Still not clear Apple has to or wants to compete at this level. It's not even clear to those in 'Hollywood' what the value is right now as there is so much content and so many streaming services. And for Amazon it's actually an odd 'get' as I don't think people are buying prime for the video service. I can imagine Amazon offering a stand-alone video service in the future divorced from Prime membership. Crazy times. May not be worth playing the speculation game when it's not core to your brand and products.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Amazon to Acquire MGM for $8.45 Billion Amid Competition With the Likes of Netflix and Apple TV+
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
OR it’s GOOD for consumers. Think about it this way: streaming is fragmented. When was the last time you wanted to watch a movie but weren’t sure where it was streaming? It sucks and it’s hard to find something specific. With MGM being on Amazon you’ll know exactly where to find something like Rocky or James Bond because it’s an Amazon exclusive.
Another thing that’s good is that it keeps MGM from creating another shiny, brand new streaming service. If you already subscribe to Prime Video, then MGM titles are a perk. It keeps the number of streaming services from becoming unmanageable. Streaming is one of those products where it’s better to have a few offering premium content then 20 services all offering fragmented content. Yet there‘s till enough competition at this point for streaming to not be monopolized by any one company.
For me its more convenient to pay $50 for five streaming services at $10 a month than $50 for 10 streaming services at $5 a month (I currently subscribe to 4 and will probably drop Hulu within the next month). That’s more convenient to me and easier to manage.
In the end I think we’d all be better off cancelling all streaming services and going to the library to read more. But that’s not going to happen.
We can finally get that bright happy Batman we have been waiting for done in the Marvel aesthetic.
Can we really call Apple TV+ "competition" for Amazon Prime at this point? The numbers/catalogue aren't even close.
This should have been part of Apple's rollout of its service. Another missed opportunity.
This should have been part of Apple's rollout of its service. Another missed opportunity.
Prime began offering Prime Video as a standalone service a couple of years ago at, I think, $8.99 a month. IMO, Amazon is the sleeping tiger in the streaming wars. It hasn’t gotten much press, but it has quietly built a pretty impressive catalogue along the way.
Older people have the time to watch streaming content that they enjoy when they were younger and it back on Amazon with the MGM library. Amazon does not have to worry about the demographics of the 18-49, since many are paid Prime subscribers already. I sure many Prime subscriber are the 60 and older crowd and have time to enjoy binge watching their favorite TV series from earlier on in their lives!
Watch as Jeff Bezos rewrites every bond movie, to make sure Bond loses and the villains win. Then, as he sits in a completely empty cement room. He strokes a bald cat, on a single chair, and watches his masterpieces.
Without spending even 1% of the cost for this acquisition, I bet Amazon could get much more out of a UI that doesn't actively encourage people to pull their hair out.
Well since Amazon saved the expanse from SyFy, I hope this could be the time for a reboot of Star Gate SG1 !!!!!!
Good, now 1) save the Bond franchise because it's not even Bond anymore (not that the new films are bad, they just aren't Bond so why bother calling them that other than to leech off the franchise), and 2) bring back Stargate, but SG1/SGA Stargate, not SGU season 1 Stargate. 3) Make money make make money. Dollah billz, dollah dollah billz!
I could see Amazon or Netflix buying DC Comics to compete against Disney’s Marvel franchise and back catalogue.
When was the last time you actually watched one of those movies? "Same formula for 25 films in a row" ain't it.
Could be, but also, we're talking about a streaming service buying MGM. The box office isn't as relevant as it was ten years ago.
Apple is part of FAANG aka Big TechYou got that right. Apple TV+ is already a joke. I don't even know anyone who knows what it is. They have no major catalog of content that anyone knows about.
But in general, I can't wait to see Jack Dorsey, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos squeal like stuck pigs when Big Tech is broken up and half of their toys are forced to be shared with the other kids in the school yard.
FAANG could replace Spectre as Bond’s arch enemy. A cadre of evil big tech bosses looking to take over the world.
Yeah, we have Prime, youtube and AppleTV+. Left Netflix in 2019 over woke-ism saturation not balanced by enough interesting content. AppleTV+ might not be a long-term choice.
So, we start with multiple subscriptions, then we realise we have to work, week-ends are not for TV, evenings are not all for TV either, so there is actually no time for all this. I suspect we'll end-up with Prime and Youtube. That's plenty.
Apple is obviously not interested in any back catalogs since they’ve passed up all these acquisitions. I don’t know what the long game is for tv+ because it’s not really selling hardware since it’s available on everything. I don’t watch much tv in general myself, always working or playing music… I’d rather read a book anyway.
My problem with Prime is their app and steaming quality is subpar compared to the others. Plus they mix in content you have to pay additionally for which is the good stuff. The old crap is free for Prime subscribers. A lot is streamed at below HD quality, practically DVD.