Netflix Proves It's Essential, Pandemic or Not
For all the money being thrown at streaming by rivals from Disney to HBO and Apple, none has managed to persuade the masses that they no longer need Netflix.
A second year into the streaming wars, and still no one is close to beating Netflix
Photographer: Jason Alden/BloombergAs earnings season begins, one of the biggest emerging storylines is that Netflix Inc.’s most formidable rivals, led by Walt Disney Co., already may be starting to falter. If Disney can’t get to where Netflix is, can anyone?
Netflix is set to kick off the industry’s quarterly reports next week on July 20, while investors will have an anxious wait until Aug. 12 to get a look at Disney’s official numbers. Early indications are that Disney+ may be losing steam in the U.S. as India — a country in which it earns far less money per user — becomes one of its biggest and fastest-growing markets. Global scale is crucial but to win the streaming wars, one must win the U.S.