During the third quarter of 2017, 405,000 US subscribers cut the cord with cable or satellite in favour of streaming services, according to Leichtman Research Group, nearly double last year’s rate. The largest American cable operator, Comcast, lost 126,000 subscribers, while DirecTV lost 251,000 and DishNetwork lost 224,000.
As most customers opt for streaming services, providers are increasingly seeking ways to gain subscribers. Several companies have big plans.
Lets look at the new state of play by the numbers:
4: The number of Central European countries that now have access to HBO Go. The subscription price varies by nation, but includes the entire HBO library of series as well as HBO Europe original programming. This is the first time HBO has launched a streaming service to complement its European TV channels. “The launch of HBO Go direct to consumers in Central Europe is a natural step for us after successful launches of HBO streaming services in Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland,” Hervé Payan, CEO of HBO Europe, said. Sources: Variety and MSN
Nothing: The amount Amazon reportedly will charge for an ad-supported streaming service, according to AdAge. Amazon, according to the report, is in talks with media companies and movie studios to produce content. The service would be offered in addition to Amazon Prime, which costs $99 annually. Prime has more than 80 million subscribers. This isn’t the first time, however, that Amazon was rumored to be working on a free service. The first time was in 2014. Sources: Tech Crunch and PC Mag
$150 million: The production costs for the first season of Amazon’s Lord of the Rings series. This is in addition to the $200 million paid for the rights that includes a potential spin-off. The series will be a prequel to the first Lord of the Rings novel. The war shown in the film triology will not be presented in the series. “We are delighted that Amazon, with its longstanding commitment to literature, is the home of the first-ever multi-season television series for The Lord of the Rings”, a Tolkien estate representative said. Sources: Rolling Stone and Daily Mail
$300 million: The amount Disney’s yet-to-launch streaming service will receive after 2018 when Disney and Pixar films are removed from Netflix. In addition, Disney’s service will host a Star Wars series. Industry experts question whether Netflix will be hurt with the loss of Disney and Pixar films from its catalogue. The company’s stock prices dropped when the loss of the films was announced, and $9.99 a month might not seem reasonable anymore. Netflix, however, isn’t worried. It aims to make half its catalogue original content by 2019. Sources: The Verge and IGN
$50: The price for which Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday shoppers could purchase the Roku Streaming Stick Plus for, a $20 savings. The device is CNET’s highest-rated streaming device of the year. Meanwhile, Roku recently partnered with Phillips to offer Roku TV operating systems. Phillips is the seventh smart-TV manufacturer to partner with Roku. Sources: Digital Trends and CNET.
Top photo © GettyImages / JGalione
