Streaming Services: Discussion and Power Rankings

[payn]

Evil. Yeah, that's the show's title - Evil.

Is that a network show or something made straight for the service?

 

[Rabulias]

Is that a network show or something made straight for the service?

IIRC, it was originally airing on CBS for a few seasons, but this latest season is streaming exclusive. It is on my list to watch, but I have not been able to find the time to do so.

 

[Mort]

I just ... I really can't. It is rare that someone manages to come up with so many bad ideas so quickly. The literally said that they have three franchises ... Harry Potter, the DC Superheroes .... and the "NINETY DAY FIANCEE UNIVERSE."

HBOMax is losing the Harry Potter movies to Peacock after 8/31/22, though they've been ping-ponging between the 2 for years.

Still, I don't think I've ever seen this promising a service take this swift nosedive!

Well there was Quibi, but that was a disaster from the getgo (though the Princess Bride "remake" was amazing and inspired).

 

[Stalker0]

Imma go with tiers from my thoughts. (Please note there are many services I cant actually determine tier as I don't have them and never have. Apple TV seems like a major contender and I know, "Dude..DUDE... DUUUUUUUDE Ted Lasso!!!1!!!one!!1!!!"

Tier 1. Too much great content to list, the best streamers.

HBO Max. Best content at the moment. Yeah its a little nerving to see what going on now and how that will impact the future. A screaming deal today that might start to diminish.

Disney+ Strong franchises and lots of stuff for kids. Dont see it leaving this tier anytime soon.

Tier 2. Decent quality and quantity of content. The best second site to have.

Netflix. Yeap, its falling every month, every week, every day. Rapidly running out of top series content. Filling the void with made in a long weekend B movies with A star talent. Junk. Also, bombarding folks with reality TV. Double junk. Makes total sense why subscribers are falling like bitcoin investors.

Hulu known today as "Disney+ adult." Access to mediocre original series and relying strongly on FX content like Sons of Anarchy, Fargo, What we do in shadows, etc...

Prime Potential to reach tier 1 but seems to have a problem elevating quality of content. Remains firmly in the middle. One good thing to say about prime is they dont bombard the offerings with quantity programming like the fledging Netflix does. Could easily see these two swapping places in the next 5-10 years.

Tier 3. Handful of good content, but mostly lacking. Free trial zone.
Paramount+ Wow, nice original name. Relying completely on Star Trek, NCIS, and Ink Master. Seriously, find something else to watch on this service. Anything?

Peacock Mostly new series based on stuff you watched as a kid (meh). Cant get enough network NBC? All you can view right here. I will say that Mr. Mercedes is a bomb ass show. Who knew after decades of terrible made for TV Stephen King all you needed was a drunk foul mouthed Brenden Gleason? Also, Brave new World is HAWT! (special call out Yellowstone #LOLParamount)

Pretty spot on with my thoughts as well, though I consider Peacock in its own D tier, I think its pretty crappy, whereas Paramount has a decent lineup its just a small player in the big sea right now.

Ultimately at the end of the day, content is king. The technology is easily replaceable and updatable, so while Netflix had a solid head start (and still has one of the best UIs to me) that is going to fall by the wayside as the other services improve and people finish going through the library. The content creators are the ones who are going to win the war, and while Netflix and Prime realize this...I don't know if they have the juice to keep up with the monster libraries of Disney and HBO, who are also creating content. I think at some point Netflix will likely sell their technology to one of the other players once their subscription numbers hit below a certain number, or if they can maintain a steady state they will just keep on trucking and enjoying their paycheck month to month for as long as the ride lasts.

I think the fate of the minor services is to become $1-$5 add on services to the major players, basically we are back to cable where I buy my main package and then can slap on a few extra channels.

 

[el-remmen]

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

...

1. Needz facepalm "like."

2. Has anyone seen David Zaslav and Justin LaNasa in the same room together at the same time? I mean ... I'm not saying ... but I'm not, not saying ....

 

[Gradine]

On the one hand, Disney+ has Bluey, the greatest television show in human history.

On the other hand, Netflix has Riverdale, the best D&D television show in human history.

Also I liked Wheel of Time, which apparently had a mixed reaction to it.

 

[el-remmen]

Also I liked Wheel of Time, which apparently had a mixed reaction to it.

So did I. Low expectations work miracles.

 

[payn]

Also I liked Wheel of Time, which apparently had a mixed reaction to it.

I think it fell victim to what I call the Prime template. There seems to be this writing template that all Prime shows follow. I have mentioned this before but I'll run it down.

1. 3 episode season kickstart arc. Usually the very best content of the season. Sets everything up and is paced well.
2. 4 episodes of utter wheel spinning. Will he, or wont he??? I love exposition so these middle episodes dont bother me in theory, but the Prime template makes these utter filler. Nothing is moved forward, the game is never changed, its just 4 hours of setting up a finale that is too small to deliver what it needs to. (for great examples see Billions and/or Black Sails)
3. The Finale. At this point 7 episodes have been building to this finale. However, there is not enough time in the final episode to deal with everything. So, you get massive plot build ups completed in a matter of mins, sometimes seconds, in very anti-dramatic ways. There is just no room to breath and let happen in these finale episodes.

 

[Mallus]

Halo was surprisingly un-terrible.

You are not incorrect.

A quick right-now ranking:

HBOMax (you can watch Our Flag Means Death, Harley Quinn, and Criterion hits, nuff said)
Apple+ (best quality/price ratio, Severance, For All Mankind)
Netflix (lots of good stuff but too big, the content firehose is bad)
Disney/Hulu (lots of good things I’m kinda getting tired of, might watch Hamilton again. tho)
Paramount+ (Star Trek and more Star Trek, will resub when Disco is back)
Amazon Prime Video (Paper Girls was great, when does WoT season 2 drop?)
Peacock (free because I still have cable)