Will Streaming Replace Cable?
If cable TV was the breakthrough of its time, it is quickly being replaced by the new, new thing. Streaming promises to be the way we all watch content in the very near future, as cord-cutting promises to accelerate in 2019 while streaming services continue to expand and propagate. It’s an interesting reversal of trends: while the introduction of cable packages promised viewers more content than ever before, it’s now evident in 2019 that “more” is too much for a majority of consumers — too much content that doesn’t interest them, at too expensive a price.
Streaming, on the other hand, is a shift in the opposite direction. It recognizes that the age of the internet has splintered our tastes and interests and created niches that can be serviced by targeted content. The odds are there is a streaming channel or service that is aimed at your tastes, whether that be anime or horror films or classic movies. And the greatest part of the appeal is the relative inexpensiveness of the proposition — just a few dollars a month for exactly what you want, rather than $100+ for cable, which offers some things you want and a lot you don’t.
What the growth of streaming means for creators is the availability of audience fragments available for capture in place of a monolith. Consumers are now conditioned to look elsewhere for the content that interests them, rather than the largest network channels or even the biggest internet sites. Creators have the opportunity to find those exact audiences that would engage with the work they’re doing and build a following of supporters that can lead to more opportunities.
The greatest challenge of this new age for creators is rising above the din of seemingly countless other artists looking to capitalize on the same opportunities, and making sure that they are choosing the right avenue to try and reach an audience. Streaming is a tremendous opportunity for a new class of creators who previously lacked the options to reach people, but it’s also a chance for the companies that own these services to capitalize on the explosion of content to earn the lion’s share of advertising dollars and subscriber revenue if creators aren’t vigilant.
What creators need to understand is that they aren’t powerless in the streaming era. Audiences want the content they create, which gives it value, and by understanding that value they can demand fair compensation and control of their work. By creating a better dynamic between artist and platform, creators can ensure the age of streaming is a better one than past eras.
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