4 Media Streaming Trends We Noticed in 2022
Reading Time: 3 minutesIn 2022, the entertainment industry changed, and these are some of the trends that stood out the most.
As the years go by, people’s interests, tastes, and preferences evolve—even as it relates to media streaming. As such, the media streaming industry constantly looks for ways to change every year. In this article, we’ll share how the media streaming industry has changed in 2022. Let’s jump right in.
1. Ad-Supported Tiers Became More Popular
There was once a time when streaming services provided quality content without interruptions, but that changed over the years. Some streaming services offer ad-supported subscription plans instead of just relying on subscriptions. And in 2022, one of the biggest news was that Netflix introduced a new ad-supported subscription plan called Basic with Ads.
Since Netflix lost many subscribers, introducing an ad-supported tier seemed like an unprecedented—and risky—move by the streaming giant. Launched in November 2022 at $6.99/month, the news of Netflix’s ad-supported tier was met with mixed reviews. Even though the ad-supported plan is $3 cheaper than its Basic plan, you don’t get access to all of Netflix’s library and features, making a lot of us question if Netflix’s Basic with Ads is really worth it.
But Netflix is not alone—Disney+ also launched an ad-supported plan in December 2022. The Disney+ Basic plan starts at $7.99/month, but you can also bundle it with Hulu and Live TV for $69.99/month. Since you still get a few premium features and all of the Disney+ library, it might be worth switching to Disney+ Basic if you don’t mind the ads.
In introducing ad-supported tiers, Netflix and Disney+ join the likes of HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. There’s no doubt that ad-supported plans became more popular in 2022, and it seems they aren’t going away any time soon, either.
2. Oversaturated Franchises
There’s no denying that franchises are where the money’s at in media streaming. It’s no surprise, then, how popular they became on popular streaming platforms in 2022. Whether it was a movie or TV show announcement or release, streaming services are giving the box office a run for its money.
For instance, we saw the return of the Top Gun franchise with a new 2022 release, Top Gun: Maverick. At the time of writing, this movie is already available on Amazon Prime Video and will be available for streaming on Netflix and Paramount+.
Likewise, The Batman was released on HBO Max a few months after it was released in theaters in 2022. Disney+ also released quite a number of franchise projects, including Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, Star Wars’ Andor, Ice Age: Scrat Tales, and many more.
Franchise projects are a hit for streaming platforms because they attract huge fanbases without much effort. Companies know this, and that’s why we’ve seen a lot of old franchises coming back to life.
3. True-Crime Docu-Series Are on the Rise
Deranged serial killers, cults, half-time shows—the world is fascinated by these and is often curious to take a peek behind the curtain. It’s no surprise, then, that streaming services capitalize on docu-series.
The Tinder Swindler, Our Father, Inventing Anna, and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story are just some of the most popular docu-series released on Netflix in 2022. Harry & Meghan, the much-anticipated docu-series, was the topic on social media platforms in 2022.
Many popular docu-series are preceded by actual documentaries and news pieces in the years before their release, making them more popular, and helping them perform better on streaming platforms.
Viewers continue to have an appetite for them and seek to delve deeper into the worlds and minds of their subjects. For this reason, we suspect that docu-series will continue to be a hot commodity among streaming platforms.
4. There Were a Lot of Price Hikes (Unfortunately)
Unfortunately, we also witness price hikes in 2022. Netflix started 2022 by increasing its prices in the US and Canada, but it wasn’t the only one. Amazon, Hulu, and Disney+ followed suit shortly after. But even though you should be happy to pay more for Netflix and other streaming services, paying more for streaming services has become harder.
As the demand for video content increases, streaming services are beginning to ask for more money to offset the costs of producing and distributing the content you love.
And while some viewers prefer to cancel their subscriptions when the price increases, others are happy to pay a bit more for convenience. Some don’t mind switching to an ad-supported tier to save a few bucks or just subscribing to watch a certain movie or show and canceling their subscription once they’re done.
Sure, there are many ways to save money on your online subscriptions, but that doesn’t mean we’re happy with experiencing so many price hikes in just one year.
It’s Time to Look Ahead
We can’t tell what the future holds, but we suspect some trends will filter into 2023. Streaming services might continue to churn out franchise projects and docu-series because people want to watch that kind of content.
Of course, we’re crossing our fingers, hoping they don’t continue to hike their prices. We can only take so much.