Millions of people subscribe to streaming services like Netflix in the quarantine. Traditional television is becoming a thing of the past. Stock prices also show this picture.

Quarantine, Love, Streaming

The average person in quarantine needs a lot more entertainment, we watch many more movies and series. People are also using more streaming services than before. (Although the number of pregnancies and divorces is also said to explode soon.) Many users look for the latest album from their favorite band. Or pay for the latest massive online multi-player computer game.

This is already clear from data such as Netflix’s quarterly report. The company leading the streaming television market gained a record of 15.8 million new paying customers. This is nearly double the 8.47 million Wall Street expected. People came from all over the world because of the quarantine. The share price also reflects this, as it has already risen 29 percent this year. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq 100 technology stock index fell three percent, and the S&P 500 index fell 14 percent YTD (Year-To-Date).

Twilight of Cinemas and Theme Parks

But Disney suffers. S&P recently downgraded Disney’s credit rating because theme parks, film production remains on lockdown.  (MarketWatch) The company was already worn out by the global closure of cinemas. Its streaming service, Disney + is young, launched in November 2019. Also Apple TV. Other providers include Hulu, HBO Now, YouTube TV, and some smaller businesses. Iqiyi, a division of Baidu is very popular in Asia.

Although the Roku shares fell this year, its price nearly doubled last year already. So the market priced a lot of advances into the share price before the crisis. The devices of the company

offer access to streaming media content from various online services. The line was introduced in May 2008 with its first model, developed in collaboration with Netflix

– so the homepage of Roku. 

Life is Too Short to…

In my opinion, these types of services, or “services of services” may still have a great future. Life is too short to watch bad movies and series. On the positive side, life is too short to miss out on the best movies and series. (Or games, music.) In my experience, every large content producer company has very good works. It is optimal for the consumer to get the best from every provider. Traditional television, crowded with commercials, and often pursuing political goals, is slowly becoming obsolete. A thing of the past. (Although there is still good quality public service media in some countries.)

The ideal case is if you can watch the best shows from the best content producers with as little inconvenience and cost as possible. Streaming providers are excellent for this purpose. Although equities do not look cheap in the crisis’ context. But it is also possible that we will only see higher stock prices from now on.

Disclaimer

I’m not a certified financial advisor nor a certified financial analyst, accountant nor lawyer. The contents on my site and in my posts are for informational and entertainment purposes and reflecting my collection of data, ideas, opinions. Please, make your proper research or consult your advisors before making any investment or financial or legal decisions.

(Photos: Pixabay.com.)