Streaming Wars, December 2023: Feast and famine at the finish line

Every month, we read over the latest dispatches from the front lines of the Streaming Wars and assess how the likes of Netflix, Max, Disney+ and the rest are doing. Who won the day, who was defeated, and who’s biding their time?

Paramount+

• Paramount+ ends the year with a thud. The biggest original in December was Baby Shark’s Big Movie, which will probably draw in the kiddies. Otherwise, there’s just not much happening. Points: +1

Netflix

• In December, Netflix had buzzy dramas like May December and Maestro, franchise cappers like The Crown season 6, franchise starters like Rebel Moon, and unexpected hits like My Life With The Walter Boys. It’s a strong end to a strong year for the top player in the streaming game. Points: +3

Disney+

• With a series of Doctor Who holiday specials, season 2 of Marvel’s What If…?, and the new show Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Disney+ made sure it left 2023 looking good. Points: +3

Hulu

• The big ticket item in December for Hulu was the final season of the Canadian sitcom Letterkenny. Beyond that, we have documentaries like Science Fair: The Series and new shows like Such Brave Girls. Points: +2

Max

• Max subtracted more library titles than it added in December, easing the blow with new episodes of The Gilded Age and a few other originals, like a comedy special from Leo Reich. Points: +1

Amazon Prime Video

• In December, Amazon got the new Eddie Murphy movie Candy Cane Lane, an animated Batman film called Merry Little Batman, and the second season of the action drama Reacher. Not bad, but it loses a point for announcing that it’s raising prices in January. Points: + 2

Apple TV+

• Apple actually had a fair amount of stuff in December, including new episodes of Slow Horses, For All Mankind, Monarch: Legacy on Monsters, and the documentary series John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial. On the movie side, they got the new Mark Walhberg comedy The Family Plan, plus the streaming debut of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. They’re still a bit of a hype deficit, but let’s be generous and give them an extra point for Christmas. Points: + 3

Peacock

• The biggest thing on Peacock in December was…a movie version of Monk, the Tony Shalhoub detective series from the 2000s? Better luck next year. Points: + 1

We'll see you back here next year. The war continues.

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