The idea of owning and having control over your favorite things may seem like a fun idea initially but that idea is a legitimate reality for many major companies. In the last couple decades, we’ve seen companies make big waves in the industry such as Discovery acquiring WarnerMedia (Warner Bros), Microsoft buying Bethesda and their subsidiaries, and Disney acquiring rights to massive franchises as seen with Marvel and Star Wars. There’s still a good number of independent companies creating unique projects but there may come the day that they get bought as well.
I can understand why people wouldn’t mind these kinds of changes since it could lead to the consolidation of streaming media thus making it potentially cheaper down the line to enjoy your favorite kinds of media. However, if a company has control over a majority of the content people want to watch then they could raise prices with little to no pushback due to the lack of competition. We are already seeing this be done with current streaming services where they’re attempting to make more money by forcing customers to pay for different tiers on their services. Netflix, for example, has been especially egregious with its attempts to push more subscriptions by fighting against password sharing and raising base prices since it has shows and films that are in high demand (many of which are produced by Netflix itself) that can’t be viewed anywhere else legitimately. More competitors with better offerings and a wider variety of content could result in prices decreasing across the board as companies try to keep their services afloat.
I’d prefer if there were more independent companies making media since consolidation could also lead to various products being hindered by the same deadlines, budgets and perspectives from the companies producing them. Entertainment is something that should be free of the restrictions that come with larger-than-life mergers and multi-property owners. I think creativity can shine brighter through independence since the team may have more creative freedom (this depends on who is funding the project since mandates can be imposed by the funder).
