summary
- Industry experts have warned audiences that live streaming and ad-supported content may not save streaming platforms.
- Free content models, such as Tubi, are thriving, in contrast to paid streaming services that are struggling.
- The younger generation prefers free content on platforms like YouTube, which leads to uncertainty about the future of live streaming.
Notice these Current Are service prices going up? What about the now-skippable ads with premium tiers on content you originally subscribed to to avoid ads from the painful days of cable TV? Or are you annoyed that disciple Was the first season of the series canceled after months of online debate? For TV fans who use streaming as their primary source of entertainment, it’s not hard to see that behind-the-scenes elements have affected how we interact with different platforms.
On the consumer side, people know that streaming services have been struggling for some time, whether it’s because of layoffs or TV series being cancelled too early. However, Recent statements from an industry expert show that things may be more serious behind the scenes than we thought..
These trends we see in live streaming will not work.
In a piece for Delivery dateIndustry expert and attorney Ken Ziffren discussed how TV is a far cry from the 2020 landscape, which saw growth and interest in new entertainment driving the streaming industry. Ziffren said streaming platforms are headed in the “wrong direction” and that Live, unscripted streaming won't be enough to move the industry forward.The growth rate does not match the companies' income; we can look at the losses of Warner Bros. Discovery, which amounted to $9.1 billion, and Paramount, which amounted to $6 billion, which led to massive layoffs.
Other streaming services appear to be weathering the storm, with Netflix and Prime managing to survive. However, even streaming services Services like Apple TV+ and Disney+ seem to rely more on revenue from other ventures.Like Disney with its parks and Apple TV under its parent company. Add to that the fact that even theaters are struggling to attract viewers (numbers across Wolf StreetWith the increased demand for television, radio and video streaming services in the United States driving up the costs of manufacturing everything after the recent SAG-AFTRA strikes, it's easy to see why Ziffren is as pessimistic about the future of the industry as he is now.
Why pay when the content is free?
Is the state of streaming all doom and gloom? Not necessarily. There are certain models that work well, and streaming services like Tubi are seeing significant growth. Much of this growth can be attributed to free content and original productions that don’t require huge financial commitments. Free content was briefly mentioned in a previous Deadline article discussing Ziffren’s speech to the Beverly Hills Bar Association, but free content is perhaps one of the most under-articulated elements of the story.
Older generations realize that younger age groups are not as interested in paid content on the internet. Whereas we used to watch TV when we got home from school, Kids are now turning to their tablets or phones to check out the latest content on YouTube, TikTok or other social media platforms for their entertainment.Furthermore, the average time users spend on YouTube has increased across all demographics (via OberloThis points to a shift in content consumption, which can be summed up in the following question: Why pay for content when you can find it for free?
A lot can happen, and it’s hard to predict what streaming services might look like in ten years. The advances and encroachment of AI could radically change how we consume and produce content. However, there are clear issues facing streaming services, and by extension, television itself, and it will take a radical change to ensure that the medium remains alive and well in the face of current problems.
