Decider’s Streaming State of the Union 2018: How Did Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video Do This Year?

The Wins: Netflix started the year strong, and is ending it even stronger. As we mentioned, Netflix has seen mega-growth in their international subscriber base, but that pales compared to the expansion of their library of originals. Not too long ago, the premiere of a Netflix original, such as Lilyhammer or House of Cards, was greeted with fanfare and curiosity. This month, Netflix plans on dropping 64 new original films, specials, and seasons of TV to the service.

There is quite a bit of quality within that staggering quantity of programming. To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before became a universally heralded hit, and marked the high point of Netflix’s so-called “Summer of Love,” which some people credit with reviving the romantic comedy. On the high-brow side, Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma is in position to be a major competitor in Awards season, and Netflix dominated the Emmy nominations, nabbing 112 nods.

In recent weeks, there have been a flurry of announcements about major acquisitions, from Roald Dahl’s catalogue to popular Anime titles to a live-action adaptation of The Witcher. All of which put Netflix in prime position to dominate the streaming market for years to come.

The Stumbles: Hey, you know how we said there was quite a bit of good in Netflix’s library? There’s also a lot of bad. At best, most of Netflix’s programming is middling. Not to mention the fact there have been quite a few bombs. Though renewed for a second season, Altered Carbon failed to break into the cultural conversation. The Cloverfield Experiment was a super-sized Super Bowl disaster.

Netflix also began cancelling more shows than ever before, and many of the streaming service’s first big hits returned for final seasons with nothing more than a whimper. Notably, many of the shows leaving Netflix were the streaming platform’s first big hits.

There’s another area where Netflix continually falters: the awards circuit. Though Netflix nabbed the most Emmy nominations of any channel or streaming service this year, they have been forever shut out of the big prizes: Best Comedy or Drama series. Ironically, both awards have already been won by rival streaming services…

The Wins: Hulu’s biggest gains in 2018 ironically have nothing to do with their original programming library (with one major exception which we’ll get to). Instead, Hulu saw gains as a major tv streaming service. Its Live TV offerings keep expanding, adding new popular channels to the service, and strengthening Hulu’s impressive SVOD library. In fact, Hulu might be replacing the TiVos and DVRs of yore, making cable completely obsolete. Ironically, Hulu’s relationships with the major networks seem tighter than ever before, which is good because it means that Hulu is in position to have one of the most impressive back catalogues of any streaming service.

And as for their original programming? Hulu’s struggled to find a foothold in the film world, but that might change this year with the critically-acclaimed documentary Minding the Gap. The film is a favorite for an Oscar nomination and could nab a win for the streaming service.

The Stumbles: So, about Hulu’s original slate. Hulu scored a major win in 2017 with The Handmaid’s Tale. Unfortunately, the second season couldn’t keep the momentum going and the finale left a sour taste in viewers’ mouths. Game of Thrones came back into the Emmys race and promptly shut the show out. However, the rest of Hulu’s offerings didn’t fare better. The Looming Tower won Emmys, but not a lot of buzz, and The First was grounded on arrival.

Still, Hulu’s biggest blunder might be behind-the-scenes. There’s no way to know exactly how much money the streaming service bled out in 2018, but industry watchers estimate that Hulu lost a staggering $1.5 billion dollars this year alone. Those losses also would have hit major investors Comcast, Fox, and Disney, and yet, it looks like Disney isn’t bothered. If anything, the Mouse seems keen to keep its stake — and new acquisition Fox’s — going forward. This could be good for Hulu, or a sign that Hulu might be eventually folded into the upcoming Disney+.

The Wins: Prime Video ended 2017 in shambles thanks in huge part to the #MeToo movement. Prime Video’s head Roy Price was ousted after allegations of harassment surfaced, and similar reports circled around other executives. However, this opened the door for Jennifer Salke to take the helm, and she has, Prime Video seems have not only weathered the worst possible storms, but repositioned itself for some wins.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel not only was Prime Video’s most glittering success story of the year, but it also helped secure the first Comedy Series Emmy for a streaming show. Elsewhere, Prime Video saw continued growth in its Amazon Channels feature. The add-on marketplace allows users to easily add premium and niche services to their Prime account.

The Stumbles: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel aside, Prime Video’s had kind of a weak year in programming. The Romanoffs was a super duper expensive critical disaster, and while Homecoming is very, very good, it has failed to puncture the zeitgeist in a major way. Part of Prime Video’s programming woes have to do with poor choices, and part have to do with visibility on the Amazon home site. As Buzzfeed’s Katie Notopolous recently pointed out, the Amazon website is kind of a mess…and that extends to its Prime Video page. Searching for shows on desktop or mobile is nightmarish, and Amazon’s app gives as much homepage love to outside channels as it does its own library.

The Wins: 2018 saw many smaller streaming services struggle to keep afloat in the flooded market, but there were some key wins. CBS All Access continues to be the little streaming service that could, buttressed by a parent network’s money and vast back catalogue. (Oh, and by a popular franchise called Star Trek.)

British niche services Acorn TV and BritBox keep trucking along. BritBox, in particular, began to nab the rights to a number of major British broadcast events such as the Royal Wedding. (Though since they’re owned by the same parent company, you have to wonder if the two will ever merge.) Shudder also managed to hold its own in a fall overwhelmed by horror and Halloween content. That said, not every niche service managed to survive the year…

The Stumbles: As Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video continue to expand their subscriber bases and invest more money in bigger IPs, the smaller niche services are disappearing fast. Both DramaFever and FilmStruck were unceremoniously shelved by their bigger parent companies, even though both were considered quality services that served a loyal fanbase. Medium success is no longer enough. FilmStruck might be returning, but only as a smaller part of WarnerMedia’s upcoming standalone service.

If there was one prevailing lesson learned in 2018, it’s that scale is everything and niche is struggling. In 2019, we’ll see WarnerMedia and Disney launch their own streaming services, and both will hit the market with some major series. Disney, in particular, is going to the mattresses, outfitting Disney+ with big budget original series featuring popular characters from Star Wars, Pixar, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The message is clear: go big, or go home.