Douglas Montgomery’s Post

Streaming wars have bruised the entertainment industry. Despite Netflix's success in subscription-based streaming, profitability is elusive with high content costs. Amazon, NBCUniversal, Paramount aren't profitable yet, while Disney and Warner Bros. survived with tough strategies. In pursuit of online growth, industry's health suffered. Strikes by Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild highlight how industry math doesn't add up, impacting mid-tier creatives. Pre-streaming era had stability and success metrics, now a locked box of data. Don't just dream endless potential, enjoy reality. More at https://lnkd.in/d4wyNAgt. #StreamingWars #EntertainmentIndustry

https://lnkd.in/exCAsYbD Disney and Warner Brothers Discovery are considering bundling Disney's Disney+/Hulu streaming bundle wtih WBD's HBO/Discovery streaming bundle. Bundling math has been discussed many times, and the immediate payoff is obvious, especially for larger households with heterogeneous viewing patterns. Earlier in the streaming cycle, companies were trying to create a standalone product that would either let them go direct to customers or be one of the "Netflix, and..." secondary streaming subscriptions people would have. But over time, Netflix has pulled ahead in scale and it's gotten harder for other companies to keep up (though both Disney and Warner Brothers separately reported more profitable than expected streaming results this quarter). As it turns out, the optimal number of subscribers for a streaming product is higher than most companies thought, and the likelihood of getting to that number was lower than they realized. So merging these offerings makes sense—the end result might be either "Netflix and some niche service" or "Netflix, and everything else."

Key Takeaways Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are teaming up to bundle their streaming services. The offering is reminiscent of the traditional cable TV bundle and the latest partnership between the two media giants in recent months. Pricing has yet to be disclosed. The bundle will be available this summer. With deals like this coming into play it is becoming more and more important to have a partner who can help navigate the landscape and work with you. This why we, Demand Local, work with Trade Desk and other platforms to ensure we stay up to date on the latest trends such as this one. As consumers continue to make their voices heard on streaming channels and the fatigue its causing of having to sign up for another one this trend is only going to continue to be seen. #ctv #streaming #marketing

Walt Disney's surprise profit in its streaming entertainment division was eclipsed by a drop in its traditional TV business and weaker box office, sending its shares down 8.5 percent in morning trading in the US yesterday... Read More At:- https://lnkd.in/gJMfHieP The Walt Disney Company #streaming #entertainment #traditional #tvbusiness #boxoffice #trading #news #NewsUpdate #newsfeed #dailynews #IBWNews

While many will (rightly) say that the streaming bundle is an inevitability, as the legacy media giants scramble for ways to replicate the creaking pay tv business (although with dramatically different economics...), it somehow feels like this is just putting a plaster on a broken leg - the real battleground will be how to (re)capture an entire generation (gen alphas) now growing up without any perception of the value of "premium", long-form content altogether? Can a mix of old and new models + services (i.e., a Disney/WB/Roblox/Mr Beast hybrid bundle) be the answer, perhaps? #streamingwars #paytv #ott #workinprogress #entertainment

Disney+, Hulu, Max bundle coming Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have partnered to launch a streaming bundle that mirrors the traditional cable TV package. The bundle will combine Disney+, #Hulu, and #Max and will be launched this summer, offering an ad-free tier and a cheaper ad-supported version. #Disney will receive the subscription revenue, paying a percentage to #WBD. This collaboration is expected to generate significant interest, and the two media giants are already planning to launch a sports bundle this fall along with Fox. WBD intends to raise prices for its stand-alone services to increase earnings from streaming. Unfortunately, WBD had a disappointing first quarter, with a 7% revenue drop, missing analyst estimates on Thursday. W/HBO, HBO Max, The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ Hotstar #disneyplus #Fox #streaming

