New platforms to view television like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime are thriving in this digital age. Not only are these services providing us with known television shows and movies, but they are now creating a large amount of content on their own, and succeeding.
Netflix originals like “Orange Is the New Black” and “House of Cards” are winning esteemed awards and catching the eye of millions of viewers worldwide. An RBC Capital Markets analyst named Mark Mahaney did a survey of Netflix users to see what they are watching. An article on the subject states, “more than half of Netflix viewers say they’ve watched ‘Orange Is the New Black’ and nearly half say they’ve watched ‘House of Cards.’”
Streaming services have also provided a new level of access to the viewers, providing them with tons of content to watch anytime and anywhere. The concept of binge watching is now a large part of television culture, which streaming services offer by allowing viewers to watch as much of any show as they please.
Historically, the culture of television was much different. NBC, ABC and CBS controlled the content provided on television. With only three networks providing content, it was much easier to reach a large audience. Today, we have so many outlets from which to draw content, making it harder to reach that same large audience.
The Hollywood Reporter discussed a study done by E-Poll Market Research that states “the study found consumers seek out programming from more outlets than in the past. A full 71 percent said they have watched full-length streaming programming in the past six months.” This creates a question of how mass media, and the traditional culture of television, is evolving in light of these new platforms. Can we as viewers rely solely on streaming services, or are networks and cable providers necessary for the creation of content?
Television is changing and expanding and this new revolutionized culture can include shows like “Arrested Development,” which could not survive on network television in its time. When this show first started in 2003, people were not responding despite its critical acclaims and brilliant writing. As new ways to consume television have arisen, it was able to find its home on Netflix.
However, Stratechery confirms the current structure of television’s hold in the wake of these changes, “none of these shifts necessarily threatens the TV model; too many people had too many shows that were only available on cable, and the content owners had little incentive to break up a good thing.”
It is important to remember where these streaming services are getting a large portion of the content they are providing. Many of the television shows on these services, including those that are most popular, are shows that originally aired on network television through cable providers.
There is a need for network shows to continue the streaming services’ ability to create original content. Because of this we can see that television culture is expanding to include more devices on which to access content as well as new platforms to consume content. Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, in turn, are enhancing the television experience rather than pushing out the traditional one.
Yes, streaming services are creating excellent content with strong writing but what would Netflix be if you could not go there to watch “Breaking Bad” or “Parks and Recreation?” Where would you go, other than Hulu, to watch “Community” or “Inside Amy Schumer?” These streaming services make watching TV better, and in all honesty, much more fun, but there will always be a need for the traditional structure.