How will the streaming wars end? With cable TV, all over again

In today’s Big Story Podcast, you’ve probably noticed there are a lot of streaming platforms available these days. There are the traditional big players like Netflix, Amazon and Apple. There’s Disney, with decades of family content, as well as superheroes and Star Wars. But there are also streaming platforms that cater to … everything: Horror films, British TV, Major League Soccer, professional tennis, theatrical performances, documentaries, influential classic films and the list goes on.

All of those cost money. Add ’em up and you have something approaching or exceeding a traditional cable bill. So it’s not serving most consumers well, and the streamers are currently struggling to gain market share, which is contributing to the cancellation of expensive projects and now, a push to introduce advertising.

Angela Watercutter is a senior editor at WIRED. She says even watching live sports, the sole reason why many people retain their cable subscriptions, has become a pain in the streaming era.

“If you want to be able to watch everything … you need this package and that bundle, even just within one league of one sport, in one geographic area,” says Watercutter.

Add all that up, and what does the future of streaming look like to you? And does it work for anyone?

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.

You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.