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Catarina Alves de Sousa
– Social Media Manager –

Streaming is here to stay and – apparently – to multiply. Our consumption habits are being shaped by various streaming platforms, and we users increasingly accept the shift willingly.

Let’s not talk about streaming as something new; after all, it has been with us for many years, and we have only just begun to realize that it has settled into our lives permanently. 

But before we continue, let’s recall what streaming is.

So how do we predict the future of technology and the next big step? The answer may be easier than it sounds: going back to the roots. More specifically, by going back to the use of the voice.

Catarina Alves de Sousa
– Social Media Manager –

Streaming is here to stay and – apparently – to multiply. Our consumption habits are being shaped by various streaming platforms, and we users increasingly accept the shift willingly.

Let’s not talk about streaming as something new; after all, it has been with us for many years, and we have only just begun to realize that it has settled into our lives permanently. 

But before we continue, let’s recall what streaming is.

So how do we predict the future of technology and the next big step? The answer may be easier than it sounds: going back to the roots. More specifically, by going back to the use of the voice.

Streaming is a method of transmitting or receiving data (especially audio or video) over a computer network as a constant, continuous stream, allowing playback to start while other data is still being received.

In other words, you do not need to download the files to play them back, and they will be available on demand whenever you wish to view or listen to them.

Source: Pexels – Cottonbro Studio

Nowadays, it is impossible to think of streaming without automatically thinking of streaming giant Netflix, but much of the content coming from this type of consumption is consumed via Youtube, with 230.6 million monthly users, easily surpassing Netflix’s 177.7 million.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Streaming

The convenience of being able to see and hear what you want with a few simple clicks is undeniable and unprecedented. Do you remember when you were a child and had to wait for your favorite programs to come on TV? Do you remember waiting impatiently for the right broadcast time? This may be a memory too distant (if it exists) for the children of the new generation. Streaming puts our favorite content at our disposal, in most cases, instantly and ready for viewing whenever we want it.

This is one of the biggest advantages of streaming, the convenience and the fact that we can consume the content at our own pace, without having it monopolized by television stations. However, we have created a reverse side to this medal through binge-watching, the compulsive viewing of series. The difference is that the time we spend consuming them is our own choice as consumers.

It is into interestingly, the advantage of being a consumer of content from streaming platforms can be countered with a disadvantage.

Having limitless access to almost endless content can cause:

  • an unhealthy distraction from tasks, studies, or work;
  • social isolation (even though, in times of pandemic and confinement, Netflix and the like have substantially improved our obligatory time spent at home);
  • neglect of other hobbies;
  • “decision fatigue,” a term that translates to the idea that when faced with too many choices, we end up worsening our ability to make the right choices in other more decisive contexts than choosing what to watch on a streaming platform.

Now that some less positive aspects have been exposed, let’s look at why the world is so obsessed with the world of streaming movies and series:

  • As we have already mentioned, we can see what we want when we want;
  • we can explore new series and movies without compromise;
  • We got to know stories, languages, and cultures that we would hardly have known otherwise;
  • In general (and individually), streaming platforms are affordable;
  • The customizable look is very attractive, especially to Millennials and Gen-Z.

The whole world is just a click away

Greg Peters, COO and Chief Product Officer of Netflix, said in the middle of WebSummit 2018 that

Great stories can come from anywhere and can travel everywhere.

The statement came in connection with the internationalization of series, films, and documentaries made in parts of the world that generally do not achieve recognition in other parts of the globe. Until recently, only big Hollywood productions reached high levels of fame and recognition, but thanks to Netflix’s pioneering bets on series like, for example, Germany’s Dark, Spain’s Casa de Papel, South Korea’s Squid Game or France’s Lupin, the platform’s subscribers (a considerable percentage of the world) were able to immerse themselves in stories and cultures that, although not their own, certainly unforgettably enriched them.

Source: Dark series – Netflix

And speaking of pioneering bets by the streaming world, what about the production of own content with the Netflix slant? 

