For the Star Wars fan community, the wait will soon be over: on 31 March 2020, the brand-new streaming service of US entertainment giant Walt Disney will also be launching in many European countries. That is when the eagerly anticipated space Western series "The Mandalorian" will likewise be available to view on Disney+. The competition is not sleeping, however: on Netflix, for example, the twelfth and last season of cult sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" will start in January. On Amazon's online video store, meanwhile, the popular science fiction series "The Expanse" has just gone into its fourth run. And anyone looking forward to exclusive content featuring Hollywood stars Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston will not want to miss the Apple TV+ streaming service that launched on 1 November.
It is not just worldwide but also at home that the streaming options are continually growing. The Swiss can choose from services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Sky Ticket, Watchbox from RTL and also Teleclub Pay, the European pioneer in subscription television. As already mentioned above, another player is now about to arrive on the domestic market in the shape of Disney+. Not only are the streaming options growing steadily, though, the number of users is also on the up. There is a simple reason for this: films and series can be conveniently viewed on demand at home. According to data from Statista, 2.2 million Swiss people are already consuming videos via Netflix and the like, spending CHFm 120 for the privilege. Projections put the current penetration rate at 25.3%, and experts reckon this will rise to exactly one third by the year 2023. View more information on investment solutions on the topic “Streaming: non-stop good entertainment”.
The ability to enjoy series, shows and films at a time of your choosing has also been an attraction across the world for years. According to a recent study from Market Watch, USDbn 39.6 was spent on the global market for video streaming in 2018 – and the trend is sharply upwards. The volume is already expected to reach USDbn 102.1 in 2023, equivalent to an annual average growth rate of 20.8%. Among the reasons listed by the experts for the strong growth are new business models based on 5G, artificial intelligence and robotics. It is also expected that partnerships between network operators and video streaming providers will increase in the next few years with a view to offering consumers an uninterrupted streaming experience. AT&T is also boarding this train, with its "HBO Max" platform launching in the USA in spring 2020. The library includes untold quantities of Warner Bros films such as the "Harry Potter", "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" series.
Billions are being invested on the way from linear television to self-produced streaming offers. Industry leader Netflix, for instance, is putting about USDbn 15 a year into its own formats. Apple and the Mickey Mouse group are likewise spending huge sums in order to survive in the tough competitive environment. This is set to pay off for them, too: according to the forecast from MoffettNathanson, Disney+ will have about 35.5 million subscribers in 2023. The new service recorded ten million registrations as soon as it launched on 12 November. AT&T likewise has big plans: according to media reports, the company is planning for around 80 million subscribers worldwide by 2025, some 50 million of them in the USA. By comparison, industry leader Netflix reported 158 million members at the end of the third quarter, a figure set to rise to 165 million by the end of the year. According to market researcher IHS Markit, 650 million people across the world will have subscribed to online video services in 2021; in 2016 it was "only" 290 million.
