From Disney to Netflix, the collapse of the streaming lords. Crisis investigation

The market saturated early and has all the characteristics of a mature phase. “The golden age may be over”, writes the NYT. An industry that had created jobs like crazy is now destroying them. And it’s not a passing difficulty

Few innovations have been as destructive in such a short time as streaming. The latest research from Nielsen shows that in the United States, 36 percent of time is spent on entertainment and information via computer or mobile phone compared to 31 percent on cable and 22.8 percent over the air. Hollywood titans are crying hot tears. Traditional media have lost $20 billion since 2020, writes the Wall Street Journal. Consumers were happy (at least until they had to pay), workers much less, many have actually lost their jobs. The writers’ strike that targeted artificial intelligence is actually the manifestation of a more distant and profound unease. But even the powerful overlords of film and television studios have seen their profits plummet. We are talking about Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Comcast and even Disney. Even though they have rushed to take their place in the internet sun, they are unable to break the fall. So, there are losers and winners, as always. But then why did we use the past tense, why do we say streaming was destructive, perhaps because it is no longer? And what will replace it?