Netflix: Past and Future

1997 Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings created Netflix as a movie rental company
2007 Transitioning to streaming
2017 First Netflix production to win an Oscar (The White Helmets)

Netflix’s history as a pioneer of the big platforms is frankly admirable, and to date it still ranks first in terms of number of users. Despite this, 2022 was also the first year in which Netflix’s worldwide subscriber numbers dropped. Increased competition from other platforms will be one of the reasons, with names like Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu and Peacock competing fiercely for Netflix customers.

The truth is that the Netflix subscription model eventually paved the way for more people to explore other streaming companies. It is now known that 41% of Netflix users use the platform through an account paid for by another user, inside or outside their household.

Source: Pexels – Johnmark Smith

In practice, what ends up happening is that some of those same users create accounts on other platforms, sharing passwords with the users who shared Netflix’s with them. It is certainly a way to save money and multiply the number of content that can be accessed, but the streaming giant has already started planning its “revenge” and it is expected that in 2023 Netflix will launch a new subscription model that is cheaper and with advertising. In addition, it will start charging additional fees to account holders if it detects password sharing with other users.

Streaming vs. television: that’s the question

When it comes to the quality of programs, series and movies, it is not that it is declining on television. However, there is one very powerful factor that determines the vast majority of users’ choices when the options are between a streaming platform and television: time.

Time is the true bargaining chip of modern times, our rarest commodity. In the end, it’s what we work for; to have it with those we love the most or to have more of it to dedicate to our true passions. It’s been a long time since we’ve lived in a time when we have to wait patiently for the episodes of programs we follow when we watch television. 

Thanks to the possibility of recording programs in our boxes. On the other hand, we still manage to spend a lot of time zapping marathons looking for interesting things to watch.

On a streaming platform, everything is in front of our eyes as soon as we open it; this whole world of programs with their covers and brief summaries that give us almost all the information we need before we even give them a chance. On top of that, there are the recommendations, the personalization of content, which makes us feel like we’ve entered a real gallery of content curated just for us, only instead of a human curator, there is an intelligent algorithm that learns from our choices and ratings.

Driving another nail into the metaphorical coffin of television, the streaming platform with the most users in the World – Youtube – will launch a new feature in the coming weeks: a TV-inspired redesign. To the dark mode will be added now round buttons to invite likes and subscriptions to channels, as well as the new option to zoom in on the details of a video.

Overall, it can be said that these small details will make a subtle, but impactful difference not only in the daily lives of viewers, but also in the results of the content creators that submit it on this platform.

Engagement and user experience combined with the comfort and nostalgia of the TV experience, but with greater control.

Of the many comforts in the form of new design developments that Youtube will be rolling out in the coming weeks, the user can now choose the point of the video by sliding the bottom bar with their thumb, without triggering a bunch of other distracting controls.

In essence, that is what streaming is increasingly bringing to the user: more time and more control of what they choose to watch.

So, is this the future?

Well, part of it does; the fight for user focus will not only continue, it will intensify, and the question “Are you still watching?” will be asked of us by more and more platforms halfway through the 6th episode in a row of one of the series we have been compulsively devouring.

And speaking of platforms, it’s quite likely that – over time – consumers of this type of entertainment will abandon their loyalties to brands or streaming companies to increasingly go after must-see titles; if Stranger Things continues on Netflix, here’s a subscription; if House of Dragon and Euphoria have been retained by HBO Max, there will be another.

On another note, the future is – to say the least – interesting. If the current landscape is what it is, with all the existing supply and new streaming platforms springing up like mushrooms, imagine the future… And the future we’re talking about isn’t necessarily far off. Innovation, like life itself, seems to move at supersonic speed, so we expect some really exciting news very soon.

Source: How to Geek

Of one thing we are sure: that the future is guaranteed to be fragmented and, yes, that streaming platforms are definitely here to stay, to multiply and the forecast is that this will continue to be a booming industry, expected to be worth $330 billion by 2030.

Until then, will you still be watching?