Since first delivering DVDs to homes via the postal service, Netflix has come to dominate the SVOD market. The streamer has 67 million subscribers in North America, which takes its total to nearly 160 million worldwide.
Against the backdrop of new streaming competition, Netflix is significantly increasing the amount it invests in producing, licensing, and acquiring films and shows.
Heavyweights Disney and Apple are offering free introductory offers to gain a head start over rivals. Select Verizon subscribers in the United States will get free access to Disney+ for a year.
AT&T’s WarnerMedia released details about its forthcoming streaming service HBO Max, which will officially launch in May 2020. The service will cost $14.99 a month, the same cost as HBO’s flagship service.
Never known for adapting to changing markets, European companies are now forced to forge alliances in hopes of staying relevant after the well-timed onslaught of Netflix in Europe.
Netflix missed its quarterly subscriber forecast for the second consecutive quarter in a row. The company’s slowdown ahead of the introduction of several new subscription services is a troubling sign.
Apple raised its commitment from $2 billion to $6 billion this year to fund original shows and films for its new subscription video service, Apple TV+.
Apple TV+ subscription service will launch on November 1st for $4.99 a month. However, with only a handful of shows available, it will not frustrate the launch of Disney+ or challenge Netflix in a meaningful way.
Part Two: Netflix Trends, International, Feature Films. Through the first six months of 2019, Netflix’s customer acquisition costs have ballooned to $292 per subscriber.
Part One: Netflix Subscribers and Exclusivity. Netflix lost subscribers in the United States for the first time in nearly a decade. The next battleground in streaming will take place over content exclusivity.
By reclaiming their content from licensees to launch standalone streaming services, traditional media companies are sailing headlong into uncharted waters.