Disney+, Amazon, Netflix and future of Star Trek?

[Owain Taggart]

Maybe a streaming service aggregator arrives on the scene. Maybe these services become metered, rather than fixed monthly/annual rate.

An aggregator would be a great idea for the consumer. I think the major problem all these streaming services face is that they all want to be their own separate thing, so I'm not entirely sure how well that would fly with them. An aggregator where you could pick and choose out of the available services and bundle them would be great though.

Hulu is a ridiculous money pit that loses a billion+ every year. I'm not sure how much longer Disney will want to keep that going.

I thought Hulu originally began as a partnership between the major cable companies? What if they were to just fold Hulu into Disney+?

 

[Alan Roi]

I thought Hulu originally began as a partnership between the major cable companies? What if they were to just fold Hulu into Disney+?

There's bound to be some consolidation in future.

 

[ITDUDE]

There's bound to be some consolidation in future.

If N.A.D. account for 95% of the market the license holders would have to consider if it's worth consolidating and building out a common service covering remaining 5% or just license their content to one of the Big 3. For Star Trek it would be CBS trying to decide if they want to combine with someone else's content to see if they can get a few more eyes on Star Trek and rip all (their share) of the profits, or have one of the Big 3 bid for Star Trek and be paid a flat yearly license fee by whomever won. In either case it make sense for CBS to create as much new Star Trek content as possible to either sell themselves or license to others. So, at least in the short term, Star Trek fans win. In the long term, who knows...

 

[Q2UnME]

If anything, CBS and Viacom will be swallowed up by either Amazon, Apple or some other silicon valley company wanting TV and Film studios and a streaming platform to go head-to-head with Netflix. Both Apple and Amazon want a studio to make their (and others) content. Amazon and Apple both have EXTREMELY deep pockets and can buy each company independently or as a merged entity. Amazon and Apple both have a foot in the streaming door, but both lack content for their library's. Gobbling up CBS/Viacom will fill that void. Given what Disney dropped on acquiring the bulk of FOX, CBS and Viacom is a drop in the proverbial bucket. Disney getting their hands on Trek is not going to happen, The Mouse House wont be allowed to gobble up more TV and Studio assets due to regulatory concerns on monopoly.

All, my humble opinion (but I read most of the trades... )

 

[ITDUDE]

Disney getting their hands on Trek is not going to happen, The Mouse House wont be allowed to gobble up more TV and Studio assets due to regulatory concerns on monopoly.

Buying regulators is probably cheaper than paying license fees
But if I were to guess which company is buying CBS/Viacom it would probably Amazon. I don't know about Apple, I think they are late to the game, but who knows...

 

[Alan Roi]

Buying regulators is probably cheaper than paying license fees
But if I were to guess which company is buying CBS/Viacom it would probably Amazon. I don't know about Apple, I think they are late to the game, but who knows...

I don't see newmedia streaming giants buying obsolete infrastructure. More likely you'll have something like AT&T/Warner media buying National Amusements than Apple or Amazon.

 

[Cyrus]

I thought Hulu originally began as a partnership between the major cable companies? What if they were to just fold Hulu into Disney+?

After buying Fox Disney now owns 60% of Hulu. There is talk that they will also buy the 10% share of AT&T/Warner and will own 70%, with the other 30% owned by Comcast/NBCUniversal.

 

[guyute03]

The Trek animated show coming for Nickelodeon made me realize Trek doesn't have to only be on CBSAA. They can franchise it out. Let Amazon or Netflix or even Disney pitch them an idea and broadcast it there instead of CBSAA. This might make it even more possible to get a show "outside" of what most people call "Star Trek".... just like what DS9 was. You never know, anything's possible, and I definitely think this idea has been talked about by those parties, even though CBS would make lending out their Trek brand expensive.

 

[ITDUDE]

Here comes Disney+
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/12/dis...unveiling-streaming-cheaper-than-netflix.html

$6.99 a month... Tempting....

 

[The Overlord]

I don't see newmedia streaming giants buying obsolete infrastructure. More likely you'll have something like AT&T/Warner media buying National Amusements than Apple or Amazon.

It's not the infrastructure that is valuable, its the content. CBS/Viacom essentially has all the content from CBS, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, Showtime, etc. That is a lot of content and the content itself is worth more then the tv channels or movie studios would be.

I think because CBS/Viacom is one of the weaker players in the business at the moment, they would be easy pickings for a tech giant like Apple or Amazon. Amazon could add a Nickelodeon or Comedy Central subsection in their streaming service, for example. The fact is Disney after absorbing Fox, Comcast/Universal, and Warner Brothers/AT&T are media giants, not mention big tech companies like Apple and Amazon, with deep pockets getting involved in the entertainment world. Viacom/CBS seems like a small player going against all that, Paramount Pictures is the weakest studio of the bunch and most of the CBS/Viacom channels are losing ad revenue, they have useful IP, but they seem like the company most likely to gobbled up by a bigger player.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/17/business/media/paramount-pictures.html

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/viacom-first-quarter-earnings-1203128609/

 

[Cake]

I also think CBS/Viacom will be bought or they will merge with another company. They seem to small to survive long term alone. The same with Netflix on its own. In the end only a few big players will survive and most of those will be companies which have various ways to earn money and are not solely dependent on series and movies.

 

[starbuck]

shocking all these streaming service you have to get to watch some shows, yet i'm stuck with one can't get rid of bloody bbc who think they own tv

 

[ITDUDE]

https://deadline.com/2019/05/disney-gains-control-of-hulu-in-landmark-deal-with-comcast-1202614392/

So Disney just bought out rest of Hulu. I suppose it was only a matter of time.

 

[Alan Roi]

https://deadline.com/2019/05/disney-gains-control-of-hulu-in-landmark-deal-with-comcast-1202614392/

So Disney just bought out rest of Hulu. I suppose it was only a matter of time.

They certainly have the cash to absorb Hulu's escalating money losing that has reached well over a billion every year.