Why is there almost no new TV out there?
Why is my favorite show suddenly on a new streamer?
Why is everybody in Hollywood struggling to find work right now?
This is the answer to those questions in speed mode...
How did the TV Industry get here?
2018-2019
Tech companies and studios alike see the rise of Netflix and Hulu and want to get in on the streaming fun.
The streaming wars begin!
A venture capital-backed surge of content starts appearing on all the streamers - Netflix, Hulu, Peacock, Amazon, Apple, HBO Max (at the time), Disney, etc.
Networks continue to see declines in their ratings. Cable companies don't seem to have a place in the TV landscape anymore except as rerun depositories.
2022
Networks are really suffering. Streamers have crushed them. And what even is cable TV anymore? But...
Netflix sees its first-ever loss in subscribers.
Suddenly, Wall Street and those venture capitalists are scared that they've invested so much money in all the streamers and have yet to see any profits. In fact, they don't even seem to have plans to make profits. They take action.
2023
Budgets are slashed, executives are fired, and all of Hollywood goes on strike.
2024
Streamers, like much of Big Tech, has come in and burnt down the status quo - kneecapping networks and streamers. But in this case, they replaced it with... nothing.
Belt tightening is in full effect, and almost no new shows are being produced. The streamers are trying to retain subscribers by licensing shows from other streamers to try to appear like they have "new content."
In Summary
Streamers destroyed a system that was working for a system that they did not know how to monetize. To this day, Netflix and WB Discovery are the only streaming services that turn a profit. And WB just ekes one out.
Where do we go from here?
The dust will settle in the TV industry and, eventually, new TV will be made. And it will look a lot like it used to look. Bundles, packages, networks... basically old school TV by online.
I mean, look, we already got ads on every single streamer. More new old stuff to come!
