The drama surrounding the acquisition of Warner Bros. is rivaling anything featured on the streaming platforms involved. After months of negotiations and counteroffers, it appears that Paramount has outbid Netflix for the company’s assets. The news has sparked concerns about consolidation and price increases, making the deal an appealing target for antitrust scrutiny. But regardless of who ends up winning the bidding war, this type of merger is not an anomaly; instead, it mirrors broader changes in the streaming market and evolving consumer demand.
While streaming is often viewed as a product of the 2000s, its roots go back further. The first streaming service launched in 1995 with RealNetworks’ RealPlayer, which allowed users to stream video and audio files. Netflix followed two years later, not as a streaming platform but as a DVD-by-mail service offering an alternative to traditional rentals and fixed TV schedules.
Advances in technology, particularly broadband expansion, made streaming more accessible. Netflix capitalized on this shift when it launched its streaming platform in 2007, and consumer demand quickly fueled competition. Hulu followed in 2008 and AmazonPrime technically launched before Netflix in 2006 under a different name, but a more recognizable version launched in 2011 as an addition to Prime memberships.
Tirzah Duren is the President and CEO of the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. Follow Tirzah on X @tzduren.