Get ready for a new streaming service, but unlike Netflix and Amazon, this one won’t have any content of its own. The company is called Struum (pronounced “stroom”) and it aims to bring together TV series and movies from dozens of lesser-known streaming services that struggle to compete in a saturated market.
Major services like Netflix and Disney+ dominate the streaming market, and it’s further flooded by TV networks and large media companies with their own bed of material; but there are also smaller organizations and boutique providers with homegrown content that have trouble attracting attention, building subscriptions, or may not even have their own apps. Struum is striking partnerships with companies like these to aggregate their content into a single place where viewers can pick and choose what they want to watch.
However, that wide variety of sources also comes with a less convenient hybrid subscription model that behaves like an à la carte marketplace for content. Struum will charge a monthly rate for access, and that comes with credits to be used for purchasing content within the platform. Different types of content will have different price tags associated with it — a movie costs more than a single TV episode, which costs more than a short video. The model has been likened to ClassPass, a subscription service that opens up access to spas, gyms, and health clubs without separate memberships.
Specific pricing and plans haven’t been announced yet, but a discussion with the Wall Street Journal suggested the company is kicking around a $9.99 per month plan that includes roughly enough credits to watch one TV episode per day.
The founders are aiming to sidestep the reluctance viewers have to installing and paying for many different apps and subscriptions, especially if they’re only interested in watching a single show or movie. If Struum detects a user is watching a lot of content from a single source, it will also recommend starting a subscription with that provider, and both companies take a share of the proceeds.
“Today, those habits and rituals are built around first going to a Netflix … and the next thing is to go to Amazon,” explains Pastor. Consumers might then turn to Disney+ or HBO Max as a third option, he says, depending on whether they’re looking for family fare or more adult content.
“What we’re hoping to be able to do, by aggregating these pieces together, is to say, listen: your third or fourth choice should be Struum. It’s a place where you can manage one subscription and explore all these {other} services,” Pastor adds. — source: TechCrunch
Struum’s team, lead by former Disney and Discovery execs, seems to be keeping very moderate goals to become your “third or fourth choice.” In practical terms, that might be a necessity since the pay-as-you-watch pricing model will dissuade many people from binge watching shows like they would with all-access and hybrid services.
At this time, Struum has deals with 30-40 streaming providers, which accounts for more than 20,000 TV shows, movies, and short videos. No names or other specifics have been given, but the company intends to add many more to the list.
Struum intends to go live next spring and should be available on web, mobile, and TV platforms. Service will initially launch in the US, but the company plans to expand internationally with time.
Recent Comments