by Aditri Khadilkar
Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, and more; the list of streaming platforms and their competition never seems to end. It seems like the coronavirus quarantine would be a good time to sit down and finally watch the show you’ve been meaning to binge. The increase in streaming makes sense, with Quibi, NBC’s Peacock, and HBO Max planning to release in the Spring. But in reality, there seems to be a decrease in streaming. The number of Americans spending their money on streaming seems unexpected. Many have lost their jobs as the spread of COVID-19 is getting worse.
With this quarantine, we’re going to see a drastic increase in media consumption. This can mean YouTube, Tik Tok, and streaming platforms. Comcast and Verizon both reported an increase in traffic by 30%. The three largest applications used in March, reported by Verizon, were YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. The biggest problem with free platforms is ads because they still require them but it’s expected that advertising is going to slump. Along with that, the hardest thing for the new streaming platforms will be giving out the free trials and then making their customers pay. This kind of thing has lasted with Groupon for many years on end.
Due to the decrease in streaming, many services are turning to free streaming. HBO has offered many shows for free, Fox is offering free cable network, and Verizon’s starting a free concert series in support of local businesses with artists like Dave Matthews.
Despite all of this and free services offered, the ones to win the streaming war are the ones with the large install base like Netflix, HBO, and Disney +, but only time will tell as this quarantine period goes on.
