When we talk about entertainment, the first thing that comes to mind are the big streaming platforms like Netflix, which have had exponential growth in recent years thanks to the increase in digital consumption. This has rethought the logic of this universe in terms of places, times and media through which the public consumes content. New platforms constantly seek to improve the user experience to give it more freedom, comfort and attractiveness compared to traditional TV.
In this way, a double benefit is obtained: subscription models that offer fixed income to companies and greater stability for users. That is why big TV networks like HBOproducers like paramount or even a conglomerate like Disney, have decided to enter this format to offer entertainment to users. And that has generated that the world of streaming is in full growth and in constant evolution with more and more actors disputing the market.
Main streaming platforms for series and movies
We can all come to mind several examples of streaming platforms for movies and series. But do you know how the streaming video pie is currently distributed? Let’s go with it!
In relation to the number of subscribers, the list would be as follows:
Without a doubt, Netflix is the pioneer of video streaming platforms, and is also the main platform in this sector (at least for now). This company was created in 1997 with the intention of innovating in the video rental system, as a response to the now defunct BlockBuster. Initially, Netflix was conceived as a platform to rent movies electronically, incorporating a subscription system that allowed customers to enjoy as many movies as they wanted in exchange for a monthly fee.
However, the real turning point for the company came in 2007 when it decided to switch to a streaming video format. From then on, an internationalization process began until it became the giant we know today, with 226 million users on your platform.
The particular battles of Netflix
However, at the top there can also be problems. During the first quarter of 2022, Netflix suffered its first loss of users in ten years. According to a letter they sent to their investors in mid-April, some 200,000 subscribers were lost, which caused a stock market crash, with their shares losing 37% of their market value, more than 50,000 million dollars (a little more of 46,000 million euros).
The conflict in Ukraine and its withdrawal from Russia have been the main reasons that Netflix pointed out to justify such results. Due to the cancellation of 700,000 subscribers in Russia, the number of new subscribers was not enough to make the final result positive. Although to this problem we must add another series of factors that have also hit the platform.
As we mentioned before, more and more companies are deciding to venture into the world of streaming series and movie platforms. This has not only increased competition, but has caused a reassignment of many movies and series, as is the case with the entire Marvel and Disney catalog that is now present on Disney+ and not on other platforms. In response to this problem, Netflix has stepped up its own content productionin which he had already had his attention for some time but which has now had to be seen intensified.
The number of shared accounts does not please Netflix
Shortly after announcing its loss of users, Netflix decided to address another issue that it had been thinking about for a long time: shared accounts. Reed Hastings, co-founder of the company, anticipated the arrival of some changes to your subscription modelsin order to attract more users and curb the loss of income derived from the fact of sharing accounts.
In Chile, Costa Rica or Peru, a measure has already been implemented to limit the sharing of accounts to family nucleus with which you live. If you would like to share your password with people who do not live in the same household, new payment plans are available: an additional payment for adding a new external member or transferring the account to that person who pays. A strategy that could be applied in all the countries where Netflix offers its services between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.
Payment plans in Spain
The subscription cost of Netflix in Spain is one of the highest among its competition, with three plans: the Basic for €7.99, the Standard for €12.99 and the Premium for €17.99. The difference between these lies in the number of active users that each account can have, the capacity to store downloads and the quality of the video. Although, among the future plans of the platform is to create a new free plan including ads advertising.
At the moment, the payment gives full access to Netflix’s extensive catalog, which is constantly changing and has original series such as The Paper House, Stranger Things either Idhun’s memories, the latter based on the books by Laura Gallego. It also has a large number of original Spanish films such as The hole.
Currently, the company’s streaming platform ranks as the second with the highest number of users, more than 200 million: the main contender for platforms like Netflix.
The beginnings of Amazon Prime Video date back to 2006, when the technology giant decided to carve out its own market share in the entertainment sector under the name of Amazon Unboxa service that allowed US users to buy movies or episodes of broadcast series to watch on their computer.
