What are top streaming services wishing for this holiday?
What are top streaming services wishing for this holiday?
Visions of mergers and more are dancing in the heads of streaming executives this Christmas.
Do streaming executives see visions of sugar plums in their holiday dreams? Or are they wishing for something a little more valuable financially? As every streamer reflects on 2024 and looks ahead to 2025, we’ll lay out one thing each major service should be wishing for as they head into the new year.
What should streamers be wishing for this holiday season?
Netflix: Solve live streaming woes once and for all
Netflix is essentially the undisputed ruler of the streaming world when it comes to customer numbers, but it still hasn’t solved all the issues that come along with live streaming giant events. The issues viewers experienced when trying to stream the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight in November is proof enough of that.
The Paul vs. Tyson fight was not the first live event Netflix has tried to offer, nor was it the first live program the streamer had problems with. Netflix will begin streaming “WWE Raw” live each week in 2025, and it has to get its live streaming technical issues under control if it wants to maintain a sterling reputation with subscribers.
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”
Disney+: Continue streamlining
Disney+ saw a lot of transformation in 2024, with the company moving behind the scenes to truly make it the flagship streaming app. Hulu content became available on Disney+ early in the year, and select live sports programming from ESPN+ joined the streamer in December.
Disney should continue to try to make as much of its content available on Disney+ as it can, making the streamer a one-stop destination for customers. The more indispensable the company can make the service, the more likely it is that viewers will be unable to cancel it, even if the price increases yet again.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”
Hulu: Finish being bought by Disney
For months now, Disney and Comcast have been stuck trying to determine the final valuation of Hulu. In fact, the talks have been taken out of the two companies’ hands entirely. The dispute settles from a 2019 contractual agreement that Disney must buy out Comcast’s stake in Hulu by 2024, for a minimum of around $9 billion.
The independent bankers enlisted by Disney and Comcast to settle on Hulu’s value have also been unable to agree, leaving a third banker stuck with the task of determining how much more (if any) Disney owes Comcast after writing an $8.6 billion check to the company a year ago.
Leaked data suggests that Hulu accounts for a large portion of Disney’s streaming revenue, and there’s a good chance it will end up owing Comcast for the last outstanding stake in the streamer. Still, it would behoove the House of Mouse to have the transaction over and done with sooner rather than later.
Hulu
Hulu is a video streaming service that gives access to thousands of full seasons of exclusive series, hit movies, kids shows, and Hulu Originals like “Only Murders in the Building,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Prime Video: Add more subscriptions
Prime Video had some big wins in 2024, most notably its acquisition of a package of NBA rights. If there’s one hole on the Prime Video platform, however, it’s the notable absence of streamers like Netflix and Disney+ in its subscription store.
Having additional streamers like AMC+, Max, Paramount+, and others allows Prime Video subscribers to aggregate their streaming bills in one place. Streaming customers are desperate for further aggregation to cut down on confusion, and Prime Video can do its part by adding more of these top services to its subscriptions section, which will no doubt attract more customers who are hungry for a more simplified streaming experience.
Prime Video
Prime Video is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 10,000+ movies, TV shows, and Prime Originals like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” “Jack Ryan,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Boys,” and more. Subscribers can also add third-party services like Max, Showtime, STARZ, and dozens more with Prime Video Channels. Prime Video also offers exclusive live access to NFL Thursday Night Football.
Max: Right the ship
Warner Bros. Discovery started 2024 with a bang, announcing it had netted a $103 million profit from its direct-to-consumer segment in the fourth quarter of 2023. But profits have been harder to come by over 2024, and Max is still trying to find consistency in that regard.
The company announced in December that it was splitting up its linear networks and its streaming arm, separating them into to different entities that could pursue their goals independently. This could help WBD develop Max into a profit machine, but only if it makes the right steps with the streamer in 2025.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library and exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Within HBO Max, B/R Sports allows users to watch live NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.
Paramount+: Complete merger with Skydance successfully
Paramount Global’s efforts to find a merger partner in 2024 culminated in a deal with Skydance Media that will see Skydance acquire National Amusements Inc., the holding company that owns most of Paramount’s voting stock. Then, Skydance and Paramount will be combined into a single company.
The two are hoping to have their merger completed in the first half of 2025, but as per usual with transactions of this size, there are objections to work through. The merger has been hit with multiple lawsuits and complaints from advocacy groups, and though none of these challenges stands a good chance of derailing the merger, there’s no doubt Paramount would like to have the cases wrapped up in short order so it can move ahead.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and more. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
Paramount+ includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.
Peacock: Show a profit
Things are mostly pointed upward for Peacock. The streamer is continuing to add subscribers, and will welcome a package of NBA regular season and playoff games starting in 2025. There is still one key goal the streamer hasn’t hit that many other streamers have, at least for one quarter in 2024: profitability.
Peacock is still trying to narrow its losses. It brought in $1.5 billion in revenue during the third quarter of 2024, a year-over-year increase of 82%. Its net loss during that quarter was $436 million, which is less than the year-ago quarter, but shows the streamer still has some work to do before it can call itself profitable.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” “The Office,” and original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports and NBC programming, including the NFL, MLB, WWE, the Olympics, the Premier League, NASCAR, the French Open, college football and basketball, and the PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.