An all-in-one streaming hub, a dream for show enthusiasts everywhere… but not me. This idea is something I have heard from many folks, and I struggle to relate with the need. Therefore, this will be a brief introduction to the concept of an all-in-one streaming hub (not a bad idea in itself), and my reservations related to this common ask.
What is the All-In-One Streaming Hub?
Hulu, HBO Max, ESPN +, Netflix, I feel like I can list dozens of these services that are all the rage. Maintaining your list of services and efficiently balancing between them can be challenging. What if there was a single platform for you to hook up all of your connections? One place for your show library, one place for your recordings, one place for your payments.
Reservations
The idea itself is not bad, and a fully integrated i.e. all-in-one streaming hub would be pretty cool! Unfortunately, I don’t know if the data across systems would play well enough for an integrated system. Even if there was a platform that integrated the libraries together via APIs or direct interfacing, how would you manage the content? Imagine showing a series only on Netflix over top other services. Are you opening yourself up to unfairly favoring a site and potential legal liability? For a show with multiple offerings, who’s shows at the top?
Also, many smart TVs already allow you to add all of your services on the TV’s menu. This allows you to hop between them seamlessly. Without developing an integrated library (which seems like an immensely challenging endeavor), this functionality seems to meet most of the needs. Additionally, as documented here, we should not be spending significant time and money on these resources. With over 10 years of our lives estimated to be spent sitting in front of tv or phone screens, we should think critically about if this is how we want to live our lives. There also might be companies doing this or something similar already who have not taken off as expected.
Opportunities
Despite my reservations, there are some merits to the idea. As mentioned above, it would be beneficial to develop an integrated library. Additionally, a site like this may be able to offer discounted services due to the location/placement of the offering. Furthermore, since the content is shown alongside competitors, there is an opportunity for the creators of this all-in-one streaming hub to profit from affiliate transactions with streaming service providers. This would also offer a great platform for advertisement at the place of the customer. I can also see this being helpful for customers looking to simplify or wrap their heads around the billing aspect of their subscription services.
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