Dare to Stream
Since black and white televisions first entered the household in the 1930s, television has always been the nation’s favourite past time. Today, TV is no longer confined to a black and white box, it is becoming increasingly portable, on demand and, most significantly, bingeable. For many the red Netflix logo and iconic “dun dun” sound is as recognisable as the black and white network static that historically filled the screen, but will the new wave of challenges facing the platform be the end of streaming as we know it?
Netflix launched in 2015 as Australia’s first subscription service to monopolise the untouched Australian streaming market. Despite our homegrown on-demand services from free to air channels such as Ten Play, ABC iView and SBS on Demand etc, Netflix really revolutionised the way we watch and access television content.
Today, there are a number of emerging networks competing for a share in the streaming market. Stan, the exclusive Australian network which is a strong contender for Netflix with a competitive price point and rights to exclusive local content still does not rise up to the dent that Netflix has made in the market. The success of the Netflix model has also lead traditional pay TV services like Foxtel to restructure their business model to offer a subscription service, utilising its exclusive rights to television networks like HBO to keep customers loyal.
Even so, the wave of streaming seems to be unstoppable, where price may no longer be the main driver towards a provider. In my household for example we share subscriptions to Netflix, Stan and Amazon Prime- not to mention using iTunes on the Apple TV when the other services fail to deliver a good option. This leads to entertainment becoming quite a large expense, when the reason we got rid of Foxtel in 2009 was because it was “too expensive”.
Despite Netflix’s current stronghold on the market, the increasing crowding of streaming networks as well as the rate of change in the industry has left the future of Netflix and binge watching less clear. While it is the phenomenon that has defined the streaming era and has led to Netflix leaving a cultural footprint beyond it’s content (Netflix and chill anyone?), is the binge model coming to an end? Binging is said to have originated with the Netflix original series House of Cards which was the first of its kind to be released in one drop allowing viewers to consume the season concurrently. Orange is the New Black is often credited with this as it followed closely after House of Cards and has since become the service’s most watched series.
Since these defining shows were released, Netflix has continued with releasing the majority of its original content in bulk to be consumed or binged all at once. However, this binge model is being challenged. When announcing the release of Disney’s new exclusive streaming service, Disney+, it was revealed the platform would release episodes on a weekly basis. Netflix has also revealed that some upcoming shows will be unveiled gradually, preventing users from consuming shows in the way that Netflix itself has created. This may be a reaction by the platform’s that streaming has a major drawback when it comes to television as we know it, and that is that it lacks the appeal of big event television.
Despite its attempts to mimic the streaming model, it is event television that keeps Foxtel in business (that’s right! Sports!). The airing of the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones, a show which follow a traditional weekly release schedule, has also shown that people are still willing to tune in for their favourite programs. Streaming is currently missing this quality and beyond the build up to a big series release through social media and engagement, is mostly unable to generate anticipation about their content as it is so readily available. The ebbs and flows of the binging structure of Netflix is reflected in the platform’s earnings. The release of the most recent Stranger Things season is noticeably when the platform is most successful.
While Netflix may be experimenting with its release structure and the future of streaming may not be crystal clear, the services current success shows that what they are doing works. Despite the drawbacks of airing no live events or appointment television, Netflix has managed to fully restructure the way we perceive and consume television. It has created an immediacy around entertainment that has become synonymous with consumption and for at least the time being, the other services cannot not touch the impact that Netflix has made in the industry.
