The thought of going home, grabbing a cozy blanket, retrieving a comforting snack, and turning on the TV to binge watch top-rated shows or movies on either Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, or possibly Hulu, would usually bring most immediate happiness. Streaming services are meant to bring their viewers instant joy. The world of streaming services is a competitive, ambitious game, involving networks primarily aiming to beat the other, accounting for the success of that company. No matter the brand, there will always be some sort of competitor itching for another company to drop their proposed idea, or to release a failing product benefitting the opposing corporation. In addition, failing products can steer away viewers’ liking of their preferred program, with changes that can negatively impact favored shows and movies. Networks tend to get rid of fan favorites due to the large amount of newly released products that end up taking over their network, resulting in classic entertainment to depart from the program. A modification like this would most likely result in the downfall of their subscribers because that instant joy, caused by ideal shows and movies, was taken away from them. With tons of old networks, current networks, and even future networks that will soon be released to the world, competition is a tough factor that plays into the streaming game. Modifying entertainment programs is the only way to get to the top, and doing what the people may or may not want is a sticky subject few companies can barely grasp.
So what changes could be expected from some of the best networks? In this case, these updates either flop or go to the top. As for Netflix, they are previewing the idea of offering ads in between watching episodes. So, unfortunately, no binging can go uninterrupted anymore. In addition, Netflix intends to take off some of the most beloved shows and movies by subscribers such as Friends, all Rocky editions, White Christmas, Christmas with the Kranks, Pink Panther, etc. Another one of their goals is to add a selected list of shows to their program, but in the end, they will have more programs leaving rather than being newly incorporated. For others like Amazon Prime and Hulu, they strive to add more entertainment services rather than to take them away from their viewers. Changes like this could alter the streaming service game, giving Amazon Prime and Hulu a higher rank than Netflix in several viewers’ eyes.
As far as subscription deals go, Disney Plus is the first in the league to offer a free year of streaming if the subscriber purchased Verizon unlimited data. With other services, if an individual has a family plan they’ll get a certain amount off their payment. Or, if a subscriber orders one channel on cable TV they may get a streaming network included in that subscription.
According to Freshman, Hope Kaczynski, ”Since I have Netflix, I find myself binging some of my all-time favorite shows, yet when I think about it I realize most of them, like Friends, will get taken off. At least with Disney Plus, it sounds like they have a stable selection of classic TV shows and movies!”
As streaming services slowly evolve over time, certain networks will have more superiority in society’s opinion. An example of this superiority, as previously quoted, would be Disney Plus over Netflix since Disney Plus has entertainment that would most likely remain on the network. In this case, once Netflix falls, others such as Disney Plus will rise.
Change could be interpreted in one of two ways. It could either bring a positive impact or one most try not to think of, but unfortunately, companies that produce these services are in that position attempting to make their version of change a worldwide hit.