Broadcast TV Channels Attempt to Compete With Streaming, But Will They Succeed?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Millions of people worldwide use streaming services to watch TV and movies, from platform giants like Netflix and Disney+ to more minor specialty services like Peacock, but how are they affecting regular television?
Network channels have seen a decline in viewership since the rise of streaming due to their accessibility and budget-friendly options.
In an effort to save money, cable TV networks are raising prices, but offering fewer channels.
However, some networks want to compete in a streaming-dominated market.
Networks like CNN, ESPN, and Fox have launched streaming services, but with a twist. Instead of competing with other cable channels and streaming platforms, the new hybrid media offerings complement their cable offerings.
For example, CNN’s streaming service, CNN+, offers live shows. However, those shows end at 8 p.m. to not interfere with live broadcasts.
While channels attempt to bring back viewers, the latest move to charge users more for less is unlikely to drive up audience numbers.
Still, while media consumption is a certain in the future, the why and how behind it is not. There appears to be a growing chasm between consumers and linear television, and viewers increasingly becoming disenchanted with their streaming options
Movieguide® previously reported on the competition between streaming and cable:
Although many analysts saw the past year as a definite turning point regarding audiences switching from traditional broadcast television to streamers like Netflix, new data confirms the claims.
The popular data firm, responsible for most of the television and streaming data amid the COVID-19 pandemic, released data that shows streamers attracted more viewers than broadcast TV in May 2021.
Nielsen is calling the measurement of streamers and other platforms “The Gauge.”
The largest streaming service Netflix and primary video-sharing site, YouTube, made up 12 percent of Americans’ total time in front of a TV.
According to Nielsen, streamers earned 26 percent of viewers while over-the-air networks accounted for 25 percent. Cable held the most considerable total TV usage with 39 percent.
Analysts suspect that the shift is due to the pandemic, which changed the entire landscape of the entertainment industry.
“The past year has categorically shifted the television viewing landscape,” Brian Fuhrer, senior VP of product strategy at Nielsen, said. “Even as people begin to dive back into their pre-pandemic activities, based on the changes many made to enable streaming coupled with the variety of newly introduced services, we expect people to keep sampling and exploring their options. Maybe just as importantly, as production ramps back up, new content will enter the space, driving additional traction.”
Netflix supported Nielsen’s data, telling The New York Times that the firm is “in a good place to referee or score-keep how streaming is changing the U.S. television landscape,” Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings said.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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