Television as we have known it is probably coming to an end. In fact, over the past few years, subscription streaming services have begun to supplant traditional television, and the reason is simple: you get to decide what to watch, whether to have ads or not. The winners are the likes of Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus, Disney, and others, which have been hugely successful because there is something for everyone.

It’s like going grocery shopping: the most popular streaming services are Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, Apple TV, which are very generalist and offer the best and worst programs, often with rushed storylines and unbearable music that flood the productions, with a few shows and movies that are of high quality. And then there is the high-end of streaming, Paramount Plus, Disney, and HBO, which relies on the Warner catalogue. What sets these services apart is both the quality and the vast stock of films and shows available.

It is worth noting that subscribers to these subscription services do not hesitate to switch from one service to another, making it very difficult to know the typical user profile, except perhaps for Paramount+, which offers CBS News, whose journalistic quality is rather high-end, with quality news coverage, perfect sound, and beautiful lighting.

Some grumblers may despair at this situation, but in reality, it allows everyone to find their favorite program based on their sociological, cultural, philosophical, or political preferences.

Another new development in the US is that Google TV will soon offer more than 800 free streaming channels, with Google TV available on many modern televisions and for Google Fi subscribers. It is likely to become the largest streaming provider, difficult to be more generalist. You can read more about it here. It is available on the following TV brands and Android smartphones: Hisense, Sony, Philipps, TCL, and of course, Google Chromecast devices.

Thierry De Clemensat

Editor in Chief

13/04/2023