Monty Solomon posted:
https://onezero.medium.com/everyones-wrong-about-the-streaming-wars-95f1eb717a90
Good points made here. The summary might be these two paragraphs:
"Twelve years after Netflix streaming launched, even as media companies have
disaggregated their content from the cable bundle, consumers could individually
subscribe to HBO Max, Netflix, Hulu (without ads), Amazon Prime Video, Disney+,
Peacock, and Apple TV+, without any of their free trials or promotions, for
about the same price as cable in 2007 - with a hell of a lot more content, all
on-demand, and an increased investment in new high-quality programming."
Plus other choices, such as CBS All Access (online aggregation site provided by
the TV network), AT&T TV Now (aggregation site provided by the telco,
double-hatted). And an infinite number of other variants possible.
"Simply put, there is no reason that every major streaming service won't
succeed, which makes the question of 'who will win the streaming wars?' a silly
one. It's not as though media companies will revert to traditional linear
distribution channels if they don't 'win' the streaming war by having the most
subscribers. It's clear that on-demand streaming is the future that consumers
prefer."
The desire for access to content on the user's schedule, as opposed to the
broadcaster's schedule, was clear from way back in the early 1980s. It was only
stymied by amazing ineptitude of users, in mastering their VCR's timed
recording feature.
To me, this is simply technology doing its usual thing. "By appointment" TV
transmissions, also radio by appointment initially, were simply the only
techniques available at the time, to send content to the masses electronically.
So people had to put up with limited time availability and limited content
availability, for electronic delivery. To overcome those severe limitations,
the option was to go to the store and buy the physical media.
Now, all of this can be provided electronically. And real-time distribution is
still available, but only used when the consumer wants it. Not used by default,
as the only possibility.
Clearly, reverting back to the cumbersome old ways is hard to imagine, except
in case of some apocalypse. We wouldn't go out foraging for food either,
probably.
Bert
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