In many ways, the year 2020 was the year of streaming. With movie theaters closed, concerts canceled, Broadway shut down, and pretty much no forms of entertainment available outside of our homes, streaming services have had their biggest year to date. So as we start a new year, let’s see where everyone stands, as we count off the top five streaming services currently “winning” the streaming wars. Get latest streaming updates at cmsmd.
(Note – the ranking is attempting to be as objective as possible as your personal tastes will dictate your own personal raking. If you love horror movies, then Shudder is your favorite streaming service. If you watch everything Star Trek, then CBS All Access is in your personal top five.)
5. Hulu – While Hulu was once a safe number two choice behind Netflix, it’s taken a tumble in the rankings this year. While Hulu has invested in original content and even had some hit shows and movies, Hulu has always relied on being able to provide shows from other channels on demand, and all in one place, as their biggest appeal. songsforromance Provides you all the information before other one. With a large portion of the tv industry delaying, pausing or outright canceling shows as a result of the pandemic, Hulu hasn’t had as many things to offer this year as they have in years past. Still, name recognition counts for something, and Hulu still has a name that allows it to remain on the list. It helps that Hulu was able to close out the year with one of the few “new” holiday movies to really capture the public’s attention with Happiest Season. You get more information about top 5 OTT platform in 2020 here touroftoowoomba .
4. YouTube – Quibi launched this year with a promise to be a new kind of streaming platform. A streaming platform with quick, high quality videos and content that you could watch on the go, standing in line, or anywhere you wanted all on your phone. Six months later, Quibi shut down thants to a resounding response from the world that YouTube was just taking care of that just fine. While YouTube’s premium content has been scaled way back, with their highest profile scripted show, Cobra Kai, being moved to Netflix last year, YouTube is still the place to go for the quick, buzzy views that Quibi was promising. While YouTube is a different type of streaming service than everyone else here, it’s impossible to deny how much time everyone spent watching YouTube this year, as much as any other streaming service.
3. HBO Max – With a rather confusing launch, a higher price tag than most of its competitors, and a public dispute that kept it from appearing on Roku for several months, HBO Max didn’t come out of the gate looking like it had much hope of succeeding in an overcrowded market. It made it onto the final list for one reason only. Last month, Warner Bros, announced that every major blockbuster they released in 2021 would stream on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters for no extra charge. This was an announcement that could very well come back to bite Warner Bros. as several filmmakers have publicly voiced their displeasure at this decision, and as of this writing, it’s not clear if Warner Bros will legally be able to do this with every title that was promised in the announcement video. If this doesn’t work, it could signal a long and painful road for Warner Bros as they’ve burnt up a lot of good will trying to make HBO Max a big success, but it’s a big swing, and one that is worth keeping your eye on.
2. Disney+ – A year ago, the biggest complaint against Disney+ was that it was an entire streaming service that everyone subscribed to for one show. Once you were done with The Mandalorian, there wasn’t anything new to watch. First of all that sentiment isn’t giving The Mandalorian the credit it deserves. With Game of Thrones over, and The Mandalorian being released weekly instead of all the episodes being dropped at once, this is likely the only show left that the entire country is watching together anymore. But if one show wasn’t enough for you, Disney has announced a massive influx of content scheduled to hit the streaming service over the next few years. With over twenty titles announced from either Star Wars or Marvel, Disney+ is vying to be a must have service. This doesn’t even touch on the dozen or so other projects that were announced for the service that got drowned out in all of the talk about Marvel and Star Wars. Disney+ is already announced a more successful first year than the company had anticipated, and it looks like they’re ready to put the time and resources into making their streaming service a top contender. For more upcoming releases on Disney+ Visit at digitalinnovationshow .
1. Netflix – The eight hundred pound gorilla in the room is still the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room. As much as every other streaming service wants to be in the public’s eye, this year still proved that Netflix is the undisputed king of the mountain when it comes to streaming. Even in a year where television productions were shut down, Netflix still managed to have an onslaught of content, more than you could ever hope to keep up with. Multiple times this year, Netflix was the home of the show everyone was binging from Tiger King to Love is Blind to The Queen’s Gambit. Netflix is still the place that many people default to when they’re looking for something to binge or pass the time by.
Streaming services that didn’t make the top five that might in 2021
Peacock – NBC’s streaming service doesn’t have a ton of original content going for it, but starting in 2021, it will be the only place you can stream episodes of The Office. The Office has long been the most watched show on Netflix, so we’ll see if people are willing to download a new service (and pay a subscription fee if they want to see seasons 3-9) just to get to keep watching The Office.
Amazon – Amazon’s biggest moment in 2020 was getting to premiere the unexpected sequel to Borat, but 2021 is a different matter. Amazon’s billion dollar answer to Game of Thrones, a mega budget Lord of the Rings TV show is scheduled to debut at some point in 2021. It’s one of the most anticipated TV shows of the year and could potentially care the entire streaming service on it’s shoulders onto the top five list.
Apple+ – With only original content available, Apple+ has had a slow start. It seemed like the handful of original shows weren’t enough for most people to consider adding another streaming service. However, bit by bit, Apple+ shows are starting to generate buzz, and with another year to start to build a library, and one or two mega hits to capture the cultural zeitgeist, and Apple+ could be sitting in the top five list this time next year.
