The online video-streaming market has boomed in recent years. With the advent of exciting new ‘video-on-demand' platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, the traditional model of paying for satellite pay-services accessed exclusively through a TV set seems to be in sharp decline. So far this year, Netflix has added an astonishing 7.5 million new users to its platform. Hulu, another noted on-demand service provider, had attracted 17 million people to its own platform by the end of last year (2017) - and all the signs indicate that growth will continue.
In terms of ‘who’s doing what’ in the OTT (over-the-top content – where videos are delivered via the internet) market, there are some exciting developments for us to keep track of. With technological advances in broadcast media, and increases in broadband speeds – and therefore in how much content can be downloaded by the consumer – VOD providers are confident that the on-demand boom is not over yet. Netflix recently reached in excess of a staggering 93 million users worldwide, and Disney recently announced its intention to enter the burgeoning on-demand streaming market instead of simply licensing its products for use by other platforms (think of the Pixar films, for example). It’s also worth taking a closer look at some other providers, and at the packages they currently have on offer.
Now TV – Now TV, for example, is currently attempting to undercut the cable and satellite providers by allowing access to their services, without the need for a long-term contract.
Talk Talk TV Store – Talk Talk TV Store is another platform that offers access to subscription TV services without needing to be tied to a contract. Their reasonably-priced rentals (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story at £4.50 for a month, for example) are able to be streamed across multiple devices for added convenience.
Mubi – Mubi is the streaming service of choice for movie buffs – so for a very reasonable £5.99 per month, users can download anything from its catalogue of classics, indie hits, and foreign-language films.
Wuaki.tv - Wuaki.tv is a Japanese on-demand service provided by the Rakuten company, and it offers Hollywood films, as well as series from channels like HBO.
In conclusion then, the on-demand and over-the-top content boom shows no signs of slowing down – and for this reason, it’s never been so easy for consumers to watch what they want, when they want.
