Streaming Wars Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Over the past year, it’s starting to feel like subscribers were sold a bill of goods when it comes to streaming services. The idea, at least at the beginning, was that you pay your monthly fee and you get access to thousands and thousands of TV series and films from an ever-growing library, including everything from past years.

relaunched as Max — and streaming competitor Peacock took the opportunity to make an NSFW joke.NBCUniversal’s streamer took a hilarious dig at HBO Max’s rebrand for dropping the first half of its name, letting everyone know that they will not be following suit.“I know you’re all very disappointed, but I will *not* be dropping the first half of my name any time soon,” the official account tweeted.Peacock got its name thanks to NBC’s iconic colorful logo that looks like the animal, though jokes have often been made around the “c- -k” part of the name.The tweet was reposted to the streamer’s Instagram account, and those running the social media account enjoyed responding to people in the comments.“Your social media person deserves a raise for this one,” one person suggested, to which the account responded, “brb sending this to my boss.”Another told the brand to “live a little,” and the account replied that those were “my words to legal exactly.”I know you’re all very disappointed, but I will *not* be dropping the first half of my name any time soon

A little over two years ago, streaming services were launching like there was no tomorrow. There were pundits saying that streaming was going to destroy theatrical film releases and disrupt TV networks in a big, big way.

Everyone knows that the Netflix release model for TV shows is focused on binge-watching. When the new “Stranger Things” arrives, it’s given to us all at once, with viewers powering through hours of new content in one sitting.

In a world where streaming platforms keep their viewing statistics a big secret, it’s not all that surprising HBO Max hasn’t released any sort of data about the first several days of release for “The Matrix Resurrections.” But perhaps that secrecy also has a little to do with slightly lackluster numbers? READ MORE: ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Becomes First Pandemic-Era Film To Pass $1 Billion As ‘Matrix’ & ‘King’s Man’ Struggle At The Box Office According to a report from Samba TV (via Deadline),

In the Streaming Wars, content is your ammunition, but the biggest weapon a platform has is its subscriber count. How can you attract top-tier talent unless you’re making lots of money to pay for it? And how do you make lots of money unless you have millions and millions paying a monthly fee to access the content? This is why the month-to-month subscriber count from the biggest streaming platforms is a closely guarded secret.

When you think of some of the most successful TV creators of all time, you have to put Trey Parker and Matt Stone up there in the discussion. Believe it or not, their hit animated comedy series, “South Park” has been on the air for 25 years, and the duo has just signed what is likely the biggest deal of their careers to continue to make the show (and films) for another half-decade.

With mega-corporations like Disney, Netflix, Apple, and Amazon trying to dominate the streaming space, content is key. And we’ve seen just how exclusive content has led to these companies snatching up rival studios whenever possible, such as Disney purchasing Fox and Amazon recently landing MGM.

We’ve said it a million times over the past few years, but in the ongoing Streaming Wars, the best ammunition you can have when trying to fight your way to the top of the platform battle is exclusive content. The best way to do this is with strong original content, as Netflix has done over the past decade or so.

Netflix knows you’re a thief. The streaming service knows you’ve been using the login information given to you from your friend, co-worker, parents, or ex-partner.

People sure do love their Netflix, huh? With more than 200 million subscribers worldwide, Netflix is the biggest name in streaming. Thus, it’s the platform that has the biggest dog in the theatrical release vs.

Before COVID-19 crippled the film industry in unprecedented ways, the writing was on the wall— movie theaters were in trouble. Sure, there were record-breaking grosses for films, including “Avengers: Endgame” grossing more than any other film ever, but cinemas and studios began to rely more and more on tentpole films, pushing mid-level features to streaming and theaters were starting to notice year after year of profit declines.

On this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Charles Barfield, Mike DeAngelo, and Brian Farvour are joined by a very special guest, Rolando Rodriguez, the CEO and President of Marcus Theatres. For those unaware, Marcus Theatres is the fourth-largest cinema chain in the US and fifth-largest in North America with more than 1,100 screens.

Quibi is alive! Okay, not really. But maybe the content library of “quick bites” will have a new home soon enough, thanks to Roku.

Unless you’ve been avoiding social media like the plague that it is over the past few days (and bravo, if you have!), then you probably already know that Congress has approved a new stimulus package that aims to help businesses and citizens of the US survive the still-ongoing pandemic. But what you might not realize is that buried deep in that bill are two things of note: money for theaters and a new law that says illegal streaming is a felony.

Back in April, a little more than six months ago, everyone at Quibi thought they had the next big thing on their hands. The infant streaming service had earned $1.75 billion in capital and promised to revolutionize how people stream content, relying mostly on the idea that people want to watch “quick bite” content on their phones.

Back in April, a little more than six months ago, everyone at Quibi thought they had the next big thing on their hands. The infant streaming service had earned $1.75 billion in capital and promised to revolutionize how people stream content, relying mostly on the idea that people want to watch “quick bite” content on their phones.

Disney+ has already made a huge splash in the streaming industry since its release less than a year ago. Now, with more than 60 million subscribers, the platform is hoping to trailblaze in a new way, with the GroupWatch feature.

As we recently talked about with the unfortunate prequel series, “Ratched,” there are certain characters and films that don’t need to be explored further. Some who read this website would say that most films and iconic characters don’t need sequels or prequels, but I digress.

Since its launch earlier this year, it’s clear that HBO Max wants to put itself up there with Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+ as a streaming platform that offers commercial-free viewing with a huge library of titles. That separates it from competitors like Peacock and Hulu, which utilize commercials as a way to bring in revenue and offer lower pricing.

In the ever-growing Streaming Wars, where platforms aim to destroy each other for the coveted subscriber dollars, content is the ammunition. If you have lots of ammo and a few big guns, you can do a lot of damage.

It’s not news to say that Disney+ is a huge hit for the Mouse House and the most successful launch of a new streaming service since…Netflix? But when you look at the actual numbers, the rate that Disney’s new platform is growing is unprecedented and shows the power of the world’s largest movie studio. Speaking to investors during a recent conference call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek updated everyone on the number of paid subscribers to Disney+.

Apple might not have the public trust in the realm of streaming as Netflix. The tech company might not have the extensive library seen with competitors like HBO Max and Disney+.

What does it take to launch a media company in 2020? Better yet, what does it take to launch a media company that is attempting to create a new type of content in the crowded streaming environment? Lots of money, clearly. And probably, incredible leadership.

Peacock is nearly upon us. NBCUniversal’s long-awaited first march into the Streaming Wars launches on July 15 and with it, the hopes and dreams of one of Hollywood’s biggest studios as it enters the wild wild west of the digital frontier.

It’s now mid-June, just over two months from the launch of the streaming service, Quibi, and all signs are pointing to a launch that was incredibly flawed, to say the least. The service has fallen well short of its modest expectations and is spending insane amounts of cash just to keep its name in the streaming conversation.

It’s common knowledge that the April launch of Quibi didn’t go as well as the company had hoped. After a first week where the app was downloaded millions of times, the new streaming platform that focuses almost entirely on mobile viewing quickly plateaued and fell out of the Top 10 download lists on mobile devices.

MUBI is a film streaming service that readers of The Playlist are probably familiar with. And if not, then you definitely should be.