- 2021 might seem like it's gonna be boring
for the streaming world since we don't have any more
major streaming services set to debut this year.
But in a way I think it might be
just as interesting to watch as 2020 was.
If 2020 was the mad scramble
for services to establish themselves,
then I think in 2021 we might see some of those
who couldn't quite hack it get left in the dust.
So who will be left standing at the end of this year?
Well, let's dive in.
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All right. Thanks for watching everybody.
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Now I'm going to skim past a lot of the streaming services
that I'm gonna talk about today,
but if you want to dive into the details on any one of them,
just hit the links in the description below.
I've done deep dive reviews on each of these
and those will be listed there.
Now, before we get to what you can expect in 2021,
let's talk about how all the new services did in 2020.
In the last year or so,
yeah, we are extending a little bit back into 2019,
we got Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus,
HBO Max, Peacock, and Quibi.
Those are the major releases in 2020 or roundabout.
Their goal was to join the established
tightens of streaming,
Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and CBS All Access.
Wait, CBS All Access, they are tightened?
Yeah, they're actually doing really, really well.
So how did the new guys do?
Well, let's start with the easy one.
Quibi didn't fare so well.
It launched in April.
It lasted all of six months and is already shuttered.
So rest in peace, I guess, Quibi.
If you enjoyed the content on Quibi though,
it looks like Roku has actually bought
that content for its own channel.
So don't worry, Chrissy's Court won't be lost forever.
- I'm fully naked under here. (crowd laughs)
I think that's the hardest part about being a judge,
it's so hot. (intense beats)
- Now Peacock is actually doing okay,
at least from a subscriber account perspective.
Since they launched in July,
they've had about 22 million people sign up.
Now I have no idea how many of those
are free or premium memberships,
but it might not matter too much
if peacock can make up lost subscriber revenue
with ads on their free tier,
which I'm curious about actually.
Do you use Peacock regularly?
And if so, did you care to try the premium tier
or do you just stick with the free stuff?
Let me know in the comments below.
All right, Apple TV Plus.
This is one of my favorites
and it's harder to measure success for.
By the end of 2021, the estimate is that it will have
35 to 40 million subscribers, sounds pretty good.
Except that those numbers are likely very inflated
by the fact that if you buy a new Apple product,
you can usually get a year
of the streaming service for free.
So how many people are actually paying for Apple TV Plus?
And how many of them will actually stick around
for five bucks a month after their trial is up?
And how many people are even watching the service?
This will be a really interesting one
to watch going forward.
It's just hard to gauge right now.
Now for Apple TV Plus and Peacock,
I don't think we're going to see much movement in 2021.
Certainly not from Peacock, although it is possible
that Apple TV Plus will finally break through
into must-watch territory,
because frankly their stuff is, as a group,
just as good as anything on HBO or Netflix or wherever.
Ted Lasso is, as far as I'm concerned,
one of the top 10 best seasons of television ever made.
So I could see Apple TV Plus possibly breaking through.
We'll see. And then there's Disney Plus and HBO Max.
These represent the two biggest film studios in Hollywood
and now they're going to compete for streaming dominance.
So far it's pretty clear that Disney Plus
is well, doing quite a bit better.
We'll get to the numbers in just a bit.
But HBO Max has announced a giant risky bet for 2021.
Warner Media is going to release its entire 2021 slate
of films simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters.
Now, what does this mean for you?
Well, obviously if you like movies
but don't care for the theater experience, it's great.
Presumably, if the Wonder Woman 1984 experience
is anything to go by,
you won't even have to pay anything extra.
You just need to be subscribed to the service
and get some great movies in 2021.
Now that's great for you
but this really hurts the theaters themselves.
Many of which have already been closed down.
Thanks to COVID-19.
And in case you haven't been paying attention,
yeah, directors, theaters, they're all pretty ticked off
at HBO's parent company AT&T for forcing this move.
And there are indications now
that AT&T might back off to some degree,
but assuming this all goes forward as planned
or close to it, they're making a bet that you'll be so used
to watching movies at home now after our year of isolation
that you would rather sign up for their service
at 15 bucks a month than go back to the theater
with all those coughing germy popcorn hogs.
(alert noises)
They're betting that the theater experience
as we've known it is over,
and they want to gobble up as much streaming revenue
as they can in the age of the home theater.
My bet? They're betting wrong.
Let's compare with Disney Plus.
Disney Plus has done a few releases during the pandemic
of things that would have otherwise been in theaters,
like Mulan and Soul.
And they're going to continue doing that sometimes,
but it will be a mix of streaming and theater releases.
The theater experience may be changed
as we know it, going forward, we'll see,
but there's still money there.
And now Disney is gonna laugh all the way to the bank
as they don't just dominate but almost completely monopolize
the theater experience even more.
But I'm getting sidetracked.
Where will the streaming services end up in 2021?
Well, Disney Plus is a juggernaut
and it will not be stopped.
At last count after just over a year,
they've got 86 million subscribers.
The Mandalorian is a smash hit and now they've got 20 other,
20 other Star Wars and Marvel projects coming up.
So if they could get 86 million people signed up
based on a single hit original and their back catalog,
how much more will they get when they debut WandaVision
and Kenobi and all the rest of that stuff.
Sky is the limit for Disney Plus.
As for HBO Max? Well, that's harder to predict.
AT&T is putting all their eggs in a basket
that only has 12 million subscribers,
a far cry from Disney Plus or Netflix certainly.
Can they pick up say, 40 million more,
get across that 50 million subscriber threshold
to join the elite ranks?
No, I don't think that they can.
The franchises that they own simply don't have the weight,
the popular weight of a Star Wars or a Marvel.
And by pulling the simultaneous release done
without telling anyone, they've risked the ire
of all of Hollywood's top talent and money people.
So my tentative prediction,
they're kinda screwed this year.
But hey, I'd love to be proven wrong.
Maybe they'll double their subscriber count instantly
now that they're available on Roku.
That'd be nice.
Because I actually quite like HBO Max.
I use it almost daily and I'd like to see it succeed.
But 15 bucks a month is a harder sell to the general public
than $7 a month for Disney Plus.
So it's a steeper mountain for HBO max to have to climb.
Time will tell, I just don't really see it growing a ton
in the next year.
(hushed rock music)
As for the rest, don't expect any real movement.
Netflix has increased it's streaming stranglehold.
They went up another 50 million subscribers in 2020.
50 million. So now they're at about 200 million worldwide.
So they're not going anywhere.
Hulu has also got plenty of momentum
with its 40 million subscribers,
and its fate is going to be at least partially tied
to Disney Plus, thanks to the bundle that it's a part of.
So that's good news for them.
And Prime Video's fate is obviously tied
to Amazon's Free Shipping.
So it's definitely not going anywhere.
And actually I think we might see a resurgence
of interest in Prime Video this year
when they release their mega budget
Game of Thrones successors, The Wheel of Time
and The Lord of the Rings.
So 2021 really will be an interesting one to watch.
Basically, it comes down to how dominant can Disney Plus get
with their shows, and will HBO Max make bank
on their big gamble or are they going all in
when Disney has its best hand ever.
Let me know in the comments
what you're most excited to see happen in 2021.
Hit me up with your predictions below.
And on your way down there,
don't forget to like and subscribe.
I appreciate you watching this video.
I hope it was helpful or enjoyable for you.
I will see you on the next video.
Thanks everybody.