I want to put in my guess for the winner of the streaming wars.
There won’t be one.
Oh, if I were feeling optimistic, I’d say something like, “the real winner will be the viewer!” Two things on that front, though: First, I’m not sure that more stuff that keeps people (and by people I mean me) from going outside is a win. And second, I actually meant streaming services, as you likely guessed.
My guess for the winner of the streaming wars is no one. There will be no one winner. At least, no time soon. Perhaps a more positive way top put that: Everyone will win. Or, big players will win for a few reasons. Disney+ will do well because of good content, massive amounts of content, a low price, Marvel, and Star Wars. Amazon Prime Video will do well because of good content, massive amounts of content, and bundling. Netlfix will do well because of good content, massive amounts of content, and habit. And Apple TV+ will do well because of good content, a steadily growing list of titles, low price, and a one-year free subscription for millions of viewers to build buzz and habit.
Daily I come across articles with headlines like, “What Apple and Disney have to do to take down Netflix.” Seems likely they can do what Apple tends to do: Be Apple. Make a good product. If it goes as well as many Apple products have in the past, people will be drawn to it. If not, iPod hi-fi and iPod socks didn’t kill the Cupertino-company. See also Ping and MobileMe.
