Streaming war is on

[Emelee]

Apple TV+ has launched. Disney Plus is coming. Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, Hulu etc etc etc are getting more competition.

The streaming war has begun. What are your thoughts about it? Are you loyal to one or a couple of them? How many do you pay for? Can you afford more? Will you try the new ones?


I have four TV streaming services that I pay for. HBO Nordic, Netflix, Amazon Prime and C More (Nordic site). I really don't want to pay for more than those, but I do want to add D Play (another Nordic streaming site).

So far, Apples new streaming service doesn't interest me. Neither does Disney's.

 

[Rove]

Australia will be one of the first countries outside the U.S. which will receive Disney+. I have already informed Disney I'll be there when it's launched on 19 November. I've always been a bit of a Star Wars tragic so I'm looking forward to The Mandalorian. Disney+ will cost me $8.99 a month or - if I remember correctly - I can pay $89 up front for 12 months which works out cheaper. This is what I'll be doing when it becomes available. This offer from Disney+ is much cheaper than what I'm currently paying Netflix, $13.99 a month. I won't be joining any other streaming services. I did look at Apple TV but found their offerings laughable.

Meanwhile on commercial television another round of train-wreck reality type programs is coming to a channel near me in 2020. And they wonder why ratings and ad-revenue is down.

 

[Seaviewer]

Now that I have NBN wi-fi, I've been toying with the idea of signing up with Netflix - mainly for Star Trek: Discovery - but now I see that the Picard show will be on Amazon. I look at the programme offerings and I see one or two there, one or two elsewhere, and I kind of feel that if I don't have them all, there's not much point in having any of them.

 

[Ome]

I kind of feel that if I don't have them all, there's not much point in having any of them.

Or, alternatively, you could do three months with Netflix, watch all the programmes you like with them, then cancel and switch over to Amazon and do this over and over.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I could be a very recent convert to the streaming concept. It's just a few days since I began streaming a series for the first time, despite having Amazon Prime for many years.

I don't consider Amazon Prime TV to be something I pay for. It's just a free extra that comes with paying for their delivery service for the entire household. Old school as I am, if I were to pay I'd choose a physical product over streaming any day. Seeing the wheel of death and an unavailable network message on my TV during a few wi-fi hiccups has reinforced why I've held that view.

But... the amount of material is very impressive. Already there are more titles that are speaking to me and I've barely even started looking what else is available. So I can see myself doing a lot more of it from now on.

 

[Willie Oleson]

We don't have much choice here. It's Netflix + 2 Dutch streamers (Ziggo, Videoland)

No Hulu, Amazon or HBO.

 

[Michelle Stevens]

I just subscribed to Disney + mainly for The Mandalorian and a few other Star Wars titles. I think it's an outrage that our European friends (except for the Dutch) can't get it until 31 March 2020.

 

[Emelee]

We don't have much choice here. It's Netflix + 2 Dutch streamers (Ziggo, Videoland)

No Hulu, Amazon or HBO.

Amazon Prime has to work in The Netherlands, no? It works in Sweden. And it's cheaper than Netflix.

The Nordic countries have HBO Nordic as a streaming site. It offers much more than only all HBO productions. Like Mad Men, Killing Eve, Twin Peaks, No Offence, Vikings, Fargo, Mr Robot, Outlander, Penny Dreadful, The Good Fight, The Handmaid's Tale etc plus documentaries and movies.

 

[Willie Oleson]

Amazon Prime has to work in The Netherlands, no?

Yes, you're right! I can watch it via the German Amazon site.

They have THE TERROR, ROMANOFFS, THE GOOD FIGHT and THE SHIELD too! I want it all! (unless it's all German audio)

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

All I know is that I've finally found a local theatre that's actually showing THE IRISHMAN.

 

[Michael Torrance]

I tried Disney+ for a free week, and I did not find much I care about. I am not into superhero movies so Marvel is out, I can watch a good animated movie (like Toy Story) once, and I do not care about any further Star Wars stories. The only thing I liked was The Simpsons, but I simply have TIVO record reruns, and I am good.

