The streaming wars are heating up and big-hitters like Netflix and Disney+ are focussing attention on their Originals offerings whilst others like Peacock and HBO Max are about to enter the scene and AVOD service like Pluto TV and Tubi grow in popularity.
This is demonstrated by the huge sums being ploughed into new programming, with Netflix estimated to have spent $15 billion on originals last year. According to data from Omdia, that sum resulted in 657 first-run original titles, up from 386 in 2018, and total first-run original hours of 2,769, compared to 1,537 in 2018, a year-on-year increase of 80%. Disney+, meanwhile, has said it will spend $1bn on original programming in 2020. Newer entrants to the streaming market boast similar spending: HBO Max put its originals figure at $2bn for 2020 and Peacock has earmarked $2bn over two years.
