Over the last decade, Hollywood seems to have gotten smaller. As Disney absorbs everything under the sun, and smaller studios fold, one company has risen above the rest, and fundamentally changed the way we watch movies and television.
That company is Netflix.
Yeah, the place that started as Blockbuster's main competition has forged its path and become one of the most influential names in the business.
Credit: Bloomberg
It Took Netflix 10 Years to Change Hollywood
As the competition swallowed time Warner and Fox, more and more people across the world have been cutting their cords and switching to streaming networks. This massive change in the way we consume sent ripple effects all over.
At the center of this change was Netflix, who had positioned themselves perfectly to take over this share of the marketplace.
Here's a wild fact, Netflix generates more revenue than the entire North American box office.
Netflix launched its streaming app on April 2nd, 2010. At the time, nobody was sure it would last, and now it's poised to make another deep Academy Awards run and is sure to pick up some Golden Globes along the way.
As other companies collapsed and merged, Netflix stayed the course and picked up more and more viewers as people grew tired of rising cable costs. But now that everyone has seen Netflix's domination, the streaming wars are officially upon us.
If imitation is the best form of flattery, then you can see how much Hollywood admires and is jealous of Netflix.
Services such as the Disney+, AT&T’s HBO Max, Apple TV+, and Comcast’s Peacock service — named for the logo of its NBCUniversal division — all have set 2020 as their goal year to challenge Netflix.
So what's going to happen?
It's early to predict what the next ten years look like, but with significant sports broadcast deals coming up, you might see Netflix make a move to acquire the rights to show NFL games or even Major League Baseball.
As other streamers vie for similar dominance, don't be surprised if bidding heats up for these kinds of properties, and more mergers are bound to happen as well.
With places like Sony and Lion's Gate suffering, companies like Amazon and Netflix eye their buildings and studio lots for quick absorption, and their catalogs as bolsters to their already growing number of original shows.
But nothing will slow down Disney, so expect payment and prices to be quite high for anything.
While it is impossible to know what the next decade holds, expect an almost total shift to streaming services for content. And instead of commercials, expect a lot more programs to have product placement or be sponsored by specific products.
While that could bring censorship and story limitations, all this content will need writers and directors to create it.
We are living in the Wild West, and it is high noon.
The next ten years will determine who and what makes it out alive.
What's next? What does Disney own?
Disney owns everything! Or so that's the refrain you hear more and more. But what does Disney own, in actuality? We found an infographic to help us find out.
Click for more.
