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The streaming war isn't over yet. Netflix had a hilariously dominant market position, with a subscription to them being basically a no-brainer. As media compan

by crote 3y ago

The streaming war isn't over yet. Netflix had a hilariously dominant market position, with a subscription to them being basically a no-brainer. As media companies have developed their own streaming platforms, Netflix has been losing quite a lot of content. Previously a Netflix subscription would give the user access to pretty much anything they wanted to watch, now Netflix only provides a small fraction. Sure, Netflix might still be the largest streaming platform, but that's not saying much anymore. The real war is going to be retaining their user base over the coming years, as more and more people realize that getting access to the content they want means paying >$100 / month for half a dozen different streaming services. People ditched cable television for streaming because cable provided shitty content at high prices. Now streaming is rapidly becoming the same.

JumpCrisscross 3y ago
> The streaming war isn't over yet Competition will never be over. But the chapter that began with ZIRP and ended with Covid has concluded. Netflix won that. > real war is going to be retaining their user base over the coming years What characterised the "war" was the massive infusion of capital into a set of competitors who could not collectively survive without a massive burst in consumer spending on content. That burst did initially start to happen. But then it stalled. Consolidation ensued, with those who couldn't make money being shaken out. Those who are profitable, now, are on the winning side. Among them, Netflix is king. Now they may not hold the users they conquered. But that doesn’t make the win nonexistent. It may just be a Pyrrhic victory.
darkhorse222 3y ago
Agreed. I think the other commenter saying Netflix won the war is not talking to any normal folk. Netflix feels a lot like Facebook does. Sure, it was amazing in the beginning. But now we mostly have it because we had it before. I'm always surprised when people can't seem to acknowledge that consumer perception matters more than the actual business of it all. Consumers feel that Netflix is not a great deal anymore.
- PaulHoule 3y ago
  Netflix “won” by forcing its competitors to follow them in business model which in turn blew up the cable TV which they found profitable and comfortable.
  - darkhorse222 3y ago
    You and I have different definitions on won, then. I define won here as retaining customers and money. Everyone I know is ditching their subscription due to low quality, forgettable content. Netflix lost in that it was demoted from King of Streaming to being comparable to HBO Max, aka a content collection, not a library.
    - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
      > retaining customers and money They have the most customers and are making the most money! The Allies won WWII, that didn’t mean they were henceforth infallible.

by crote 3y ago

JumpCrisscross 3y ago

> The streaming war isn't over yet Competition will never be over. But the chapter that began with ZIRP and ended with Covid has concluded. Netflix won that. > real war is going to be retaining their user base over the coming years What characterised the "war" was the massive infusion of capital into a set of competitors who could not collectively survive without a massive burst in consumer spending on content. That burst did initially start to happen. But then it stalled. Consolidation ensued, with those who couldn't make money being shaken out. Those who are profitable, now, are on the winning side. Among them, Netflix is king. Now they may not hold the users they conquered. But that doesn’t make the win nonexistent. It may just be a Pyrrhic victory.

darkhorse222 3y ago

Agreed. I think the other commenter saying Netflix won the war is not talking to any normal folk. Netflix feels a lot like Facebook does. Sure, it was amazing in the beginning. But now we mostly have it because we had it before. I'm always surprised when people can't seem to acknowledge that consumer perception matters more than the actual business of it all. Consumers feel that Netflix is not a great deal anymore.

PaulHoule 3y ago
Netflix “won” by forcing its competitors to follow them in business model which in turn blew up the cable TV which they found profitable and comfortable.
- darkhorse222 3y ago
  You and I have different definitions on won, then. I define won here as retaining customers and money. Everyone I know is ditching their subscription due to low quality, forgettable content. Netflix lost in that it was demoted from King of Streaming to being comparable to HBO Max, aka a content collection, not a library.
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    > retaining customers and money They have the most customers and are making the most money! The Allies won WWII, that didn’t mean they were henceforth infallible.