I actually have a free year of Apple TV that I did not even bother to try.

I think these services will only highlight each other's weaknesses. Instead of a handful of services (Netflix, Amazon, Huly, HBO) where you could find all content, there will now be a lot more services for less content each.

 

[Rove]

I think these services will only highlight each other's weaknesses. Instead of a handful of services (Netflix, Amazon, Huly, HBO) where you could find all content, there will now be a lot more services for less content each.

That's what I'm afraid of. Because of the success of Netflix other Media giants feel the need to step in. The problem - which is already obvious - is companies like Disney are withdrawing their owned content - like Marvel - away from streaming services like Netflix. In the end it becomes a diluted market where nobody wins.

 

[tommie]

That's what I'm afraid of. Because of the success of Netflix other Media giants feel the need to step in. The problem - which is already obvious - is companies like Disney are withdrawing their owned content - like Marvel - away from streaming services like Netflix. In the end it becomes a diluted market where nobody wins.

I mean, they'll either have to adapt and slash their prices permanently so that people can subscribe to more services or just go under and be bought up by one of the bigger services. I think we'll see a lot of mergers in the coming five years - I expect stuff like Spectrum to go first though as they don't have the financial muscle like others to tough out bad times.

 

[Jason73]

Over time I was adding a streaming service here and a streaming service there until recently I took stock of all the services I was paying for and then did a big purge. Besides Netflix and Hulu and Amazon Prime I had CBS, DC, HereTV, BritBox and a couple of Prime add ons--AcornTV, Shudder and Dekkoo. It was definitely a lot more than I was using.

Everyone I know is getting Disney Plus, but looking through it I don't see much that appeals to me. Nothing about Apple TV so far has interested me either.

 

[Rove]

Everyone I know is getting Disney Plus, but looking through it I don't see much that appeals to me. Nothing about Apple TV so far has interested me either.

And isn't it extraordinary that 2 of the world's biggest companies (Apple take note) may turn out to be the weakest, granted Disney+ purchasing production houses has helped its library content but I do wonder if Apple is actually serious about their streaming service. Netflix has been around long enough for these companies not to have noticed its success.

 

[Jason73]

but I do wonder if Apple is actually serious about their streaming service

I'd love to know what Apple's plan is as far as content. I haven't looked at their service so I don't really know what is already available through them but I don't know how they could compete with the amount of content on Hulu and Netflix.

Hulu+ is raising their prices again for the second time in less than a year. I left cable because of how expensive it was getting but now some of the streaming services are starting to creep up there.

 

[Rove]

Hulu+ is raising their prices again for the second time in less than a year. I left cable because of how expensive it was getting but now some of the streaming services are starting to creep up there.

I agree. Any hint Netflix might increase their Australian fees and I'm out. I can always dust off my DVD/Blue-ray collection when time permits.

 

[Seaviewer]

I think these services will only highlight each other's weaknesses. Instead of a handful of services (Netflix, Amazon, Huly, HBO) where you could find all content, there will now be a lot more services for less content each.

For some reason the buttons seem to have disappeared from this page but "Agree".

I think we'll see a lot of mergers in the coming five years

I hope you're right.

 

[Emelee]

Apple can easily afford their streaming project because their main income doesn't come from streaming but from their phones, computers, tablets and Apple Store. They don't rely on Apple TV+ to be a huge hit around the world. Netflix, on the other hand, must rely on streaming only, they have nothing else. Apple can have their streaming as a nice little side project. They don't need many hit shows to survive. A few is enough, especially if their fee is low compared to the competition. For Apple, it's not the end of the world if their streaming service doesn't succeed. The pressure is mainly on Netflix.

 

[supermanfan]

Hear in the U.S. i have Netflix and Hulu
Disney would interest me just because of Star Wars!