How Streaming Overtook the TV Biz

If you ask anyone about streaming, chances are visions of a red screen with white letters pops into their mind, alluding to one digital site: Netflix. According to Forbes, Netflix has 128 million members worldwide. In America, there’s about 50.8 million Netflix users in comparison to cable TV, which only garners about 48.6 million. However, Netflix says those numbers aren’t even close to the actual number of streamers using the site. So what makes Netflix such a big deal? Financially, it’s a lot less expensive than cable television service, and more important, it’s aligned with how we like to watch TV. There are no wait times to marathon your favorite show, no week-long cliffhangers waiting for the next episode, and no advertisement breaks every seven minutes causing an interruption.

However, it’s not just the binge-ability of shows that makes Netflix so great—it’s the original and exclusive content. The best example of this is the hit show Stranger Things, which took the small screen by storm with its debut in 2016. The show’s nostalgia factor, lovable characters, intense storyline, and addictive nature made it one of the most streamed shows of 2017, with over 15 million viewers within the first few days of its second season release. Compared to television classics, this number could seem rather small for its worldwide audience. For example, the 1983 series finale of M*A*S*H, garnered 105.9 million viewers nationwide. However, the system for entertainment was completely different back then compared to what it is now. In 1983, with only three major TV networks, there was considerably less content available for consumption than that of today. The fans of the hit show prove that even with the tremendous amount of content available, watching Eleven defeat the monsters of the Upside Down is really what they want to see.

Prior to Stranger Things, Netflix originals started popping up in 2013, with House of Cards, Hemlock Grove, and Orange Is the New Black. House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black proved to be fan favorites that garnered a high demand for multiple seasons. However, when these originals were first released, people were skeptical of Netflix’s new venture. Where was the company going to get the money to do this? Would these shows be any good? How would the shows be available to watch? Little did we know these Netflix Originals would prove to be a huge success, leading to imitators across all other streaming platforms. Today, there are 126 Netflix original series and films, more than any other single American network.

At this point, we can all agree that Netflix has become the golden child of streaming, with thousands of options available in all different genres. However, their success has lead to imitation by its competitors. Hulu and Amazon Prime are its main rivals, struggling to compete with Netflix’s widespread popularity. More obscure and specific streaming services like YouTube Red offer content that’s only made by that specific production company or channel, so the chance of you paying money for a membership is slim. This kind of streaming only serves a niche market, thus hiking up the prices.

The streaming marketplace is oversaturated with options, forcing many people to have multiple subscriptions, sometimes on top of a cable TV package. Now that companies are starting to understand how profitable the industry is, they’re creating their own streaming platforms and removing the middleman. Disney is the latest contender, planning to launch its own service in the coming year. When you consider that Disney owns ABC, Pixar, Marvel, 21st Century Fox (which is Fox Broadcasting, FX, and National Geographic), this could pose the biggest threat to competitors and consumers alike. The sheer amount of content Disney has under its belt gives the company a great amount of power, which could eventually lead to a hike in prices.

In regard to the negatives of streaming, the cons go beyond television and take a turn into the music industry. Artists like Taylor Swift took major issue with the lack of pay for artists, removing their music from most if not all streaming services. The rise of streaming has hurt record sales, forcing musicians to hike up prices on their merch and concert tickets. In 2016 alone, the average price of a concert ticket was $74.25, and it only seems to be going up.

However, there are positives to streaming your favorite songs. Consumers have access to more music, allowing underground artists without a label to rise to popularity. Take Brockhampton, for example, who released three albums in 2017 and went from an unknown artist to selling out a nationwide tour within a couple years. They did so without the help of a record company, relying purely on team effort and people talking about them online. Streaming has the ability for artists from all over to be self-starters and build their own following.

Overall, streaming allows everything to be more accessible, from underground music to indie films and documentaries. Just think of all the things you’ve been exposed to through Netflix or Spotify that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise. As everything in our world becomes more connected, it only makes sense that eventually our media would too. The future of streaming has endless possibilities, and right now we are only experiencing the beginning of it all.

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By Kirsten Lutley

Creative Director Rachel Teperman

Photography by Tarishi Gupta

Makeup by Nayaab Yousaf

Stylist Daniela Garza

Modeled by Sarika Persaud, Abigail Ohene-Kyei, Sophia Scinto, Dias Amenov, Jaya Madray