Streaming Craziness

So I was chatting with my wife recently about our use of Video streaming services. The one comment that she had was “you do realize we watch Netflix for Stranger Things, Amazon Prime for The Grand Tour, and Crave for Star Trek Discovery?” I should back this up a bit and clarify. We’ve had Netflix for a number of years and only within the past year have signed up for the other two. I will admit that the two shows I mentioned were the impetus for purchasing those services, but since then I’ve enjoyed a couple of other shows on these services as well.

1) Netflix – This was Genesis as far as streaming services are concerned. I’ll be honest, when Netflix started WAAAAY back in the day, back when they would mail you your movies you ordered online, I didn’t take them very seriously. I, along with many other people (and before I learned the ways of the Information Management Jedi) liked walking to blockbuster to get my movies. Now, of course, I couldn’t imagine what I was thinking. especially on days when it’s bleak and snowing (I’m Canadian after all…that happens…) when you just have to turn on the TV to get all the movies and TV shows I could want. Netflix is great because, so long as you have an internet connection, you can access everything you want.

2) Crave – Crave was one of the two services we’ve subscribed to recently. Crave (as I mentioned) we got because it had Star Trek Discovery….My wife and I are nerds, but we’re nerds together so that’s fine….and the best part is that we have found a few other shows that we can watch which weren’t available on the other services. I particularly like Crave because the way that they categorize the shows you’re currently in the middle of as “my cravings” which I get a laugh out of.

3) Amazon Prime – I’ll be honest, when Prime first came out I wasn’t a big fan. Not because their programming was bad, but because it was not easily accessible. Initially, Prime was only transmitted on a USB stick that you would have to plug into your TV in order to get the programming. This never sat well with me because while they were trying to compete with Apple TV they would never be able to get the Traction that Apple had at the time. Eventually, they had an App that you could get on your phone which my wife and I used. We would have to stream it on our television which made the picture not fantastic. Because the video was being streamed off her phone It was not optimized for a bigger TV and so was very pixelated. Late in 2017 they finally got an app that you can get on your Apple TV and not only is the picture 100% better, but you also get a MUCH better interface to go through the various different programs that Amazon Prime has to offer.

It does make me think though. Back in the day when the only way you could watch TV was on either Cable or Satellite, and there were only a few channels, you would have to subscribe to different channels because programs were contracted to certain production companies like ABC, CBS, CBC etc. Over the past few years, there has been a big fuss made about how Streaming services are the future and everyone is dropping their cable packages because they get their TV through the Internet. Now however with certain streaming services producing (and not sharing with the others) certain shows we are slowly drifting back to the days of having to subscribe to various different channels.

We have been hearing rumours of Disney creating their own streaming service for all of their various movies. For those of you whose ears have now perked up that means that if you want to have access to any of the Disney cartoon, to say nothing of any of the Marvel and Star Wars movies, you will eventually have to pay the streaming service. I know that Disney is getting their feet wet in the “Streaming pond” with an ESPN service later this year, with plans to come out with a streaming channel that will feature all their movies. This is intriguing for a couple of different reasons; Firstly, because they have already announced that they are pulling their films from Netflix (and I would imagine other streaming services will be cut off soon) so in order to enjoy any of their current content we will have to buy into their service. Secondly, I do wonder how they will incorporate this into their “limited time only” business model for some of their older films. Lastly, with the rumoured acquisition of 21st-century fox, what other films will be on the streaming service chopping block?

Do you use streaming services?

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