Disney+ Archives » FilmTake

Navigating the Siren Song of Streaming as Studios Get Caught in the Undertow

April 21, 2024 FilmTake Comments Off

Hollywood’s approach to thriving in streaming has taken a sharply negative turn in the past few years. Initially, the strategy involved pouring resources into content to lure subscribers and ending profitable licensing agreements with aggregators like Netflix, banking on eventual profitability.

Who’s Thriving and Who’s Struggling: Annual Streaming Scorecard Part Four

April 17, 2024 FilmTake Comments Off

Paramount Global and Comcast have engaged in discussions to explore collaborating, including potentially merging their respective streaming services – Paramount+ and Peacock. However, it’s becoming clear that Paramount Global and its disastrous leadership team want to cash out.

Distributors Retreat to Syndication to Avoid Financial Streaming Iceberg

March 6, 2024 FilmTake Comments Off

The prodigious investments required by major media companies to launch new streaming services while simultaneously pulling valuable content from dozens of global distributors have impacted all key players, resulting in substantial declines in market value over the past two years.

Not All Streaming Services Will Survive the Year in Their Current Form

February 25, 2024 FilmTake Comments Off

Mounting losses at Paramount and NBCUniversal, particularly, have put into doubt the survival of Paramount+ and Peacock in their current iteration. Paramount’s situation reflects the broader challenges of balancing growth, content spending, and subscriber retention with profitability.

The Future of Streaming Will End in Tiers

February 21, 2024 FilmTake Comments Off

Breaking News: Freevee Will Shutdown After Amazon Adamantly Denies Claims. Recently, on Prime Video, ads started popping up on scripted series and films. Over 167 million existing Amazon Prime members in the U.S. are now required to pay an additional $3 per month to enjoy the same service they signed up for to avoid ads.

Who’s Thriving and Who’s Struggling: Annual Streaming Scorecard Part Two

January 28, 2024 FilmTake Comments Off

As Disney+ charts its course in 2024, the challenges are palpable, mainly finding freshness in a sea of familiar content. And the biggest question is how the Disney+ one-app integration with Hulu, set to exit beta in March, will fortify the service and retain its subscribers.

Steering Through the Streaming Sea Change: Apple and Paramount Partnership Eminent

December 18, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

Apple and Paramount are on the verge of forging a bundling partnership that will include Apple TV+ and Paramount+, marking the next chapter in the streaming story. Evolving industry developments indicate an overall trend toward strategic partnerships to compete with Netflix.

Surging Growth in Third-Party Licensing as Studios Drop Exclusive Deals

December 7, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

The shift away from originals at Netflix is welcome news for distributors that have grown wary of content exclusivity and are again licensing films and shows to their streaming competitors, especially Netflix, which pays top dollar.

The Reel Revolution: Film & TV Industry at a Crossroads Post SAG Strike

November 14, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

After an arduous 118-day standoff, the SAG-AFTRA has finally brokered a provisional three-year contract with major studios, potentially concluding the extensive actors’ strike of 2023. The recent end to both the writer’s and actor’s strikes marks a pivotal moment in the industry.

Streaming Content Strategy: Global Ambitions Meet Economic Realities

October 25, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

Top premium streaming platforms, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, Paramount+, and Max, are on target to spend $42 billion for original and acquired film and TV by the end of the year. Crime, romance, and dramas lead the pack in acquired content spending.

Europe Battles US Streaming Giants with a Labyrinth of Regulatory Actions

October 10, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

Market preeminence by US streamers in Europe has raised the ire of several European governments, the EU Commission, industry regulators, and industry organizations. Thus far, 17 EU countries have imposed financial obligations on streamers to force more significant investment in Europe.

Starz Lost Access to Pay-One Rights for Major Studio Films

September 5, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

Starz’s access to third-party content was severely diminished when it lost Pay-One rights to films released by Sony Pictures after Netflix swopped in last year. Starz only has Pay-One rights to films released by its sibling company, Lionsgate, which HBO and FX previously held.

The Great Reset: Ever-Increasing Content Spending Leads to Financing Exodus

June 8, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

After years of runaway content spending by leading streaming services, the industry is experiencing significant disruptions as it braces for more downsizing.

Netflix’s New Advertising Tier is Off to a Shaky Start

January 25, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

Netflix’s ad-based tier aims to reduce the high churn the company faced in 2022, attract new subscribers, and lure back those who canceled. However, by all measures, the rushed experiment is failing. Netflix’s AVOD tier accounts for just 12% of its subscriber base.

Broken Windows: Inside Hollywood’s Lucrative Film Licensing Deals

January 15, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

The battle over film licensing exclusivity transpired as expected once Netflix transitioned from a content aggregator to a content creator. One-by-one the major studios built direct-to-consumer streaming services to compete with Netflix.

Streaming Services Revert to Advertising to Drive Subscriber Growth

January 12, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

Last year was the first year in the previous four years that didn’t welcome a new subscription streaming service from Hollywood’s major players. The lack of a new streaming service did not stop the existing services from offering new ways to watch content through paid and free ad-supported options.

Premium Streamers Scramble for Fresh Strategies to Retain Fickle Subscribers

December 19, 2022 FilmTake Comments Off

Streaming services are scrambling for new strategies to keep their existing subscribers in a highly crowded domestic market. The level of churn among premium streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+ has accelerated.

AT&T Loses Over $50 Billion on Half-Baked Content Distribution Ambitions

September 27, 2021 FilmTake Comments Off

After losing over $50 billion on a series of failed forays into content production and distribution, AT&T was forced to start selling stakes in its recently acquired media assets or risk weakening its monopolistic grip on telecom and internet delivery.

Netflix’s First Half Subscriber Growth Falls Significantly From Last Year

September 21, 2021 FilmTake Comments Off

Netflix’s subscribers have slowed sharply in the first half of this year compared to 2020 because of the popularity of Disney+ among families, the loss of popular licensed content, and other streaming competition from the major studios.