The rise of online television streaming services is the biggest trend in the entertainment industry. At the forefront of this revolution is Netflix. Variety reported that the entertainment company caused U.S television viewing to drop by 50 percent in 2015 (Spangler, 2016). It boasts of up to 80 million users in over 200 countries across the globe, competing with entertainment giants such as 21st Century Fox and Time Warner (Ingram, 2017). However, Netflix is not alone in this movement- following closely behind are several competitors, notably Hulu, Apple, Sony, and Amazon. This essay compares the video-on-demand, DVD rental capacity, gaming, and device support services of Netflix against these four competitors in terms of traditional and online purchasing processes.
Netflix and Amazon offer DVD rental services unlike Apple, Sony and Hulu (Urban Pixels, n.d.). As such these two have combined traditional services with their online content while the rest concentrate on online streaming. In terms of device support, all five companies support a variety of devices. Netflix and Hulu are the clear favorites as they provide their services on almost all devices (Waniata, 2017). Additionally, Netflix is even onboard many cable boxes, now a traditional medium in television. Amazon is a bit restrictive in terms of device support as streaming services are not supported on Chromecast and a number of Android devices while Sony is the most versatile as it streams on Apple and Amazon devices. Apple is the most restrictive as it streamlines its services on Apple devices and selects the type of content that can be streamed on other devices. It is clear that majority of these companies support one or two traditional means such as blue-ray, cable box, and AV receiver.
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In terms of video-on-demand, all five companies prefer online platforms to deliver their services. However, unlike Netflix, majority of its competitors include several additional traditional and online features. Sony is very versatile as it allows for the streaming of all its competitors’ content across its devices as well as radio channels and music (Sony Corporation, 2017). Amazon Prime pairs its streaming membership with free shipping of products and music streaming while Apple allows for streaming of music via iTunes. Only Sony and Netflix have gaming services on their platform. However, while Netflix only allows for online streaming of games, Sony supports the traditional gaming through its PlayStation consoles.
- Ingram, M. (2017). Netflix Is Winning the Streaming Race—But for How Long?. Fortune.com. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2017/03/10/netflix-video-streaming-market/
- Sony Corporation. (2017). Sony Entertainment Network | Internet TV Apps & Services | Sony US. Sony.com. Retrieved from https://www.sony.com/electronics/sony-entertainment-network
- Spangler, T. (2016). Netflix Caused 50% of U.S. TV Viewing Drop in 2015 (Study). Variety. Retrieved from http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/netflix-tv-ratings-decline-2015-1201721672/
- Urban Pixels. (n.d.). Can I Stream.It?: Search Netflix, Hulu, Google Play, iTunes, and more, for movies to stream instantly, rent, and buy.. CanIStream.It. Retrieved from http://www.canistream.it
- Waniata, R. (2017). Netflix vs. Hulu vs. Amazon Prime Instant Video. Digital Trends. Retrieved from https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/netflix-vs-hulu-plus-vs-amazon-instant-video/
