When everyone wants to be a utility a kind of group think sets in. It’s like you think there’s a way to de-risk content so you can focus on delivery but the lesson they’re failing to learn from 100 years of entertainment is that roughly every 8-10 years people stop showing up.

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In recent times, the entertainment landscape has seen a significant shift towards streaming platforms, each striving to become a utility, a fundamental service that people consider essential for their daily lives. With this pursuit, a sense of groupthink can set in among these platforms, where they believe that if they de-risk their content and focus solely on delivery, they can attract and retain a massive audience without encountering major challenges.

However, what they often overlook is the crucial lesson that history has repeatedly taught the entertainment industry over the last century: audience preferences are ever-evolving. Roughly every 8-10 years, people’s interests and tastes change, leading to shifts in what they want to watch. This means that even the most successful and popular shows or streaming platforms may eventually experience a decline in viewership or popularity.

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Note that beyond post pandemic erosion what it really means is that streamers (at this size) are actually bloated legacy outfits with a slight miasma of finality

What happens when there are too many risk averse zombie utilities?

Beyond the recent impact of the pandemic on the entertainment industry, the emergence of numerous streaming services has led to a crowded market. Many of these streaming platforms have grown to become bloated legacy entities, still holding on to the traditional ways of content delivery but struggling to adapt to the fast-paced changes in audience demands.

As a consequence of this growing risk-averse attitude, the industry starts to resemble a sea of “zombie utilities.” These platforms play it safe, relying on tried-and-tested formulas and familiar content, but they lose the opportunity to take creative risks and push boundaries. This cautious approach can lead to a lack of originality, resulting in an overall stagnation of innovation and creative diversity in the content they offer.

It’s almost 10 years since the end of Peak TV. Game of Thrones, Better Call Saul fill the blank etc and 20 years since The Shield, Deadwood and 25 since the sopranos.

Andor doesn’t make up for the wrong turn

Reflecting on the past, it has been almost a decade since the “Peak TV” era, characterized by groundbreaking shows like Game of Thrones and Better Call Saul, which captured global attention. These shows were followed by an array of other critically acclaimed series. However, as time has passed, the industry has struggled to replicate such massive successes consistently.

Despite the ongoing efforts to produce new content, some recent shows or projects like “Andor” might not fully compensate for the lack of bold creativity or the direction the industry has taken. They may appear as a detour rather than a significant step forward.