Streaming Wars, Nov 2021: Netflix crushes everyone because Squid Game

This past month, HBO Max got Dune and Peacock got Halloween Kills, but Netflix’s Squid Game continued to dominate the Streaming Wars…for now.

Every month, we read over the latest dispatches from the front lines of the Streaming Wars and assess how the likes of Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+ and the rest are making out. Who won the day, who was defeated, and who’s biding their time? We mark it all down on this living graph, which changes every month.

How did the combatants fare in October of 2021? Take a look:

Paramount+

Paramount+ hosts the finales of Evil and Star Trek: Lower Decks as well as the premieres of Star Trek: Prodigy and a brand new Paranormal Activity movie: Next of Kin. Plus the Madonna concert film Madame X and a mess of new library titles. Not bad. Points: +2

Netflix

Squid Game may have come out last month, but it was the talk of the streaming world well into October; expect a lot of imitators down the line. And that wasn’t all Netflix had in its arsenal this month: we also got new seasons on You and Locke & Key along with several other original series. Oh, and let’s not forget that the entirely of Seinfeld is now on the service. Netflix had a pretty spectacular month, blighted only by the controversy around Dave Chappelle’s new stand-up special. Points: + 5

Disney+

The biggest thing to come to Disney+ this month was probably Muppets Haunted Mansion. We also got a Star Wars LEGO Halloween special, new episodes of What If…? and ​​Doogie Kamealoha, M.D….kind of a sleepy month compared to the competition. Points: + 2

Hulu

The biggest Hulu original this month is the premiere of Dopesick starring Michael Keaton. Beyond that we’ve got the baking competition show Baker’s Dozen, the documentary Jacinta…not a ton that’s moving the needle, although they did wrap on Only Murders in the Building, which has gotten a decent amount of buzz. Some nice library titles, too, including The Hunger Games and Star Trek movies. Points: +2

HBO Max

Beyond What Happened, Brittany Murphy?, there weren’t many noteworthy HBO Max originals this month, but there was still plenty or great stuff. The service got two big movies early: The Many Saints of Newark and Dune, plus the return of Succession, TV’s best drama (yeah, I said it). Points: + 3

Amazon Prime Video

Not much of note came to Amazon this month. A Justin Bieber documentary? An I Know What You Did Last Summer TV show? There were some solid library titles, but things were mostly meh. Points: + 1

Apple TV+

Apple TV+ lives and dies on the strength of its originals, and this month they were only so-so. Todd Haynes’ Velvet Underground documentary is interesting but not going to blow up the world, and the new sci-fi series Invasion landed with a thud. Not the streamer’s best month. Points: + 1

Peacock

Peacock may not be the biggest streaming service around, but it has a little something for everybody. The crown jewel this month was the release of Halloween Kills, which came alongside several spooky library titles. We also got easy watching like American Ninja Warrior and Top Chef Family Style, new episodes of dramas like The Lost Symbol, and more. Points: + 2

And here’s our full living graph, which changes every month:

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