How Netflix, Disney+ and other streaming giants are changing to stop Brits canceling orders amid cost of living crisis | Tech News

From £25m per episode for the latest season of Stranger Things to more than £380m for The Ring of Thrones premiere, budgets have been dizzying for a year as streaming services vie for our attention.

But while there’s never been so much blockbuster content to watch, living cost The crisis means more and more families can spend as little as never before.

According to Kantar Worldpanel research, nearly one million UK households have given up on streaming services since the start of the year – meaning they don’t even have an active subscription.

on the platform from Netflix arrive Amazon affiliate Announcing a price increase in 2022, Google Search Trends shows a year-over-year surge in the number of people looking for “how to cancel” subscriptions.

Sky News spoke to industry experts on how streaming services could capture our attention in 2023.

This image released by Amazon Studios shows Morfydd Clark in a scene "The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Might." (Amazon Studios via AP)
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Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power Is Amazon’s Huge Investment

custom subscription

Despite the increase in cancellations, most households still have at least one active streaming subscription, but the calm days when most of us have a bunch of subscriptions at once may be numbered.

“The all-you-can-eat model that has served this space so well is starting to be questioned,” said Oscar Wall, European managing director of Recurly, which works with the likes of Paramount+ and Twitch.

“If you have Netflix, Amazon, Disney and you only watch two or three shows from each, you start to feel like you’re paying £100 a month for all these services, are you really getting value for £100?”

The answer may be to siphon content into separate subscriptions, such as the Star Wars-only Disney+ tier.

Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Lucasfilm's ANDOR, only on Disney+.  ..2022 Lucasfilm Ltd & TM Value. all rights reserved.
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Andor is just one of Disney’s Star Wars shows this year

less user privacy

Another way to offer cheaper deals is through advertising.

After years of treating them as taboo, both Netflix and Disney+ are ending their ad-supported tiers in 2022 (Not a good start for the former though).

More than 100 brands have signed on and will target customers by region, age and gender, Disney advertising president Rita Ferro told Reuters.

Until now, streaming services have used our data to make recommendations and inform their content lineups, but advertising means that – like social media – it’s more likely to end up in the hands of third parties.

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Embrace NFTs

Love ’em or hate ’em, NFTs – essentially the idea of ​​owning a unique digital product, Virtual clothing like a piece of art or an avatar – has become a big part of the online discussion this year.

Martin Warner, chief executive of independent streaming service Flix Premiere, sees them as having a role to play in his industry, likening them to post-ride gift shops at theme parks.

“Whether it’s a script, a director’s cut or a set of production stills – it can be a great place to go to align with TV and film and foster a sense of community on your platform,” he told Sky News.

“I bet Disney would absolutely do that.”

House of the Dragon, Game of Thrones prequel.Image: Sky Atlantic
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House of the Dragon was one of the most expensive TV shows of the year

end binge mode

The early days of Netflix completely changed the way we consume TV shows, which can now be devoured in an afternoon instead of waiting week after week.

But whether it’s Amazon’s Lord of the Rings or Disney’s Marvel series, weekly viewing is back in vogue — and Netflix’s attempt to combine “Stranger Things” with its Harry and Meghan Documentary Series into chunks.

“It felt like a test to separate this season of Stranger Things,” said David Ingham, head of media, entertainment and sports at consulting firm Cognizant.

“They don’t want you to sign up, binge, leave — I think they want it to keep people there.”

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bundle returns

Bundling services has been a tried and true concept for years — just like one company handles your phone line, internet, and major TV packages.

Streaming services could explore their own unique bundling opportunities in the year ahead, Mr Wall said

“It could be content plus passes to theme parks, credits for buying movies at movie theaters, things like that,” he said.

Another bundling option is to include password-sharing rights, which Netflix is ​​reportedly poised to crack down on in 2023—perhaps charging extra for the privilege.

Meanwhile, Google has struck a $2bn (£1.7bn)-a-year deal with the NFL to stream live games through YouTube TV, including as an “add-on” bundled subscription. Expect Big Tech to continue chasing sports rights this year.

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