How Has Streaming Services Changed Movie Watching
Whereas once you had to wait for your rental DVDs to be sent through the post to watch your favorite movies, streaming services have revolutionized how we access and watch chick flicks on movie night. To find out more about Netflix’s influence and its impact on movie production and theaters, read on.
Home Theaters
Rather than heading to the movie theater to watch the latest flick, more people are now choosing to wait until this movie is placed on their preferred streaming service, allowing the movie to come within the cost of their monthly bill for Netflix or Amazon Prime. Not only this, but streaming services have made it easier than ever to set up a movie night at home, with a wide selection of movies to suit every mood and preference at your fingertips. Most streaming services also offer their movies in HD, allowing you to access the theater effect. You can find out how to make your own movie theater at home on Money Crashers.
The influence of streaming services over movies has only increased with theater closure during the coronavirus pandemic. With going to the cinema off the cards, Disney +, a relatively new streaming service, chose to place one of their most anticipated movies of the year, Mulan, behind a paywall on their streaming website. This could forever change the cinematic game, with more companies now considering whether straight-to-streaming is a viable option for the future, rather than allowing movies to go exclusively to cinemas first. If you have Disney + and you are unsure about the next movie that you want to watch, Cash Lady’s comparison of Disney and Pixar to find the best must-see movies that are available on their relatively new service.
Access Anywhere
Once, you had to sit down in front of the television in order to watch your favorite movie outside of the theater. However, the evolution of streaming services now means that you can access any movie at any time, as long as it is offered by a streaming service that you pay for. Many channels have mobile applications that allow you to watch on a portable device, and some channels even allow you to download these movies onto your device. This can enable you to watch them even when you have no internet access.
Battle of the Streaming Services
Although once your choice of streaming service was Netflix and Netflix only, more and more companies have now seen the light in terms of streaming. There are many specialist channels for different types of movies, such as the Criterion Channel, which offers a range of classic movies. Not only this, but many services have now started to morph into production companies, too, meaning that they can create movies and distribute them. This has led streaming services to advertise their own offerings over that of large Hollywood studios.
Digitization of DVDs
DVDs and Blu-rays were once locked into a constant battle with each other to reign supreme, and yet now both might be wiped out by the advent of the streaming service. Where once children and adults alike hurried to their nearest store to purchase a copy of their favorite thriller or comedy, now, most people choose to rent or buy these as a digital file on their laptop or computer. Digital files never get scratched or lost, and they are also easily accessible, allowing you to watch the movie of your choice without getting up from the sofa to put your DVD into the player.
