THE DUKE Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 With all the different streaming options available now and coming out soon, I think a single thread to discuss the topic might have a little more legs than a bunch of different Topics or shoehorning it in to the Movie/TV News/Buzz thread. With seemingly everyone and their mother wanting to launch their own streaming service and cash in on that cable company money, coming up is what a lot in the entertainment review industry are already calling "The Streaming Wars". There are a few different categories starting out: The established giants: Netflix Amazon Hulu HBO Now The High Powered Up and Comers: Disney+ AppleTV+ Peacock CBS All Access YouTubeTV Quibo The Underdogs: Fubo Philo Sling The Niche Market: FX Now PlayStation Vue ESPN+ Crackle TubiTV And honestly there are a ton more out there, but these seemed to be the most recognizable to me. I can't see anyone paying for all of these, so the question becomes, which ones? Honestly, the biggest battles are always going to be over content. Both in terms of back catalogue and future releases. 5 years from now, I won't be surprised if 75% of what's available now no longer exists and we end up with a battle between 5-6 main giants. The questions i'm interested in (and i'll answer my own in a separate post) are below: Who do you think will offer the most content (both in terms of past catalog and intriguing new shows coming up)? Who will be the top dogs once all the dust settles from everyone trying to get into the streaming market? Do any of the main public channels (ABC/NBC/CBS/Fox) abandon trying to have their own service and continually sell rights in smaller chunks (2-4 years at a time) in order to cash in on the constant need for content? Which services will you have? Will you just keep cable? What will drive the market next? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
THE DUKE Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 Quote Who do you think will offer the most content (both in terms of past catalog and intriguing new shows coming up)? The network shows have literally decades of TV filling content to go, but they run into the problem of people actually wanting to go back and watch old shows. The main driver is going to be new content. Netflix was smart enough to see this coming and have been developing their own bank of shows over the past decade to the point to where now people see them as one of the bigger drivers of new content. Anymore most network shows stink, and the cable channels that produce high quality shows like Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, etc... are trying to launch their own apps. I'm not sure how long that will last though as more content creators will try to muscle out the third party providers. HBO is established enough to probably weather that storm, but the smaller cable channels might be better off as a development house over trying to be an all in one. Getting back to the question I see Netflix holding on with a mix of paying huge premiums for existing content and their efforts to have their own original content are proving fairly successful. I think Disney+ will be right there with them since the Disney umbrella is so large. That gets them ABC shows, ESPN sports, they own Hulu outright now which they will keep alive for R rated content and keep Disney+ PG-13 and below. The combination of movies, tv shows, kids programming, and live sports is going to make them a power house. Others will try, but I think those are going to be the top dogs at the end of the battle for content. Quote Do any of the main public channels (ABC/NBC/CBS/Fox) abandon trying to have their own service and continually sell rights in smaller chunks (2-4 years at a time) in order to cash in on the constant need for content? I honestly think it's kind of silly CBS and NBC are trying to go it alone with just their stuff, especially since the new stuff can be seen for free over the air, and beloved shows like the Office can just be bought on Blu Ray. Long term I see most of the network streaming apps going under but the networks making a mint off of licensing their stuff for the endless battle for content. Quote Which services will you have? Will you just keep cable? We'll likely keep Netflix. They still have a lot of stuff we watch for both my kids and for my wife and I. I think their industry foothold will let them weather the storm of everyone getting into the streaming pool and they'll be there to buy up choice content as their competitors fold. We're definitely getting the Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle that is coming with the launch of Disney+. Just so much content we will use from those along with new shows and movies. We already pay something like $11.99 for Hulu with no ads, so paying $13 for all 3 with Disney+ already having no ads (i'll gladly pay another $3-$4 to keep Hulu ad free) is a no brainer for me. Considering how much college basketball and college baseball I watch, getting ESPN+ as a throw in is a big win for me personally. We had Amazon Prime even before they started streaming, so that's also a no brainer. They are getting better original content in recent years as well. I don't think Amazon streaming will ever be the top dog, but I definitely see them hanging around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gnat Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 Who do you think will offer the most content (both in terms of past catalog and intriguing new shows coming up)? Disney+, Amazon Prime, Hulu Who will be the top dogs once all the dust settles from everyone trying to get into the streaming market? Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, AppleTV+ Do any of the main public channels (ABC/NBC/CBS/Fox) abandon trying to have their own service and continually sell rights in smaller chunks (2-4 years at a time) in order to cash in on the constant need for content? Not sure I follow the question completely. But I'm going to say no? Which services will you have? Will you just keep cable? I have YoutubeTV, Netflix, Amazon Prime I probably will add on Disney+ as well, and might move from YoutubeTV to Hulu Live. What will drive the market next? Content Bundles from Cable providers. They'll bundle various streaming services/stations together in order to remain something more than an internet provider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August4th Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 (edited) I think HBO MAX will be a hit https://www.tvguide.com/news/hbo-max-everything-we-know/ HBO NOW is like 15 a month now, so paying the extra 2-3 bucks is worth HBO + all that other content. I think HBO MAX and Disney+ will come up on top. Amazon will be the wildcard due to its massive resources. HBO MAX, AMAZON prime, Hulu(due to the bundle I have with Spotify), Criterion channel will be my main streaming sites. I'll hop on and off with Netflix. Edited September 20, 2019 by