In 2011 this service began to be included as an exclusive advantage of Amazon prime users and took the name of Amazon Instant Video. From that moment on, the platform became direct competition from Netflix, who dominated the streaming industry. But, it was not until 2016 when this video platform took the name of Prime Video and was deployed internationally and multiplatform, managing to consolidate itself as one of the main options within video streaming.
The extensive catalog of Amazon Prime Video
In order to further strengthen its position, , the production company behind classics such as Rocky or the James Bond franchise, seeking to provide a broader catalog to the more than 200 million users of Amazon Prime, a platform that has series such as Malcom In The MiddleThe Man In The High Castle, American Gods, The Office and Seinfield.
It also offers original productions such as the Boys either Invinciblewhich stand out for a more raw approach, or the original series of El Cidwhich follows the story of the well-known Castilla champion, as well as content focused on the world of sports, such as the series on Sergio Ramos or the documentary The familyon the trajectory of the Spanish basketball team in the last twenty years.
All this with a monthly cost of 3.99 euros in Spain, or an annual subscription for 36 euros, which also includes all the benefits of Prime for Amazon, such as free shipping or Prime Reading and Prime Music services. In addition, it offers a free 30-day trial, a strategy to attract new users after letting them try their services and generating that need in them.
There is also the possibility of renting “exclusive” movies, including some of the latest Disney releases, but paying an extra cost for it. Another of their services is Prime Video Channelswith which subscribers can access premium or thematic channels, also starting with a free period, after which the price will vary depending on the channel chosen.
This platform of the Disney conglomerate is one of the newest in the field of video streaming, since it was launched by the end of 2019. However, this has not been an impediment for it to have managed to position itself in less than four years as the third most popular with 137.7 million subscribersas provided by the mouse company in early May 2022.
As Disney is a conglomerate of different companies dedicated to entertainment, it can count on the exclusivity of many of the favorite titles of the general public, such as the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universethe saga of Pirates of the Caribbean, starwars and of course the Disney’s own classics.
In addition, it has original productions such as the series and movies that have set trends: WandaVision, The Bad Batch, Charm, Loki, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings or the newly released Obi-Wan Kenobi. The platform has also managed the simultaneous release modality with box office offers such as cruel, Black widow either Stripe, which could be purchased in early access on its website for approximately 14 dollars (11.90 euros).
The cost of Disney+ started at an estimated $5.99, reaching Spain with a monthly cost of €6.99. But with the addition of Star+ On February 23, 2021, the price in Spain became 8.99 euros per month, with an annual option of 89.90 euros. Star+ is a service within the platform with a greater inclination towards the adult public, adding content from ESPN, Hulu and other chains or production companies affiliated with the conglomerate.
Disney+ reaches more countries
In January 2022, the company announced its expansion plans with which it would take the streaming platform to 42 new countries, among which are South Africa, Egypt or Libya. In this way it will be present in a total of 106 countries around the world. With this considerable increase in territories in which the mouse company will have a presence, the number of subscribers will continue to rise. We will have to wait to see if this fact makes Disney + continue to climb positions in the ranking.
The production house of Game of Thrones It has a particular service, since in many countries it is usually associated with the bill for its television broadcast. In other words, what is paid to the cable provider for the HBO signal also covers its streaming service. This service came to be grouped under the name of hbo max in 2021, having previously been divided into HBO Go, HBO Now and HBO Max, depending on the country in which the service was offered.
In a stark contrast to the Netflix case, HBO Max has had a first quarter of 2022 more than satisfactory, earning 3 million subscribers. If we add to these 3 million the rest of the users who have joined HBO Max in its last fiscal year, which closed in March 2022, it would have gained 13 million users in total. Thanks to this substantial increase, HBO Max currently has 76.8 million subscribers.
HBO Max rates in Spain and the US.
In Spain, the HBO Max service has two rates, one €8.99 monthly and one annual €69.99which provides access to more than 1,300…
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