What We Should Expect From Streaming Services In 2019 & Beyond

Streaming seems to have come out of nowhere to become one of biggest phenomenon of the modern era. It has fast become very popular for gamers to watch other people gaming when they are not playing games themselves. Furthermore, this is probably a natural progression, as trusted gaming brands already have a presence on such platforms as YouTube. So for example, it may be that in the future, we can see brands like mFortune on platforms like Twitch or YouTube Gaming, as even traditional games like bingo have already been able to reach new audiences via streaming platforms.

Plus, streaming has enabled ordinary gaming fans to make a comfortable living from just doing what they enjoy the most. The year 2018 was huge for streaming on the whole and encompasses a lot more than just gaming. Everyone expects that 2019 is set to be even bigger. So what should we expect over the coming months?

Looking at all areas of streaming, it’s the streaming of content via services such as Netflix that are set to see the biggest changes over the next 10 months or so. With a recognition that this market has tremendous growth potential, many companies are anxious to get involved, and this has seen the industry become more competitive than ever. There’s a real battle to earn subscribers and this is ultimately the driving force behind change.

One of the first things people should expect in 2019 and beyond is an increase in original content. Original content is what companies such as Netflix, Amazon and even Apple, believe is the way forward in enhancing their own platforms. Thus, they’re going all out to secure original content such as films, mini-films and TV shows that will attract new subscribers. This also ties in with the thirst for exclusive content too, as streaming platforms go head to head to ensure that certain content is only available via their services.

What will also become more prevalent as the year goes on is that there will be fragmentation in the streaming industry as TV networks and the like look to pull their content from streaming platforms in order to start their own streaming service. There’s recently been an announcement that the BBC and ITV are set to team up in the creation of BritBox, with other stations such as Channel 4 all believed to be interested. It’s likely we’ll see more streaming services appear as TV networks and stations look to do their own thing.

You can’t really mention streaming without mentioning platforms such as Twitch and YouTube Gaming, as they did in a way help to develop the popularity of streaming in the first place. A similar trend between all streaming platforms that also applies to gaming is that more platforms have and continue to pop up. Mixer and DLive are just a couple of services that are looking to become players in the streaming market, and it’s likely more will get involved as time goes by.

Could 2019 also deliver the first complete streaming platform that sees movie and TV content, as well as live gaming action, all delivered in the same place? Twitch, the world’s leading live streaming platform, has already begun to make moves in this area with channels playing TV shows, but could this become more common over the next year or so? It would certainly be an interesting move by a streaming platform if it were to happen.