The entertainment industry has been changing for more than a century, with milestones ranging from the emergence of movies and cinema to video stores and purchasing DVDs. These advances made us spend hours and hours in front of the screen; cassette tapes, CDs, mp3 players, and so on. But the emergence of streaming platforms has undoubtedly meant a conceptual revolution to date just like it used to be with free essay writer services.
Why? Because they allow users unlimited consumption of audiovisual content at any time within the catalog offered by that company.
The model they represent
The business model used by these streaming platforms or OTT (Over The Top) platforms represents the combination of economies of scale with the latest trends in technology and the reproduction of audiovisual content. They have created a perfect combination, offering quality content, such as music, the latest releases, series, and fashion movies, available to anyone with a device connected to the Internet.
And the latter is not even necessary anymore since their contents are downloadable in their own applications, so they can be played anywhere. This allows users to be up to date with the latest content and devour endless series, movies, or documentaries. We can find them in web page formats as downloadable applications for different devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and even Smart TVs and consoles.
Not only that, but the implementation of the so-called “family plan” allows the same users to subscribe collaboratively, sharing the tariff and allowing the use of the same account on up to 5 devices simultaneously. This is undoubtedly a key to the success of its business model.
All this would not have been possible without the technological advances that have been happening over time, such as the creation of very powerful servers capable of supporting digital structures of this type, the Internet speed provided by 3G-4G technologies, and the development of applications. Thanks to this, today, we can enjoy the following digital platforms.
Different streaming platforms and their offers
We find several options in the streaming platforms market from applications or companies dedicated to music content, such as Spotify, and platforms dedicated to audiovisual content, Netflix, or HBO.
Therefore, we must distinguish between those dedicated to the former, oriented to musical artists, songs, albums, podcasts, etc.; and the latter dedicated to movies, series, documentaries, etc.
Spotify and Apple Music
These are streaming platforms that mainly offer audio content, although some of the songs they have do play a “teaser” of the video clip recorded for the song.
The company Spotify revolutionized the music market with this new subscription-based business model, solving one of the main annoyances caused by music files: a large amount of space they took up on our phones and, likewise, the possibility of listening to song after song in an unlimited way without having to pay for each one.
Or, as was the case at the beginning with Apple Music, having to buy the entire album. Therefore, Apple followed in its footsteps after Spotify’s success and implemented the same business model. Both offer a wide musical repertoire, but the content played on Spotify generates more value in terms of recognition for the artists.
Netflix
Revolutionary in the movie rental market back in the late 1990s, when it unseated the well-known Blockbuster video store chain by improving the already existing business model. It did so only by improving the quality of customer service, but they wanted to go further.
They got down to work and created what we know today as their digital streaming content platform, with a wide range of movie listings. First, by paying royalties for the content offered, and with a greater tendency to own productions. The latest known, “Tyler Rake,” is the company’s most expensive production to date, but it has declined to disclose its cost.
The company is committed to original and quality content, and in a few years, it will surely become one of the best producers worldwide. In fact, at the last Oscars ceremony, Netflix original movies had a total of 24 nominations. In the end, they only got 2 Oscars.
HBO (HBO Max from October 2021)
HBO is one of the most powerful platforms on the market, with an offering that undoubtedly appeals to millions of people as well. One example: is the exclusive broadcasting of Game of Thrones. It is a series that can surely be seen, more than enough, in the two free weeks it offers to its subscribers, to cost 8.99$ per month.
Its offer includes titles that have marked a before and after in audiovisual productions, not only the adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s saga. One example is Chornobyl, but titles such as The Handmaid’s Tale are not far behind. Several years ago, but stars of the HBO brand were cult TV classics such as The Sopranos and The Wire.
And as of October 2021, the platform has switched to HBO Max with an initial offer of 50% per month forever for new subscribers. All of its content is split across HBO, Max Originals, Warner Brothers, DC, Cartoon Network Collection, Looney TunesTM, Scooby Doo & Friends, and Cartoonito offerings.
Disney+
Netflix was followed by many other streaming platforms, such as HBO Go (the year 2010, although as a cable channel, the origin of HBO dates back to the 1960s) or the more recent Amazon Prime Video.
But undoubtedly, one that has broken with stereotypes is Disney+, making its annual subscription offer, not monthly, for a fairly similar price. And focusing exclusively on original content produced by the company itself.
The Disney movies of our childhood, the Marvel universe with all its superhero movies, or the Star Wars saga of films and series are undoubtedly some of the titles that we can enjoy exclusively on this streaming platform.
Its content includes productions from Disney, Pixar, the Marvel Universe (MCU), Star Wars, National Geographic, and Star.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video’s offer includes thousands of movies, series, and documentaries. As in the case of other streaming platforms, such as Netflix, some of them are produced in-house. Among these, we can highlight Hunters, Jack Ryan, or The Man in the High Castle.
We see how things have changed; in the future, streaming companies will gain momentum and make even more profits. So in the near future, we will see even more film projects.
