Freeform, and Netflix. With these shows, and original movies made for the platform, Disney+ is set up for a long future. There’s a reason why it has been dubbed the major threat to Netflix.
Other studios and networks have already launched or plan on launching their own streaming services as well. CBS All Access has been up and running for almost 2 years now. The original programming is starting to get a big fan base and only growing with Star Trek: Discovery connecting the entire Star Trek universe. Not to mention, the platform is getting ready for one of their biggest premieres: The Twilight Zone. With Jordan Peele producing and a star filled cast, The Twilight Zone is sure to get a large fan base. But there’s also Warner Bros. and NBC Universal, both of whom are planning to launch their own streaming services. The studios are planning to pull their most popular shows off of Netflix in the near future including Friends, The Office, and Parks & Recreation.
We’ve known that TV would be changing and has been changing with streaming being such a big part of our culture. Now it’s not who will have a streaming service. Instead, it’s what streaming services will succeed in getting subscribers before there are too many streaming services to subscribe to.
Which new service will you sign up for? Apple TV+? Disney+? CBS All Access? Let us know in the comments below!
Written By: Thomas Shults
Twitter: @t_shults89
Instagram: @t_shults89
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