\n<\/p>\n
We\u2019re at a transitional moment in streaming \u2014 user growth is slowing and major players are looking to consolidate<\/a>, but the long-promised dream of profitability finally seems within reach<\/a> (especially if you\u2019re Netflix<\/a>).<\/p>\n The perfect time, then, for The New York Times to interview many of the industry\u2019s big names<\/a> \u2014 including Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Amazon\u2019s Prime Video head Mike Hopkins, and IAC chairman Barry Diller \u2014 about what they think comes next.<\/p>\n There seemed to be broad agreement on most of the big themes: More ads, higher prices, and fewer big swings on prestige TV. These changes are all united by the shift towards profitability, rather than growth-at-all-costs. If the initial prices of many streaming services seemed unsustainably low at launch, it turns out they were \u2014 prices have been steadily rising, while the streamers have also introduced more affordable subscription tiers for viewers who are willing to watch ads.<\/p>\n In fact, some execs told The Times that streamers will keep raising prices for the ad-free tiers with the aim of pushing more customers to sign up for ad-supported subscriptions instead.<\/p>\n The growth of ad-supported streaming could also affect the kinds of movies and shows that get produced, since advertisers generally want to reach a mass audience \u2014 think of the heyday of ad-supported network TV, with its endless shows about doctors and cops, compared to the more ambitious fare on subscription-supported HBO.<\/p>\n That shift is already underway in streaming, though executives insist they\u2019re not abandoning their hopes of finding the next \u201cSopranos\u201d or \u201cHouse of Cards.\u201d Sarandos (who\u2019s already been backing away<\/a> from his decade-old boast that he wanted Netflix \u201cto become HBO before HBO could become us\u201d) said Netflix can \u201cdo prestige TV at scale,\u201d but added, \u201cWe don\u2019t only do prestige.\u201d<\/p>\n Similarly, Hopkins said that at Prime Video, \u201cprocedurals and other tried and true formats do well for us, but we also need big swings that have customers saying \u2018Wow, I can\u2019t believe that just happened\u2019 and will have people telling their friends.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Other not-too-surprising predictions include greater investment in live sports (\u201cthe simplest and most interesting thing,\u201d according to Warner Bros. Discovery board member John Malone), more bundling, and either the shutdown or merger of some existing services. Apparently there was consensus among the executives that streamers need at least 200 million subscribers to be \u201cbig enough to compete,\u201d as former Disney CEO Bob Chapek put it.<\/p>\n Some of those changes would be welcome, but they reinforce the sense that streaming \u2014 at least as envisioned by the executives currently running the business \u2014 won\u2019t be all that different from the old cable TV ecosystem. Some things will be better (on-demand viewing), some will be worse (compensation for writers, actors, and other talent<\/a>), and there might be different players at the top. But in many ways, it will feel like the same old TV.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n