More and more people are starting to enjoy spending time indoors and this development has started to change society’s daily habits. Luckily modern home entertainment offers a lot more options, so staying at home does not only mean sitting in front of the TV and watching something boring on one of the few aerial television channels.
Today’s home entertainment options are very different to the home entertainment options people had twenty years ago. People have access to multiple streaming services, to gaming services and to social interaction services. Those who like movies and series have subscriptions to platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, those who regularly play games of chance can open online casino accounts and enjoy casino gaming as VIPs, and those who are a bit more social can play multi-player online games, access Metaverse social applications and have remote video parties through applications like Zoom and Skype. The Internet opens gateways to a digital world full of countless options.
Streaming Services Are Widening Their Horizons
Almost every household has a subscription to a streaming service. This applies to almost every country, from the United States of America to Ghana and from Japan to Zambia. Because of that, streaming service providers are looking for ways to enrich their international contents. This means that in the months to come, Netflix and other services will try to purchase the rights of shows and movies featuring celebrities and artists from all over the world. At the moment, Netflix is the preferred option for those looking for international features, as the rest of the services are still a long way from being able to compete with the Scotts Valley-based streamer.
Even More Asian Contents Coming to Netflix
Netflix has the know-how when it comes to offering international or non-English language contents. There are dozens of European shows like Casa de Papel or Love and Anarchy, an abundance of east-Asian shows like Squid Game and Alice in Borderland, dozens of options from multiple African countries and a long list of contents from Latin America. Now, it seems like Netflix is trying to beat its competitors in India, as the service is investing millions in copyrights of Indian movies and series. The only problem for Netflix, is that its finances are not as strong as they used to be before 2022.
Marvel and Star Wars Contents are not enough for Disney+
Disney owns the rights to a wide variety of internationally popular entertainment contents, but up to now, its services have been relatively US-focused. Everybody likes movies and series like the Avengers, Thor: Love and Thunder, Moon Knight or WandaVision, but there is a lot more to cinematography than just Marvel titles. In order to attract new audiences and in order to compete with more established streaming services, Disney+ needs to start investing in more international content. The service has started trying to improve its feature offer by buying the rights to some European and East-Asian contents, but it will need to increase its effort if it wants to match the subscriptions figures of other services in Africa, South America, continental Asia and Oceania.
HBO Max – Full Focus on Europe and America
HBO has a long history in the business of offering TV contents to its customers, but sometimes, it feels like its board of directors does not want to divert from the original plans. The service seems to prioritise European and American customers, as most contents seem to appeal to these two audiences. HBO invests a lot in its relationship with Warner Brothers and with DC, as these partnerships give it the rights to features such as Harry Potter, the Justice League, DC villains like Harley Quinn and of course on contents like Game of Thrones, Westworld and Chernobyl.
