The Streaming Wars - Vulture
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The Streaming Wars

Just as dramatic as anything you’ll find on TV.

the industry

The Binge Purge

 TV’s streaming model is broken. It’s also not going away. For Hollywood, figuring that out will be a horror show. By Josef Adalian and Lane Brown

Streamer Power Rank

  1. Who’s Winning the Streaming Wars Now? By Josef Adalian
  2. 2022’s Hottest Streamer By Josef Adalian
  3. 2021’s Hottest Streamer By Josef Adalian

More From the Front Lines

  1. buffering
    Let’s Talk About Max’s First WeekAn emergency discussion about the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max.
    By Josef Adalian and Eric Vilas-Boas
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    Squid Game Was Just the StartNetflix’s head of content in Korea takes us inside the service’s massive K-content strategy.
    By Josef Adalian
  3. disney-
    Disney+ Loses 4 Million Subscribers, Prepares to Pull Some ContentMeanwhile, Hulu bossed up and gained subs.
    By Savannah Salazar
  4. the streaming wars
    Warner Bros. Discovery Sues Paramount Over South Park Licensing DealLooks like HBO Max and Paramount+ are fighting.
    By Savannah Salazar
  5. for an extra dollar
    Paramount+ Would Like a Raise, PleaseCombining with Showtime doesn’t come cheap.
    By Savannah Salazar
  6. buffering
    To Hulu or Not Hulu: 4 Big Questions for Disney Right NowPhase Two of Bob Iger’s streaming strategy: Fewer shows, more franchises — and maybe one less platform.
    By Josef Adalian
  7. buffering
    Could Peacock Maybe, Finally, Be Having a Moment?The shows are clicking, but will it be enough for the struggling streamer? Content chief Susan Rovner is betting on it.
    By Josef Adalian
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    What Netflix’s Bela Bajaria Era Means for Hollywood“She needs to keep programming things people watch versus snobby s- - - people don’t.â€
    By Josef Adalian
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    “We Had to Learn Everything Over Againâ€: How FX Survived the Streaming WarsJohn Landgraf on the network’s transition to Hulu, working for Disney, and why peak TV is finally, actually here (really).
    By Josef Adalian
  10. vulture recommends
    The Town Was the Perfect Podcast for the Year Hollywood Went CrazyThe series launched in March and quickly became the watercooler of choice for the streaming wars.
    By Nicholas Quah
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    How Netflix Won Even While It Was LosingIt was a tough year, but the service still produced some of its biggest hits ever. We talk to Netflix’s scripted programming chief all about it.
    By Josef Adalian
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    Little Britain, Big TV: Inside the BBC’s Streaming StrategyThe Beeb’s most popular shows are spread out across American streaming services. That’s by design.
    By Josef Adalian
  13. spotify x myers-briggs
    There’s Just Too Much Spotify WrappedApple Music and YouTube Music are onboard — while Spotify has gone overboard.
    By Justin Curto
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    Three Big Questions About Disney’s Streaming FutureBob Iger’s back. What does that mean for Disney+?
    By Josef Adalian
  15. buffering
    Plenty of Subscribers, Even More Red Ink: A Tale of Two DisneysSubscriber growth alone isn’t enough for Bob Chapek’s Disney.
    By Josef Adalian
  16. back to basic
    We Tried Netflix With Ads and Didn’t Hate ItCommercial breaks during Roma? It could be right for you.
    By Luke Winkie
  17. buffering
    Roku’s ‘Weird’ ScienceFirst dongles. Now an original movie. Next: streaming domination?
    By Josef Adalian
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    HBO’s Big Dragon Bet Paid Off“My No. 1 feeling is relief,†says HBO chief Casey Bloys.
    By Josef Adalian
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    Pluto TV Joins the Big LeaguesAnd other insights from a new Nielsen report.
    By Josef Adalian
  20. buffering
    Netflix Isn’t Out of the Woods YetThe streamer had a good week in an otherwise bad year.
    By Josef Adalian
  21. the streaming wars
    Netflix Isn’t Losing Subscribers AnymoreIt just added 2.4 million, reversing six months of declines.
    By Josef Adalian
  22. buffering
    It’s Time to Start Worrying About PeacockCan the streaming service come back from the dead?
    By Josef Adalian
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    When Broadcast Shows Move to Streaming, Do Viewers Follow?If the show is Thursday Night Football, the answer is yes.
    By Josef Adalian
