On Wednesday,Netflixshared itsspecific plansto crack down on password sharing. When the plan takes effect, users will need to identify a primary location for their account, and all devices will need to connect to the owner’s home wi-fi network at least once a month. If they don’t, they will be blocked and need to contact Netflix to get things back to normal. (It’s worth noting that these new rules were posted to Netflix’sHelp Center, but have alreadybeen removed, so the streamer may be reconsidering its plans or may not be ready to go public with them.)
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It’s difficult to imagine a future for streaming that doesn’t involve some amount of consolidation. I don’t mean that the businesses behind those services will consolidate — I doubt NBCUniversal and Paramount or Netflix and HBO will merge anytime soon. Instead, it’s likely we’re nearing the end of the era in which each media company attempts to run a streaming service, and we’re certainly nearing the end of the era in which each produces its own original content.
That was always untenable. It makes sense for media giants like Disney, or for niche services like the Criterion Channel to offer streaming services. It makes less sense for companies with less devoted fans to expect viewers to pay up quarter after quarter. The expansion of streaming from one or two sites into dozens has meant that consumers are paying for their services in different ways. We rarely keep a service indefinitely, instead picking it up when there’s something we want to watch and letting it drop when there isn’t.
In 2023, streaming is clearly here to stay. In some shape or form, it is the present and future of home video. But, individual streaming services? Their days are numbered.
