Netflix doesn’t seem too worried about the increasing competition in the video streaming space. In its Q1 2019 earnings report, released today, the company says it doesn’t expect the newly announced services from Apple and Disney to ‘materially affect’ its growth.
Recently, Apple and Disney each unveiled their direct-to-consumer subscription video services. Both companies are world class consumer brands and we’re excited to compete; the clear beneficiaries will be content creators and consumers who will reap the rewards of many companies vying to provide a great video experience for audiences.
We don’t anticipate that these new entrants will materially affect our growth because the transition from linear to on demand entertainment is so massive and because of the differing nature of our content offerings. We believe we’ll all continue to grow as we each invest more in content and improve our service and as consumers continue to migrate away from linear viewing (similar to how US cable networks collectively grew for years as viewing shifted from broadcast networks during the 1980s and 1990s).
Netflix goes on to say that it believes there is vast demand for watching great TV and movies, and it only satisfies a small portion of it—accounts for just 10% of total US TV usage. So its argument is that, for now at least, there is going to be enough food to go around.
This is obviously a solid stance for Netflix and its shareholders, but the threat is very real. Apple has seemingly endless resources to throw at this space as it pushes further into services, and Disney has a massive content catalogue thanks in-part to its Fox merger.
Apple says its Apple TV+ streaming service is coming this fall with a handful of original programming, but little else is known about the service or its pricing. Disney+ is slated to launch in November for just $7 per month—nearly half of what Netflix is charging.
Source: Netflix
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