In the late noughties and early teens, online streaming had first started to emerge and provided a more streamlined and easier to access service than the typical DVD rental offline and signaled what could be a change for entertainment – many industries would quickly follow, gaming found its way online through the success of esports on a wider scale and something for an older audience too with the success for online casinos as players visit here for more options emerging every day. One of the biggest figures in gaming and a successful online platform once famously stated too, piracy in the online space was a problem of service and not a problem of price, and online streaming seemed to answer that question by offering a fantastic service at a non-invasive price.
The late teens saw what could readily be described as the golden age for streaming platforms, Netflix was certainly thriving by producing its own unique content including the launch of its wing of the Marvel cinematic universe – record numbers of subscribers were being met and although small price hikes were occurring at this time, it often wasn’t enough to deter users from seeking out alternatives as the service being received was still good enough.
Competition had started to arrive at this time, Amazon’s Prime Video service was starting to expand its own collection and offer some unique content too but often not a service that came in direct competition to Netflix as there was a large number that had an existing subscription for the shopping service anyway, and the beginning of the rollout of Disney+ was still quite limited until 2020 where it managed to hit many of the biggest countries around the world, in the process acquiring some of the big franchises in the world including the Star Wars Universe leading to the creation of hit shows like the Mandalorian and Marvel too.
Over this same period of time, however, subscriber numbers to online services have been dropping very quickly – the lack of new content and the cancellation of existing shows has only been part of the problem, but the increase of price alongside this seemingly a few times per year has been a red flag for some users. The most recent hike from Netflix also includes additional costs for users sharing accounts, leading to an even higher cost too, sparking quite the outrage for existing users who feel quality, and service has slipped dramatically in recent years.
The subscription cutting likely won’t get better as current users look to prioritize just a few services, and online entertainment will suffer as prices get pushed up as subscription counts are slashed, and the question of piracy may once again emerge as the service doesn’t meet the price.
