2019 was a taste of what was to come in the streaming wars. Big US exclusive deals have been announced for hottest old shows like Seinfeld (Netflix), Friends (HBO Max) and The Office (Peacock), proving that a strong back catalog is just as important to the success of a streaming service as its original programming. Launch of Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus, giving consumers even more options to choose from. And several new streaming services have released release dates, pricing, and their own exclusive content. TV streaming was once so much simpler. While the choice is generally good for consumers, it remains to be seen if this is actually the case, even if it results in more interesting content than we can possibly see. The dominance of giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu has placed your favorite shows and movies in a finite number of possible places. In 2020, if you want to see everything in the United States, it's just going to cost you more. However, the new streaming services have something to be passionate about in terms of exclusive content, and not all of them will necessarily require a subscription. Here's what you can expect from the streaming wars in 2020.
HBO Max and Peacock will enter the fray
(Image credit: HBO) The first big new streaming service to drop in 2020 will be Peacock, which arrives from NBC Universal in April. More details will be revealed at an investor meeting on January 16, but this new streaming service will offer paid subscription and advertising options. A CNBC report from November suggests that everyone will be able to get the basic package for free, which would be a smart move given how many services require a subscription each month. Peacock's lineup will include classic comedies like Parks and Recreation and The Office (coming in 2021), the latter being one of the most popular series on Netflix for years after its initial run ended. Some of Peacock's original shows also sound great: a remake of Battlestar Galactica from Mr Robot creator Sam Esmail, for example, and a new comedy called Rutherford Falls from The Good Place creator Mike Schur. The service also hopes to create a new version of The Office, which would certainly be a hit. In the end, if it's not locked behind a paid wall and is available on a wide variety of devices, it's not hard to see people downloading Peacock to watch classic episodes of sitcoms they already love. It will also show movies from the Universal catalog and content from Lionsgate. Meanwhile, HBO Max will launch at €14.99 per month in May. The easiest way to introduce this is that it's HBO, plus Warner Bros (and plenty of other content). HBO is still making the best TV, with Watchmen and Chernobyl proving it in 2019, so it's just a huge sell. And when you consider that HBO Max will also show every Batman movie ever made, or every episode of Friends and The Big Bang Theory, you start to see how compelling that can be. His originals are also looking promising, the most exciting being Tokyo Vice, a series based on the book Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan by Jake Adelstein. The pilot is directed by Michael Mann (Heat), and Baby Driver's Ansel Elgort's fame begins. Just scratch the surface, though – check out our HBO Max explainer for more on what's going on. These subscription fees are high compared to its competitors, but the catalog of shows and movies here is extremely strong. In addition to the aforementioned content, HBO Max will be the new home to stream animated films from Studio Ghibli, South Park, and Rick and Morty.
And then there's Quibi
(Image credit: Quibi) Quibi is another service launched in 2020 (April 6), specializing in short videos of ten minutes or less, for €4.99 per month with ads and €7.99 without. Quibi is short for "quick bites," and its starting lineup includes plenty of big names. The service is aimed at a public of 25 to 30 years. Shows include a night-only series from Steven Spielberg, a Judy Judy-esque reality series hosted by Chrissy Teigen, and a remake of The Fugitive with Kiefer Sutherland. Most of Hollywood probably won't see this as competition with more typical streaming services, having received investment from Disney and Warner Bros. Where it fits into the landscape of other streamers isn't clear, but the format sets it apart. automatically from competitors. Hey, if you're tired of hour-long shows on Netflix, maybe 10-minute episodes seem like a relief.
Will people still subscribe to existing services?
Picard is one of the biggest shows on CBS All Access to date. (Image credit: Amazon/Becca Caddy) Holding on to subscribers will be the biggest challenge for existing services as competition intensifies. Disney Plus, which launched with The Mandalorian as well as the impact of a nearly complete Disney content archive, has to wait until fall 2020 for season 2 of the Star Wars TV show and its first Marvel series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Although it has original programming for the entire year, like a new season of the animated show The Clone Wars, maintaining the momentum will be difficult. Still, there's no doubt this will be a big problem when new Disney movies like Aladdin and The Lion King are set to open in the coming months. Apple TV Plus, which didn't surprise us at launch, has plenty of programming to come in 2020 and beyond, like the video game comedy Mythic Quest from the makers of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It happens in February. Most of his originals, like The Morning Show and See, return for season two. While older services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video now have their own catalogs of original content, it's unclear what the effects of older shows airing on newer streamers will be. According to a Nielsen report, The Office and Friends were number one and number two on Netflix in 2018, respectively. Both are juggernauts that have been around for years and are, to some extent, unplayable: they were hit shows when there was simply less to watch than there is today. You may need to be flexible if you're aware of the overspending on streaming services in 2020. Star Trek: Picard is one of the biggest originals to arrive in 2020, arriving in January on CBS All Access. The service already has eight million subscribers and is developing a full Trek streaming platform, with a third season of Discovery to come, as well as two new Trek spin-offs, Lower Decks and Section 31. The key question: Will anyone have time to watch every good show in 2020? Price is one thing, but these services are also competing for your free time and money. All the major streaming services seem to have a strategy of combining expensive originals with catalog content. The former might get you to subscribe, while the latter gives you hours upon hours of comfortable viewing that's supposed to keep you watching. It will be interesting to see how motivating it is for Friends to switch to HBO Max, for example, or how important it will be to secure the rights to Seinfeld for Netflix US, and whether that makes up for the loss of The Office.
2020 will be a year that will change the game
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm) Quick releases are one thing, but for many of us, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have been a part of our lives for years. By the end of 2020, we will begin to determine what our optimal selection of streaming services will look like. Some consumers will pay all of them, but many will only want a couple. This is why every streaming service needs an identity: people are likely to start subscribing by area of interest, especially when the content's selling point is so clear with a service like Disney Plus or CBS All Access doubling down. in Star Trek. Competition is a good thing in terms of original programming – TV shows seem to get better and better every year. But paying upwards of $50 a month to watch every great new series isn't ideal for most people, especially when streaming services are supposed to offer a solution to a hefty cable bill. Not all services can survive the streaming wars. But it may not be a bad thing for viewers. There has to be a reason for every streaming service to exist that isn't just a big studio selling its own stock content, hoping you'll lose a few bucks a month on a subscription.