How streaming services left us with too much to watch

Image source, GC Film

The growth of video streaming services has changed the way we watch movies and TV shows.

We speak to industry insiders, from producers to executives, to get their take on the future of streamers.

Miranda Bailey, a film producer, discovered that when her new movie was shown at the festival there was a catch.

The film God's Country, starring ThandiweNewton, could not be shown on a cinema screen due to Covid restrictions. It had to be streamed to the virtual attendees.

It is a great disappointment to me and the other filmmakers, to not have the experience of showing our movie to an audience of independent film lovers at the festival.

Image source, Nick Holmes

The filmmakers show their new movies at the festivals to get distribution deals. Deals for distribution in cinemas and streaming simultaneously have become the focus.

Ms Bailey says that the filmmakers she works with would be sure to secure a theatrical run.

Fortunately there are a lot of streaming platforms with brilliant original content who care about independent filmmakers, and are spending money for award campaigns like traditional cinema distribution used to do.

The video streaming sector has become a huge part of the entertainment industry due to the closing of cinemas during the Pandemic.

Image source, Getty Images

A growing number of people prefer to watch new release movies at home rather than go to a cinema according to studies. This is now the case for more than 70% of Americans according to a report last October.

The convenience of on-demand viewing is obvious, but Lisa Holme, group senior vice president of content and commercial strategy at US television company, Discovery, fears consumers are put off by the sheer number of streaming services available.

She says that consumers are finding themselves overwhelmed by the choice of streaming services.

Some people feel confused and annoyed that they have to go to multiple streaming services to get what they want.

In a crowded market, standing out from the competition is important, according to the president of Fandor. He shows independent or classic movies, as well as foreign films and documentaries.

The biggest challenge is that there are a lot of similarities to the main streaming services, and they are not doing much in the way of differentiating themselves to have their own identity.

Image source, Fandor

Disney Plus has an amazing legacy of Disney titles, and Mr. Hopkins thinks they are the most robust among the big players.

Paramount Plus has a plan to increase its popularity by using live channels, a new feature where its most popular shows and movies go out at scheduled times on 20 genre-themed channels.

Even in the era of on-demand, there is clearly a strong consumer appetite for reimagined linear channels that provide effortless, lean-back entertainment.

Struum's plan is to make life easier by offering streams from other providers all in one place. You can access 25 sites if you sign up.

Lauren Devillier, chief executive of Struum, says that viewers want to find the next gem of a show or movie.

Do you like documentaries? We have many. True crime? What about the gay community? We have all of it for you in one subscription.

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The growth of streaming services was spurred by the Pandemic and continues today despite the general relaxation of lockdown rules, according to a senior analyst at a market research firm.

He cautions that growth in the streaming video market has begun to slow. Many consumers are now experiencing subscription overload and becoming more discriminating with their spending.

What does this mean for cinema chains? Are they doomed?

Paul Serwitz is the president of US firm Landmark Theatres. He points out that cinema attendance has increased steadily in the last few years.

Image source, Wade Griffith

While regular film goers have returned to cinemas, it is the casual movie goer who has not, according to Tearlach Hutcheson, vice president at US cinema chain Studio Movie Grill.

Eric Deggans is a media critic for US National Public Radio.

We are always going to have movie theaters, but what form are they going to take? What kind of films are they going to show? All of that is up in the air.