The Streaming Wars: A New Era In TV

Published November 22, 2019 at 10:00 AM CST

The interface of Disney+ streaming service is displayed on Apple Inc.'s AppleTV at the D23 Expo, billed as the "largest Disney fan event in the world," on Aug. 23, 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

Streaming wars. Disney+, Apple TV and all of the others are fighting for the crown, for your eyes — and your wallet.

Guests

Sara Fischer, Axios reporter covering media trends. ( @sarafischer)

Howard Owens, media executive, founder and CEO of Propagate Content, an independent premium content production company that has created shows for Netflix, Amazon and Apple. Former president of National Geographic Channels. ( @PropagateCo)

From The Reading List

Axios: “ New estimates show Disney spends more on content than Netflix” — “Michael Nathanson, a well-respected media research analyst, said Monday at Recode’s Code Media conference that he estimates that Disney spends the most on content annually, followed by Comcast and AT&T.

“Why it matters: There’s been a long-standing narrative that Netflix spends more money on content than its streaming rivals, but the MoffettNathanson estimates revealed at the conference dispute that notion.

“Other insights: The data Nathanson presented (see above) shows the amount of money spent on content other than sports — but Nathanson argues that sports are a big outlier that could disrupt a streaming bundle.”

Recode: “ 10 lessons for Disney, Apple, and all the new streaming companies trying to take down Netflix” — “The streaming wars — the battle among giant companies that want your eyeballs and credit cards for their subscription services — are officially underway.

“Earlier this month, Apple launched its Apple TV+ service. Today, Disney launches Disney+. In April, former CEO of DreamWorks Jeffrey Katzenberg and former CEO of eBay Meg Whitman will release Quibi, with the revamped HBO Max coming from AT&T a month later and NBCUniversal’s Peacock launching later that quarter. They join Amazon’s Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu (which Disney took control of earlier this year), CBS’s All Access, and Viacom’s PlutoTV, among others. Who else will join? In January 2015, Overstock.com announced plans to launch a streaming service later that year. Still waiting for that one.

“We don’t know how the fight will turn out, but we do know some things about running subscription video services because we’ve been in that business ourselves. The most important thing to remember is that success in subscription video services requires two things: Getting a subscriber, and keeping a subscriber. The second is harder. Much harder.”

USA Today: “ Opinion: Too much: Why the streaming wars between Apple, Disney, HBO and more are ruining TV” — “They say you can’t have too much of a good thing, but the many corporations that produce television are out to prove that you can.

“There’s just too much TV. There was too much in 2018 and 2017, too, and probably even before 2015, when FX chief John Landgraf, coined the term ‘Peak TV’ to describe the then-400+ scripted TV shows on the air. This year, there are more than 500. And that doesn’t count reality shows, talk shows, documentaries and everything else.

“Peak TV was supposed to represent the height of the TV industry, the point at which no more shows could possibly be created until a bubble burst and the number of series – and possibly networks that aired them – diminished wildly.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.