> ... VRV is the only bundle of other streaming-only services that I’m aware of. This is shocking. If consumers are reluctant to have 3 or more streaming servic

> ... VRV is the only bundle of other streaming-only services that I’m aware of. This is shocking. If consumers are reluctant to have 3 or more streaming services, bundle packages are an obvious alternative. I'm not sure if the author realizes the irony in pining for a return to the equivalent of cable bundles. Not to mention that there is nothing shocking about Netflix, Hulu or Amazon having less than zero interest in allowing their services to be bundled. It would undermine their very business model while also devaluing the service in consumers' minds. It concludes with several disjointed, contradictory conclusions: > We have seen these streaming services do little to distinguish themselves through technology, payment models or branding. There is a lot more that could be explored in the underlying system of how video is delivered over the internet, and this is an area many smaller services should begin to investigate, while the giants fight it out over who has the next Game of Thrones/Stranger Things hit. Who cares how innovatively the video gets transmitted if all the shows you want to watch are on a different streaming service? Quite the fool's errand to throw money at tech innovation without great content as a foundation. > Streaming video over the internet is hard. The underlying technology is complex and fickle, and to do it right is expensive. Perhaps as expensive as buying or creating content. Spoiler: this is a lead-in to the sales pitch. And also why the current payments models are well-suited to the product: they ensure a higher degree of revenue to pay the high overhead. > To be sustainable, a streaming service needs several pieces. It needs to handle high loads and deliver high quality streams. It needs great exclusive IP or popular original content. And it also needs to be innovative and to develop a strong brand to stand out in the crowd. > It’s a big ask, but it is doable. This statement undermines advocating for smaller services to take on the giants without all these necessary ingredients. And the pitch (my critique is clearly not of their product or company): > If you’d like to hear more about Peer5 and the advantages of P2P video streaming, you can reach out to us for a demo! ----- The bottom line is this: this is a winner-take-all market that will consolidate down to 2-3 major players. Netflix, Amazon and probably Disney/Hulu (depending on Hulu's fate post DisneyFox merger). I am very doubtful we'll see HBO be able to replicate GoT and it will quickly fall to niche status. There will always be niche players, but we are already well past the point of seeing a challenger to Netflix. And the consolidation is most definitely in the average consumer's best interest to alleviate the very frustration that was the point of the article. Even more odd that the article advocates the creation of more streaming services (bundled or not) while starting with the premise of consumers' frustration over just such issues.