Streaming services completely changed how we watch TV shows and movies. On streaming services like Videoland, Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime, there is almost unlimited access to all kinds of content available for a low monthly rate. Last week we published an article about the launching of Disney+, yet another streaming service to add to your list. The options for streaming services are almost infinite, but what can we expect in the future?
We are expecting a growth in streaming services and platforms, and indeed there are a lot of new streaming services options coming our way. Disney+ is in the middle of their trial period and other new announcements have been made. For example, the president of TBS and TNT (American Television Network that is owned by WarnerMedia Entertainment), Kevind Reilly announced during a press conference that there will come a new WarnerMedia streaming service that will include content from Turner, Warner Bros and HBO (Cranz, 2019). Another example is that, according to the article; the future of streaming is the cable bundle, within a year or two, Friends and other in-demand properties like Game of Thrones, Wonder Woman, and even a lot of shows on The CW are probably going to be exclusive to a streaming service owned by the same company that owns the shows themselves (VanDerWerff, 2019). This indicates that the success of streaming services caused a realisation among television networks about how much money there is in streaming, and therefore they are now making a shift towards streaming.
“This streaming revolution is morphing into what looks more like traditional television (VanDerWerff, 2019). “
According to the article, the future of streaming is the cable bundle, the streaming revolution that is happening at the moment promised to break down lots of barriers in the TV industry. However, this streaming revolution is morphing into what looks more like traditional television (VanDerWerff, 2019). Since, when all these TV networks are launching their own platforms, consumers are going to need a subscription to almost every single streaming service in order to get access to all the content they are interested in. However, how many different streaming services would be too much? And how much would people be willing to pay for all these streaming platforms? For example, when you have a subscription for Disney+ (€6,99), Netflix (€12) and Videoland (€8,99) you already have to pay around €28 per month. Most people probably are not happy about this increase in cost for streaming. This eventually means that, as far as we predict, in the future the business model for streaming will be more like ‘old-fashioned cable bundles’.
How do these cable bundles work? In the early days of cable, there were lots of channels, and many of them charged what amounted to à la carte subscription fees. However, the number of networks and channels increased, providers realized they could group lots of channels together, charge consumers a single fee, and then pay each network what’s called a “carriage fee.” (VanDerWerff, 2019). Carriage fees are paid monthly, per subscriber (in most cases), and they typically amount to a few cents per channel. Carriage fees are a huge part of the reason networks jockey to get added to companies’ core, basic packages. (VanDerWerff, 2019). What if in the future, there would be similar bundles and/or packages but with streaming services? This would help to reduce the costs of consumers and increase their access to different content. What would these combined streaming bundles look like?
We have asked our followers on instagram if they would be interested in a merged account for their multiple subscriptions or just leave it as seperate accounts. The majority of our audience prefered a merged account.
What do you think would happen in the future of streaming? Do you think the future of streaming would be merged accounts? Or do you think something completely different is going to happen? Let us know in the comment section of this article. Also, feel free to contact us if you have suggestions, feedback or questions. We are happy to hear from you!
Until then: Keep Binge-watching,
Maxime, Your Cup of TV
Your Cup of TV 
Thank you for this nice article, you really answered my questions from the previous article as well:) To be honest, I really cannot predict what will happen to streaming in the near future. Yet, I agree with the statement above that it looks like it will turn into cable-bundles.
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