Let the Streaming War Begin

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Will Netflix be able to fight off the younger networks? Can Disney maintain its crown? Will Home Box Office (HBO) fade away like Blockbuster and other forms of past entertainment?

Riley Kasprzyk, Staff Writer

The entertainment market will be flooded with various streaming services in 2020. With a plethora of available options, consumers may find choosing the right one challenging.  Streaming services vary when it comes to the range of available content, from different genres to the age ranges. Three of the most prominent streaming services that will define the future of entertainment for at least the next century.

Disney +, released on November 12th, 2019, is the most recent streaming service to be released in the coming flood of platforms. Disney+ offers a variety of content for all ages, from franchises such as Disney, Pixar, National Geographic, Marvel, and Star Wars. In its first few months, it already has an impressive collection of originals. These original shows and movies include “The Mandalorian,” “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” a live-action remake of “The Lady and the Tramp,” “Diary of a Future President,” “Togo,” “Star Wars the Clone Wars the Final Season,” and “The World According to Jeff Goldblum. Later in the year, this young streaming service will add many more original series to its legendary vault. These include second seasons for both “The Mandalorian” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” “The Phineas and Ferb Movie: Candace Against the Universe,” “Lamp Life,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and “WandaVision.” In terms of pricing, Disney+ is on the lower end of the scale. For one month, Disney+ costs $6.99, and for an entire year of the service, it will cost $69.99. However, Disney+ can be bought in a bundle alongside Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99 a month, and $18.99 for a year. With a lower price and a quickly-expanding library of content for all ages, Disney+ may be a force to be reckoned with in the streaming market.

While Disney+ maybe a promising newcomer to the streaming industry, how will it compare to the original streaming service, Netflix? The company first introduced its streaming service of the same name in 2010. Netflix may be an appealing option, as it has an extensive of originals, produced both in-house and out-of-house. Some of the Oscar-nominated original movies include “Roma,” “Marriage Story,” “The Irishman,” “The Two Popes,” and “On Body and Soul.” Meanwhile, some of their original shows include “Stranger Things,” “Orange Is the New Black,” “House of Cards,” “My Hero Academia,” “Daredevil,” “The Witcher,” and “Castlevania.” In terms of pricing, Netflix is a little more complicated than other services. Netflix has three different plans: Basic, Standard, and Premium. Netflix’s Basic Plan allows you to watch unlimited movies and television shows for $7.99 a month, however, you will only be able to watch on one screen at a time. Netflix’s Standard Plan is $9.99, but it grants one the luxury of being able to watch unlimited movies on two screens in HD. Finally, Netflix’s Premium Plan allows for the use of four screens to be used at a time in ultra HD quality.

While it may not be out yet, WarnerMedia’s streaming service, HBO Max, is set to release in May 2020. While fewer details are known about the service compared to the previous two, that is not to say we know nothing. For starters, HBO Max will still have all the content that HBO currently has, including “Game of Thrones,” “Westworld,” “Silicon Valley,” and Watchmen.” Additional originals that have been revealed for the service include a reboot of the series “Gossip Girl,” “Adventure Time: Distant Lands,” “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai,” “Grease: Rydell High,” “Green Lantern,” “Raised by Wolves,” and “Strange Adventures.” Other shows and movies HBO Max will have are “Sesame Street,” “Looney Toons”, “Rick and Morty,” “South Park,” various Hanna-Barbera cartoons, a collection of DC extended universe films, the “Hobbit” trilogy, and the “Matrix” trilogy. While it may have a lot of content, that content comes at a price. With pricing of $14.99 a month, HBO Max will be the most expensive streaming service on the market.