It is not just the National Basketball Association that is trying to arrest viewers for Christmas this year. Three of the major streaming services are launching new, high-budget content on their platforms, two of which were due to hit theaters exclusively earlier this year, before the pandemic made studios strive to reinvent their models to the new normal.
- Walt Disneyin (NYSE: DIS) Disney + is launching Pixar’s Soul.
- Wonder Woman 1984 will be available in ATTin (NYSE: T) HBO Max.
- Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) is presenting Bridgerton, the first series by the Shonda Rhimes producer.
You don’t need to look for any Christmas present in your sock. Just turn on your TV. The main streaming services are not kidding these days.
Image source: Getty Images.
Streaming a Wi-Fi Christmas
Disney, AT&T and Netflix are not tearing up rival manual pages on Friday. They are drawing new pieces in the sand.
Disney hasn’t had a domestic theatrical release since Pixar Forward he was unfortunate enough to hit the silver screen two weekends before the multiplex industry disappeared in mid-March due to the pandemic. He postponed the release date of the next films to 2021 or took the low-profile films directly to Disney + this year.
The only exception was the live-action restart of the Mulan who chose to make a premium digital offer, with Disney + subscribers paying $ 30 for the right to access the film three months before arriving on the platform earlier this month. Soul will be offered to Disney + subscribers at no additional cost.
AT & T’s WarnerMedia will launch Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max the same day it hits theaters. It is not charging HBO Max subscribers a premium in addition to their existing subscriptions. It’s a big bet, and with Warner Bros. AT&T’s commitment to do this with its entire 2021 release list, will have to pay significantly.
Finally, we have Netflix. It has been three years since he signed a contract with Rhimes’ Shondaland, the producer behind several ABC successes, including Grey’s Anatomy and How to escape murder. Bridgerton it is a period piece with a modern approach to the roles of race and gender. It’s an entire series, but as Netflix makes entire seasons available at the same time (unlike Disney + and HBO Max, who prefer weekly episodes from their most popular shows), many Rhimes fans will watch all episodes over the weekend.
Of course, it makes sense. Christmas is typically a great time for movies, attractive for family reunions and with studios trying to make a splash at the end of the year with the Oscars. This year will be different. There are still a few films debuting only in the multiplex this holiday weekend, but the streaming releases will generate a larger audience.
The game has changed for media stocks and the viewers they need to entertain. This is a very unusual year, but the streaming platforms and prolific Christmas day releases are here to stay.