Streaming has been an integral part of our entertainment world for some time now. From Netflix’s first foray into streaming originals with House of Cards in 2013 to Ahsoka taking over as the talk of the town on Disney+ as we speak, there’s no denying that the medium is here to stay. Despite that, there are still some common misconceptions about streaming entertainment as a whole. Some will say it’s just another TV show delivery system when Apple TV+ became the first streaming service to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards last year with the crowd-pleasing film, CODA. Meanwhile, others think it’s killing franchises with oversaturation despite shows like WandaVision and Hawkeye allowing us to connect with beloved characters in ways that films would never have allowed due to time constraints.
Regardless of which side you fall on when it comes to those misconceptions, it’s impossible to argue that there is so much happening in the streaming world right now. Hollywood strikes rage on; the proverbial streaming bubble seems to have burst; the threat of misused AI looms ever-present; Disney’s in a fight with Spectrum… and that’s just off the top of my head! All of this takes us to now, this very introduction post, for the 4th annual State of Streaming.
There’s a lot to parse out with everything going on, and we’re here to help make sense of it all. And, of course, have a little bit of fun doing it. We have an exciting week planned for you, with original stories spanning your favorite genres, in-depth analysis is just what is going on with the whole streaming wars thing [this is the part of the movie where I look directly at the camera, right?], and up-to-date reviews on damn near every streaming platform you could possibly want (and whether or not they’re worth spending your money on, something we’ll be returning to annually going forward). Keep your eyes peeled for a brand new Face Off event where you can pick your favorite shows of all time, as well as incredible exclusives from the hottest up and coming shows.
The good! The bad! The ugly! (The exciting!) You can find it all here at IGN.com — and on our YouTube — as the week unfolds. And, if you miss it on the homepage, you can always bookmark this column and check back throughout the week. We’ll come toss in links as things go live, as well as update the schedule with those big exclusives once we can tell you our secrets!
Amelia is the entertainment Streaming Editor here at IGN. She's also a film and television critic who spends too much time talking about dinosaurs, superheroes, and folk horror. You can usually find her with her dog, Rogers. There may be cheeseburgers involved. Follow her across social @ThatWitchMia
