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Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Streaming Wars

Locator: 10211SW.

Reviews

Best streaming services in 2024: link here.

Best streaming services of 2022: US News 360.

Best media streaming devices for 2022: PC Mag.

Updates

July 12, 2024: more confusing than ever -- back to Max / HBO / Warner Bros (WBD). Link here.

June 24, 2024: Paramount merger deal falls through. Paramount will raise price of streaming packages.

June 7, 2024: top ten in 2024.

May 14, 2024: Comcast announces bundling Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+. Link here.

September 5, 2023: DIS could plummet. Analysts see possible share price cut by $30 -- currently at $80, this makes DIS a "50-dollar stock." Wells Fargo analyst. Streaming tracked here.

August 16, 2023: milestone.

August 15, 2023: best of the group in a lousy sector? CMCSA.

August 15, 2023: 2Q23 -- subscriber growth falls.

July 8, 2023: OTT

May 11, 2023: DIS+, PARA, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video.

April l30, 2023: Disney, Iger working the issue. The big shoe is yet to drop.

April 20, 2023: YouTube still the winner.

April 12, 2023: WBD merges HBO Max & Discovery+ into a new streaming service.

March 3, 2023: overheard -- Bob Iger (DIS) could sell Hulu; Comcast might be interested. Link here.

February 20, 2023: I don't see Paramount in this review.

February 17, 2023: WAG: listening to PARA earnings call yesterday, one analyst said -- "buy Netflix."

February 9, 2023: huge change; up until now, it's been expected that Disney would buy rest of Hulu that it does not own; in CNBC interview with Bob Iger, the former suggested everything is on the table; not a given that Disney would buy the rest of Hulu; entire conversation suggested Iger not happy with streaming services. Potential buyer of all of Hulu if sold -- really too costly for any company except perhaps Comcast.

December 23, 2022: Google's YouTube buys NFL's "The Sunday Ticket."

December 14, 2022: Verizon partners with Netflix to attract new customers.

December 5, 2022: Update.

November 26, 2022: Sling TV update.

November 21, 2022: Bob Iger is back

November 17, 2022: US television time.

November 8, 2022: 3Q22 earnings, DIS, awful -- is DIS+ competing with itself (Hulu)?

September 28, 2022: who owns what?

September 20, 2022: Amazon, "Power of the Rings"; and, NFL TNF.

September 8, 2022: random update -- Hulu Live vs YouTube TV.

August 16, 2022; FAST, WBD, and a lot more.

August 4, 2022: Warner Bros Discovery kills "Batgirl," the movie.

August 1, 2022: the streaming wars -- focus on Apple TV+.

August 1, 2022: the housecleaning begins at Warner Bros. Discovery.

July 30, 2022: Apple vs Hulu.

May 15, 2022: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

April 25, 2022: Disney and Netflix.

April 23, 2022: commentary and rambling

April 21, 2022: CNN+ nixed. CommonSense op-ed, April 22, 2022.

April 21, 2022: Netflix, "go woke, go broke.”

April 20, 2022: news items since last update

November 13, 2021: Netflix is still the one to beat.

October 18, 2021: Disney under pressure? Analysts wonder if Wall Street too optimistic?

September 10, 2021: Amazon may get exclusive rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket. Amazon already has Thursday Night Football (NFL).

September 9, 2021: I knew the mismatch between Apple and Netflix was bad; I just did not know it was this bad. Link here.

September 7, 2021: First things first: Seinfeld leaves Hulu and goes to Netflix.  

Reported as early as June 23, 2021 On a day the market is slumping (the Dow is down almost 300 points), NFLX us surging: adding $20/share; up over 3%; trading at $610.60. We don't get Netflix, but we do get Hulu. It looks like we still get Seinfeld. But those days may be numbered. I associate Hulu with Disney with ABC. Seinfeld originally aired on NBC.

August 20, 2021 (link here): The next big thing: Netflix -- one of my favorite subjects on the blog -- called this years ago; Netflix surges; up $22 yesterday; up 4% yesterday; trading at $544. 

From Tomi Kilgore: Netflix stock shoots up toward biggest gain in seven months

From Benzinga:

Streaming giants Disney Co, Netflix Inc and Roku Inc

are in constant competition to dominate the screens of viewers worldwide. Traders and investors may prefer the companies for different reasons: Netflix as a pure streaming play; Roku hosts a variety of different streaming services including Netflix on its set-top box; or Disney, which offers diversity through its streaming, cruises, amusement parks and retail footprints.

All three stocks have settled into patterns that could give both bulls and bears a way to play.

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site.  Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here

Updates
To Original Post

YouTube will no longer produce original content. According to Variety, the company announced it will shut down its original productions team after six years. YouTube Originals was launched in 2016 as a way for the video website to get into the streaming business alongside Netflix and Hulu. -- January 18, 2022

Original Post

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Streaming: It's All About Content, Cost, and Ease of Use
July 28, 2021
(link here)

Content, cost and east of use: but of the three, only content really matters. Ease of use is pretty much a non-issue any more, and, same with cost.

Hulu: until recently I did not understand Roku. Last night I spent a bit of time reading about Roku (a hardware business) and streaming businesses, like Hulu, Amazon, etc. I'm about the last person one wants to listen to when it comes to technology but, wow, I can see where the world is headed. 

Facetime: about a year ago I bought Apple's largest desktop iMac. Our dining area is configured in such a way that the iMac sits perfectly for Facetime calls with family. In addition, it is absolutely perfectly placed for watching television. I use the word "television" loosely because, yes, it's "television" as most of us understand it, but it's not my dad's "television." It's all streaming. I will have to ask our high school granddaughters if they and their peers watch "television" any more, or if they watch Hulu, Roku, Disney+, etc. 

Apple TV+: I've talked about Apple TV+ many, many times. It's a huge disappointment. So, what's better, Hulu or Roku? You can't ask that question: the former is a software / streaming / content entity; the latter is a hardware company that streams "things" like Hulu. So, what's better, Hulu or something else? Quick, name a direct competitor with Hulu. 

Google: what is best streaming tv service hulu roku. Link here for a CNET answer to that question that was posted just two days ago: best live TV streaming service for cord-cutters. Only five make the cut: AT&T TV, FuboTV, Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.

What's missing: Disney+, Apple TV+, Netflix. HBO Max. Pluto TV, Amazon. Yes, I know many of these are a bit like comparing apples and oranges, but unlike Roku none of these are hardware companies (except possibly Apple to some extent, and maybe even Amazon, to a very small extent, if you want to be a purist.)

The five: AT&T TV, FuboTV, Hulu Plus Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. How did CNET rate them. It appears the panel did not want to upset any of the companies. Depending on which metric was being compared, each of the five won out in one category or another.

  • I was not surprised to see YouTube TV come out on top overall. I don't subscribe to YouTube TV but I've always had a hunch that You Tube TV would be the best.
  • Hulu, which I do use, is either as good as YouTube TV or a close second; long term, Hulu will have a huge challenge fending off YouTube TV
  • FuboTV? I bet it's gone or absorbed by another streaming company within five years
  • AT&T TV: I have no idea. CNET says AT&T TV is best for channel flippers and sports fans. It also also allows up to 20 devices to stream simultaneously where the others allow only three (or two in come cases) devices to stream simultaneously on one account; think about that -- on one account, twenty devices can be used simultaneously.
  • Sling TV: it will have to change drastically (and when it does, it will have to double its subscription price) to survive.

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