Of all the filmmakers that are seemingly concerned by the onslaught of streaming options that will be laid in front of consumers in the months to come, Armando Iannucci has a unique perspective. Not only is the filmmaker out there creating features that are wholly different and full of character, such as “The Death of Stalin” and the recent “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” that struggle to find distribution in today’s market, but Iannucci is also the man responsible for one of the best TV series on any network/streaming service, “Veep.” So, when he expresses his concerns for the future of streaming, we should probably take heed.
Unlike folks like Martin Scorsese, who believe that streaming services signal the end of the theatrical experience as we know it, Iannucci is more concerned by the sheer number of streaming services and the expansive libraries that each contains. While speaking at a recent event (via Deadline), he likened it to a business bubble that is going to burst.
“At some point the bubble is going to burst. Once people are asked to pay for Apple, Disney, Netflix and whatever, that’s going to contract,” he said.
The filmmaker admits that he finds himself binging streaming offerings, like anyone else. Recently, he’s been making his way through “The Expanse,” but is concerned by the fact that he doesn’t know anyone else that has seen the series.
“It does make me think that at some point, someone high-up at these streaming services is going to go: ‘Hang on a minute, are we making too much stuff and shall we shut some of it down?’” Iannucci said.
He said that the series that will survive the oversaturation will be the programs with “a particularly strong identity.”
While he may be a bit too concerned about the impending bubble burst, Iannucci has a point. With Apple TV+, Disney+, Peacock, and HBO Max joining Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and the countless lower-level, niche platforms, the Streaming Wars is crowded and there’s only so much money to go around. Eventually, they will cannibalize each other. And even within their own libraries, Iannucci is concerned that the platforms will end up having to be more selective with their offerings, meaning all these filmmakers taking advantage of the spending habits of Netflix and Apple, for example, are going to find it more difficult eventually.
Needless to say, even filmmakers like Iannucci are going to keep an eye on what happens over the next year, in regards to streaming.