Streaming the 'logical next step' in television
Sep. 24—Over the last year and a half, millions of Americans have depended on streaming services for their movies and videos.
For a period, all movie theaters in the country were closed for public viewing. Even if they had been open, new movies were not being released as they had been prior to the pandemic.
While streaming services were invented prior to the pandemic, it was monumental to creating viewing opportunities that were not available to consumers. Lee Gibbs, general manager of Tahlequah Cable, isn't even convinced that cable TV is going to exist in the near future because of the strides that streaming services have made in the last few years.
"We know that the internet is our future. It is already here. Streaming is the logical next step. We're a cable company, but we are more of an internet provider company. We know that cable doesn't have a big future. In three to five years from now, we don't know if cable will be around," said Gibbs.
He said that one of the perks of working at a cable company is that he gets free cable, but over time, the perk is losing its appeal, because even he spends the majority of his time in front of a screen streaming.
In order to stream, users require the internet and a streaming device. Those who want to watch movies on a big screen need a specific device to connect their screen to the internet. While most TVs sold today are equipped with software that is minimally adequate for streaming, many users purchase separate devices for speed, storage capacity, and app selection.
"We offer [Amazon] Fire Sticks for our customers. Smart TVs and Fire Sticks are popular, and Roku is really popular. They are easy to use. You need a gateway to the internet. I have Fire Sticks at my house and in my kids' dorms. You need a device capable of downloading apps. TVs do, but they may not have a hard drive to be able to download a lot," he said.
Other popular streaming devices include Chromcasts, Apple TV, Nvidia Shield TV, and video game consoles such as an Xbox or Playstation device.
Isaiah Jenkins is an NSU student who enjoys streaming shows on his Playstation 4. His favorite video-streaming apps are Netflix and Hulu.
"Seinfeld is coming to Netflix. There's a couple of shows that are getting reboots," he said.
Paramount+ is leading the way for reboots, which include "Criminal Minds," "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," "Avatar," "Rugrats," "Road Rules," and "Frasier." Peacock introduced reboots for "Saved By the Bell," "Punky Brewster," and "Battlestar Galactica."
Streaming services allow users to be able to cater to their viewing wants, and allows them to pay for what interests them without having to pay for stations that they will never watch. For people who are on a budget, it makes sense.
When streaming first started, Netflix and Amazon Prime offered lots of movies that many people were not interested in. When they first started creating content, it was not always the quality that viewers expected from a movie theater or on primetime. However, this has changed over the last few years.
"Netflix is really big. They are really coming out with a lot of their own original material, and it's not all B-movie type ratings. This is really good stuff that they're coming out with. We watch a lot of that, and our customers do too," said Gibbs.
Those who are interested in sports and live events can stream online as well as through ESPN+, YouTube, MLB, and Amazon Prime. Sometimes these come with an extra charge, but users find it cheaper than subscribing to cable. Sling TV has also gained in popularity because it mimics cable at a cheaper price and allows users to be able to watch live TV.
"Find the one that has what you want to watch," said Jenkins.
