The Near-Future of Prestige Television will be on Apple TV+.

The current strike of Hollywood screenwriters is proof of the faulty economics of video streaming. Sadly, I predict that the strike will be a long and cruel one because apparently NO ONE in Hollywood has figured out the mathematics which will pay for the creation of streaming content as it currently exists and bring some sense of fairness to those who create the content. As many have predicted, the time of advertising (even on paid streaming) has been coming for some years as consumers have balked at rapidly increasing fees for their video entertainment. Therefore, it appears that a hybrid of subscription fees and advertising revenues will pay for the party. Also, if you want to see no ads, you will pay a hefty premium for the privilege.

Here in mid-2023, we can safely say that the first “era” of video streaming is over. Video streaming started in earnest on Netflix’s sputtering servers in 2007. But as television watchers have “cut the cord” with Cable TV (more than 50% of US households no longer subscribe to cable), pressure has been mounting on streamers to offer MORE video content for LESS money. The problem has been that much that made the first era of streaming great was paid for by production companies hoping that this new technology was not going to bankrupt them. Needless to say, the hoping is over and the streets of Hollywood are…