August4th Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August4th Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucketheadsdad Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 We cut the cord back in March. My wife was a bit reluctant, but I did several months of research before making the jump. Ultimately, we bumped up our wifi speed a bit ( I didn't want any hiccups at all). We'd compiled a list of "must haves" and we decided upon going with the 2nd lowest level of PSVue and the (now grandfathered) $16 Philo. <--A couple channels that my wife wanted that weren''t available on PSVue, and would have ultimately been deal breakers. We're saving about $75 a month over what we were paying. When we were ready to make the jump, we were initially ready to go with DirecTVNow's streaming service. However, a week before we switching, they totally reformatted their business plan, and dropped a crap ton of content from their service, and added HBO and Showtime. I disagree with the OP, as I certainly don't consider PSVue to be a "niche", as I've got 85 channels, including MLB Network, NFL Network, NBA Network and now NHL Network. If you aren't a sports fan and are able to pull in your locals with an antenna, Philo is a great option. 58 channels for $20 a month. Fubo has really upped their game with the content they're providing, and if they can ever work out deals with Disney to allow them to carry ABC locals and ESPN networks, they might see a significant jump in their subscriptions. Bottom line: We've all got different things that we want to watch. Streaming, and the ability to drop services whenever we please, have begun to make TV, in many ways, much more of a "buyers market." What is the right service(s) for me may not be for you, and what's good for you may not be right for someone else. * *Ironically, I'm not using the service that this actor has been hired to plug. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucketheadsdad Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 This is a great tool to figure out what works best for you. Also, if you're considering taking the plunge, this gentleman runs a really quality website and youtube channel about cordcutting. https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superman(DH23) Posted September 21, 2019 Share Posted September 21, 2019 Prime is going to be fine, bc the video is just a throw in for the prime service which is why everyone has it. Netflix is the originator and will be able to weather the competition, just as they did with the launch of Hulu. Speaking of which, Disney bucks, along with the strength of the library virtually assures its success. As for where its headed, I work for one of the largest cable companies in the country. We recently converted our headends to IP. We currently have about 20% of the available bandwidth dedicated to internet service, with the expanding to 50% over the next year + 1/2. Eventually, all TV will be delivered IP as we move to the 100 Gbps we'll be at w/in 5 years, and it will be just like it is today, but instead of paying for Networks, we'll be paying for streaming access. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incognito_man Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 What's the best option for cord-cutting but still getting NFLN and ESPN? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpulse Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 46 minutes ago, incognito_man said: What's the best option for cord-cutting but still getting NFLN and ESPN? by legal means there isnt a way to get NFLN to my knowledge. Not sure how much Disney+ Bundle with ESPN+ will offer when it comes to ESPN content 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucketheadsdad Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 58 minutes ago, incognito_man said: What's the best option for cord-cutting but still getting NFLN and ESPN? NFL Network is on PSVue and FUBO tv. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucketheadsdad Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 14 minutes ago, Bucketheadsdad said: NFL Network is on PSVue and FUBO tv. In fact PSVue has MLB Network, NFL Network, NBA TV and NHL Network. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonStark Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 I've been looking into this for a while, but my directTV gets me all of the cable channels for ~$65/month (including NFLN). I don't see anything yet for me to cut it that gets me what I want and is as convenient. I heard someone say the other day they saved $1600 this year by cutting cable, but I just don't see how that's possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoleINGout Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 On 9/20/2019 at 1:58 PM, THE DUKE said: Who do you think will offer the most content (both in terms of past catalog and intriguing new shows coming up)? Who will be the top dogs once all the dust settles from everyone trying to get into the streaming market? Do any of the main public channels (ABC/NBC/CBS/Fox) abandon trying to have their own service and continually sell rights in smaller chunks (2-4 years at a time) in order to cash in on the constant need for content? Which services will you have? Will you just keep cable? What will drive the market next? 1. Hulu for most content, past catalog anyways and live tv package. But for “intriguing new shows” it won’t be any singular provider/company idt. YouTube will always have its users who make videos and make money off of their channel unless Google sells YouTube eventually to another company and that all changes. 2. Hulu/Apple/Amazon 3. None of those “main public channels” will abandon. 4. I have a subscription through my Apple account for CBS currently. I’ll probably use Apple. 5. The speed of internet and hardware to match. However much interest society has in technology versus how much money tech manufacturers want to squeeze out of everybody is what expands and develops the tech market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucketheadsdad Posted September 22, 2019 Share Posted September 22, 2019 7 hours ago, JonStark said: I've been looking into this for a while, but my directTV gets me all of the cable channels for ~$65/month (including NFLN). I don't see anything yet for me to cut it that gets me what I want and is as convenient. I heard someone say the other day they saved $1600 this year by cutting cable, but I just don't see how that's possible. I guess it could be possible, but they may have dramatically reduced their overall viewership, or are in a position where they can access their local channels via an antenna. We're keeping an extra 70-75 a month in our pockets, and have far more to watch than we did before cutting the cord. The one thing I miss about my prior service is being able to watch C-Span. I'm a HS government teacher, so I would watch quite often. (I can still see many of the programs on their website, however.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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