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I've been wanting to talk about this for a while because not only does it effect me personally, it effects all of us who love entertainment.
It's such a huge topic that has been a beast to tackle and I'm well on my way to finishing up the script. Today, I'm going to be sharing a little sneak peek of my first draft with you that you can read below:
So, we’re all feeling it, right?
That encroaching sense that there’s about to be a massive change in regards to what movies and tv we’re watching and how we’re watching them.
Between streaming fatigue, skyrocketing subscription prices, Netflix canceling shows after one season, actors and writers still not being paid what they deserve, Hollywood is a mess right now and it can be tough to pinpoint exactly what and where all of these problems are coming from.
I’ve been working as a voice actor for almost 30 years and have been working as an actor in various capacities for literally my entire life. My very first gig ever was modeling in a local print ad for baby blankets when I was around 6 months old and I’ve worked in theater, commercials, print, and independent film productions in San Diego and LA throughout my life.I’ve always worked fairly locally and small but pretty consistently until I decided to go full-time in my mid 20s.
All that to say, I have a bit of an insider’s perspective on what’s going on right now.
So today, I’m going to be taking a deep dive into all the reasons why I think Hollywood is about to be completely different and no longer our primary source of entertainment.
[Section 1: Streaming Costs vs. Cable]
Once upon a time, we all thought streaming services were going to save us from the evil clutches of cable. With high prices, too many commercials, and hundreds of channels that no one asked for, cable was the bad guy.
Then Netflix came along for just $8 a month and evolved from renting DVDS through the mail into a huge production and streaming company that gave us not only the ability to stream some of our favorite shows and movies, but incredible original content like the first couple seasons of Orange is the New Black.
In these early days of streaming, Netflix acted primarily as a distributor. That’s why it had a massive library of movies and TV shows. Studios and networks would license their content to Netflix for a fee, allowing Netflix to stream their movies and shows. It was a win-win situation: studios earned money from their back catalog, and Netflix built its reputation as the go-to service for on-demand content.
But all of that changed for a few reasons:
1. The Rise of Competitors
As streaming became more profitable, major studios and networks started launching their own platforms (like Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, and Paramount+). These companies realized that instead of licensing content to Netflix, they could create their own services and make more money by streaming their own libraries directly. That’s why Disney pulled its movies and TV shows from Netflix, so they could launch Disney+.
2. Exclusive Content and Licensing Wars
As these companies launched their own services, they started pulling back their content and signing exclusive deals. The idea was to force viewers to subscribe to multiple platforms to access certain movies or shows. For instance, WarnerMedia reclaimed its shows like Friends for HBO Max, and NBCUniversal took The Office back for Peacock.
The exclusivity of content means you can only watch particular shows or movies on their respective streaming platforms, unlike the early days when Netflix had large catalogs of content from different studios.
3. Original Content Focus
To compensate for losing licensed content, Netflix focused even more on producing original shows and movies. Series like Stranger Things, The Crown, and The Witcher are all examples of Netflix investing heavily in original programming in order to fill the gap left by lost licensed shows. This has made Netflix more of a content creator than just a distributor, which is why you see fewer third-party titles on the platform.
4. Content Costs and Licensing Fees
As streaming platforms grew more competitive, licensing fees for popular shows and movies skyrocketed. It became too expensive for Netflix to keep paying for the rights to certain shows, especially for evergreen content like Friends or The Office, which other platforms were willing to pay millions for.
So these days if you want access to a wide library of movies and series, your subscription budget might look something like this:
(on-screen list of streaming services and prices):
- Netflix: $15.49/month
- Hulu (ad-supported): $7.99/month
- Disney+ bundle: $13.99/month
- Amazon Prime Video: $8.99/month
- HBO Max: $15.99/month
- Peacock (ad-supported): $5.99/month
- Starz: $9.99/month
And that’s not even counting CrunchyRoll, YouTube Premium, Apple TV, Shudder, Paramount plus, and about ten other platforms.
At about $80 a month, this has led a lot of people to complain that at this point that might as well just get cable with how much it costs to get all the content they want- but here’s the thing about cable, besides not being to watch whatever you want whenever you want - it still has commercials.
Commercial breaks during a 30-minute TV show on cable typically occur every 6 to 8 minutes, with about 8 minutes of total commercials spread over 3 to 4 breaks. This pattern is pretty standard across networks, although some networks or programs might have slightly different structures depending on their audience and sponsorships.
For example, it's common for the first segment of a show to run for about 7-8 minutes before the first commercial break, followed by two more breaks spaced approximately 6 minutes apart. The last segment often wraps up after a final commercial break of around 2-4 minutes.
That's it for now! More soon :)
~ Tawny
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