Tuesday, December 20, 2022

The Golden Age of Streaming Movies and Television Really Is Over, Isn't it?

It used to be all the streaming services were flush were cash. We joked there were too many, but a few obvious flops aside many seemed to be doing fine. Tons of shows were greenlit and given a bunch of money for their budget. Even if a show wasn't that popular it seemed to keep chugging along. We were swimming in content. Not anymore. The Golden Age is done.

HBO MAX is canceling stuff and then pulling it off the app with a bloodthirsty style that astounds. Netflix canned a ton of beloved shows even if they had decent viewership, only keeping the biggest hits around. Other streamers are reporting losses and plans for cost-saving measures. Shows get renewed, then after the costs is double-checked they end up suddenly canceled. Unless you're a major property like Marvel, Star Wars, or a Taylor Sheridan western-style show you really need to be wary of your days being numbered.

Perhaps we were spoiled by the boon of movies and shows. Maybe we should've heeded the warnings of people hoarding their VHS tapes and DVD box sets when they told us streaming was unreliable and something could be yanked off of a site at any moment to no longer be easily available to view. It is also possible that the streamers are to blame to some degree too for operating with a laissez-faire attitude about their money. Whatever the case, an era has ended and now we just have our memories and a good deal of great shows--before they possibly get taken down for tax cuts.

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