I was a staunch proponent of awards shows. From Oscars and Grammys to SAG and Mtv Music and Movie awards, these shows captivated me. It was fun to see who won among the myriad of award categories be it a musical or theatrical award show. I’d watch the red-carpet scenes on E and then switch over to the main festivities. It was fun… until it wasn’t.
Where did that fun disappear to? For me it was the sudden absence of Rock & Roll from all the music awards shows and the hundreds of silos created by streaming apps that gatekeep their shows and cast solely for their own subscribers. When award shows air, I often don’t know who many the nominees are!
The SAG Awards changed their name to The Actor Awards. Interested to see the new format I tuned in and was struck by how many nominees I was not familiar with. This began during E’s red-carpet presentation before the show; “Who are these people?” As the awards were announced, I realized I didn’t know many of the actors because I don’t subscribe to fifty different streaming platforms!
Back in the day there were TV stars and movie stars. Some actors crossed over from one medium to the other while others dabbled in both. In those times the only differentiation was watching entertainment on your living room TV set versus in a movie theater. Then cable TV brought movies home to our TV sets.
Too many streaming apps
What we have today is a pie cut into hundreds of pieces, each requiring a subscription fee. I gladly paid my cable bill in the 80s to have HBO along with network television shows. These days network television has declined as entertainment apps have flourished. The downside is many of us miss out on great entertainment because there are too many proprietary apps gatekeeping their content behind paywalls. No one can afford all that!
Cable TV was simple. Navigating entertainment now is akin to reading a 100-page menu to select your 15-course meal. That’s a lot to chew!
Streaming services were originally touted as low-cost, inclusive, and ever-growing. Now they are overpriced and exclusive. Affordability has become a central issue to streaming apps. Each streaming app tries to stand out via original exclusive content, but you have to pay to play. There are too many of them vying for the same finite audience. Thus, many of us miss out on shows and movies that exist in only one space.
This inaccessibility to siloed content has led me to be less interested in the entertainment industry. I feel as though I miss out on a lot of great entertainment simply because so much is spread out across hundreds of apps with expensive subscriptions. When award shows come around, I’m not familiar with many of the stars.
As streaming services begin to acquire and merge with one another this problem may resolve itself. The industry seems to be merging toward what cable TV was just a few decades ago. One price for all the entertainment. I’m kidding and highly doubt it will go full circle, but for what it is today, I’m far less engaged in streaming content and enjoy physical media that I own and watch at my leisure.
By CapeCod.com staff