Streaming Wars: Disney, Hulu, & (HBO) Max together. I get all of these individually. Why not together? If this is a long term bundle/package this could be incredible value. Is this a package that can compete with Netflix? ----- Reuters: "Walt Disney  and Warner Bros Discovery  will offer a bundle of the Disney+, Hulu and Max streaming services in the United States starting this summer, the companies said in a statement on Wednesday. Customers will be able to sign up on any of the three individual websites and chose from an ad-free or ad-supported plan. No prices were disclosed. Both Disney and Warner Bros are trying to build their streaming businesses as customers ditch traditional cable packages, in part because many of them rejected having to pay for a large bundle with dozens of channels. But as the number of streaming apps exploded, consumers have complained about having to sign up for multiple subscriptions. The Disney/Warner bundle will simplify payment with one bill, and possibly offer a discount from the cost of subscribing to each app separately. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks, the companies said. Disney+ offers the company's animated and live-action movies plus film and TV shows from Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar. Hulu features series from FX, ABC and other networks, as well as movies. Warner Bros' Max is home to premium channel HBO as well as HGTV, the Food Network, the Discovery channel and other cable networks. Disney+ and Hulu already are available through a single app, which means customers of the new bundle will be able to watch all of the programming through two apps. Shares of Disney and Warner Bros were flat in after-hours trading." Reuters: https://lnkd.in/gBa2NeQr #streamingwars #disney #hulu #warnerbros #wbd

✅🖥️ The Hollywood Reporter (6/26): “By now everyone in Hollywood seems to accept that streaming is a cutthroat business. It may not be zero sum (most studies suggest that consumers will pay for about four streaming services at a time), but it is mighty close to it. And with Netflix holding a secure lock on one of those subscriptions for most consumers, there is increasingly little room for error. But the streaming wars between giant services like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney, Max, Peacock, Paramount+ and others also obscure an entire ecosystem of streaming offerings that are trying to carve out their own niches in an increasingly difficult environment. For all the press that the big streaming platforms get, there is a surprisingly vibrant world of boutique and specialty streamers chasing loyal and engaged fans at a much smaller scale. And new players continue to enter the space. In the world of comedy, there is Dropout, born out of the comedy website College Humor. And BuzzFeed veterans-turned YouTubers The Try Guys and Watcher have launched dedicated subscription streaming offerings of their own in recent weeks in an effort to more effectively monetize the sometimes fleeting audience that YouTube or social platforms deliver. Sony offers CrunchyRoll, an anime-focused service, which boasts 13MM subscribers; AMC Networks operates services like the horror-centric Shudder and the British-focused Acorn TV; and Cineverse operates the horror service Screambox and independent film service Fandor.” ⬇️ #streamingtv #ctvadvertising #avod #svod #fast #ott https://lnkd.in/eyBBAdWE

I'll admit it. I subscribe to Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Hulu, Apple, Peacock, Max, and Paramount+. But the average American subscribes to 4 streaming services at an average of $61/month. Which is still a lot! There is a true streaming war, as these players fight for our attention. To survive, players will need at least 200 million subscribers (something only Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ combined with Hulu have done) They will need to spend $50M for blockbuster hits, over and over. And they will need sports, which both attract new subscribers, and retain (at least for the duration of the season) subscribers who want to watch their teams live. There's not a lot of room for price increases, especially after the recent round--so many are looking at ad revenue as a source of growth. According to this excellent article, which anyone interested in streaming should read, the rise of ads may lead streaming services to provide lower prestige, popular content (think police procedurals and hospital dramas) mixed with some big sports events. Sounds like what we used to have with Cable. 📝 James Stewart, Benjamin Mullin #litrendingtopics #streamingwars #subscriptions

Good article, but the folly continues. As I wrote two years ago, updating prior posts: The Great (Streaming) War of Stupid Value Propositions -- Continued! ...the value proposition for flat-rate all-you-can-eat streaming sucks. ...They continue making an offer that is quickly refused or cancelled, to a finite number of streamers who want a full range of viewing, but with limited wallet to share among competing offerings -- thus satisfying few. This is not a problem of user behavior, or of competition, but of collective industry blindness to a failed pricing model. Few want all they can eat! We can't eat that much! We want only what we want, and don't want to pay for more. Instead, all streamers and consumers could share a much larger pie, with much higher shared value all around. Experiment with more win-win value propositions -- set a fair, bundled (volume discounted) price -- for however much or little we want each month. Offer a fair value proposition so we can subscribe, stay, and watch as we like -- not pay a flat rate every month even when we get no value at all. https://lnkd.in/eD4wfx45