It has been dubbed the golden age of streaming[1] . For the past few years, the consumer has been winning; with just a couple of cheap streaming subscriptions, you can currently have all your on demand viewing needs covered. From box sets of the classics, to high-quality original content, all your viewing needs can currently be serviced from just Netflix, Amazon Prime or NOW TV.
However, this might be about to change, with Disney launching Disney+ later this year, they will ring-fence a whole load of content. Not just the likes of Frozen or Pocahontas, but ABC shows, Marvel, Pixar films, Lucasfilm, The Simpsons and everything else made by 20th Century Fox. And this looks to be just the start.
In the States, NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia are both launching streaming services[2], so their propriety shows such as The Office or Friends will also require separate subscriptions to access. BritBox is launching here soon too. Apple are also joining the streaming market too with the likes of Stephen Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey on board to provide content. Everyone wants a slice of the streaming pie (and revenue).
Streaming services were previously seen as a budget option, with research from The QT[3] showing that consumers were willing to pay around £10 per month for a streaming service without adverts. This was most popular amongst 18-24s, with 90% willing to pay to avoid adverts. However, once they need to subscribe to four, five or six services to access all the content they would like, will this be as appealing?
It is not yet clear where advertisers will sit within this new market place, but there could be an opportunity for cheaper or free models of the services in exchange for adverts. Recently in the US, a partnership between Heineken and Billions meant that viewers on Roku could unlock the earlier seasons in return for interacting with an ad[4].
So with the golden age over and costs looking like they will rise for the consumer, the opportunity for brands could be ripe. They can be the good guys and provide savings, or additional content on the services in exchange for adverts.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jun/27/streaming-tv-is-about-to-get-very-expensive-heres-why[2] https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/the-office-streaming-nbcuniversal-2021-1203252977/
[3] The QT Wave 11, May 2019. the7stars proprietary quarterly tracking survey.
[4] https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/upfronts-streaming-services-advertising-pause-ads-1203198280/
