A lot has changed over the past two decades, and if you ask most people, there’d be strong arguments on both sides about whether things have gotten better or worse when it comes to products and services in the tech space. One of the early highlights, though, came from digital marketplaces and streaming services.
They provided easy access to movies, music, and even books at affordable prices, so it’s easy to understand why they were so dominant. While it looked like this would go on forever, content became fragmented and the prices started to rise. Now folks aren’t as quick to subscribe when there’s less value.
Rising costs makes it harder to justify
Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, and many other services are struggling. It used to be a no-brainer to plop your money down and get access to exactly what you needed. But now, it’s a juggling act, with some shows on one service, and other movies on another. People simply can’t afford to keep it all going at one time.
Despite brands like Netflix adding exclusives and extra perks like access to games, it just isn’t enough. So, it’s only natural that there would be discussions on how to keep users interested by adding something new. The Wall Street Journal discusses how Netflix is exploring the idea of adding live channels in order to boost engagement (via Android Authority).
Now, this might not necessarily be as simple as adding live TV services, but could also include dedicated channels that run content 24/7. As you can imagine, this could be quite lucrative for the company, not only from an engagement perspective, but the brand could also inject ads into these channels just like regular broadcast TV.
There’s also word that Netflix could even begin offering rival services through its own app, similar to what it’s competitors have been doing already for quite some time. It’s easy to see where things are going in the streaming space, and for the most part, things aren’t going to get better.
Over the past year, we’ve Fox acquire Roku and even a major merger with Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery. So, we know that going forward, things could get quite fierce. Legacy services and retailers had to adapt when Netflix started to get its footing, and now Netflix is having to do the same in order to retain or even gain customers.
It’s hard to tell just how long Netflix, and other competitors can keep this going. I love streaming media, and while the landscape is complex in 2026, I have a feeling that it is going to get even more convoluted in the future.