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    The 7 Biggest Questions the TV Business Has to Answer This FallThis season on the streaming wars: NBC ghosts Hulu, Dancing With Disney+, and ads, ads, ads!
    By Josef Adalian
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    Netflix Averted Disaster. So Now What?A look at the good and not-so-good news lurking in the company’s future.
    By Josef Adalian
  26. password policing
    Netflix’s Password-Sharing Plan Has a Handy LoopholeThe streamer is testing out the new password crackdown in South America this summer.
    By Eric Vilas-Boas and Savannah Salazar
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    Do Emmys Still Matter in the Streaming Wars?They’re not irrelevant, but they’re not all-important either, despite all the hype.
    By Josef Adalian
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    Bad Design, Good Comedies, and Severance: Our TV Critics Rate the Streamers“The homepage is so busy, the search function is awful, and I am not particularly compelled by much of its original programming.â€
    By Josef Adalian
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    How HBO Max Displaced Netflix in Our Streamer Power RankingsEight takeaways on the year in streaming.
    By Josef Adalian
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    14 Hollywood Insiders Reveal Who’s Really Winning the Streaming WarsExecs, agents, producers, and publicists get candid about TV’s new world order.
    By Josef Adalian
  31. the streaming wars
    The Hottest Streamer (Right Now)The top three spots get a shake-up in our annual power ranking.
    By Josef Adalian
  32. the streaming wars
    Netflix to Its Techies: Shut UpTech workers at Netflix thought the company would always value their feedback. How naïve.
    Zoë Schiffer
  33. tough breaks
    We Know a Little Bit More About Netflix’s Advertising PlanPrepare to be interrupted.
    By Eric Vilas-Boas
  34. buffering
    Can Stranger Things Reverse Netflix’s Bad Headlines?The stakes are higher than ever for the show to succeed.
    By Josef Adalian
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    CBS’s Success and the Case for Paramount+Turns out, people love to stream old-fashioned network television.
    By Josef Adalian
  36. buffering
    The Revenge of the Budget StreamersWith Netflix down, the Tubis and Freevees of the world are looking to pounce.
    By Josef Adalian
  37. vertical integration
    Bravo Is Taking Its Reality-TV Empire to PeacockBye-bye, Hulu. Hello, next-day streaming.
    By Bethy Squires
  38. obits
    RIP, CNN+ (March 2022–April 2022)It’s ending two days earlier than announced, just missing a full pay cycle.
    By Devon Ivie
  39. buffering
    Netflix’s Bad Habits Have Caught Up With ItA hard look at what happened to the company, and what will happen next.
    By Josef Adalian
  40. yikes
    Netflix’s Quarterly Report: Bad! Also: Ads?Subscribers are down for the first time in over a decade, and changes may be on the way.
    By Josef Adalian and Eric Vilas-Boas
  41. what’s in a name?
    Um, IMDB TV Is Called Freevee NowNot a Pokémon!
    By Eric Vilas-Boas
  42. digital video
    Netflix Adds Another ThumbThe new feature is already live.
    By Savannah Salazar
  43. disney villains night
    Get Ready for More Dancing With the Stars Disney NightsAiring on Disney+, it’ll be the first live reality series on streaming.
    By Justin Curto
  44. buffering
    The Future of Streaming According to Jason KilarThe departing WarnerMedia CEO talks to us about his HBO Max successes, his competitors, and what he sees next.
    By Josef Adalian
  45. buffering
    CNN+ Has Quibi VibesThe streaming news app isn’t worth the price — at least not yet.
    By Josef Adalian
  46. buffering
    What’s at Stake for the Streamers at the OscarsNo matter what happens, Apple may have already won the season.
    By Josef Adalian
  47. the streaming wars
    Which One of These Never-ending Netflix Dating Shows Is Your Right Match?The streamer announced plans to renew and spin off its shows to no end.
    By Justin Curto
  48. the streaming wars
    YouTube Adds Hours (and Hours, and Hours) of Free Movies and TVWith a hundred more titles to be added weekly.
    By Savannah Salazar
  49. buffering
    Why Commercials Are Coming to the Biggest StreamersHigher subscription rates for some, ads for everyone else.
    By Josef Adalian
  50. streamliner
    Peacock’s New President Is Ready to Take ‘Big Swings’Kelly Campbell tells us about her vision for the streaming service’s future.
    By Josef Adalian
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