FX, the cable and television channel, recently announced the decision to release a subscription service called FX+. The channel, a subsidiary of the mass media company 21st Century Fox Inc.
FX+, a pay-per-view subscription service, will offer hit shows like "American Horror Story" and "Atlanta" without advertisements. In doing so, FX desires to provide all its programming on one readily available device: the television. Given that most FX shows are broadcasted on television, viewers will now be able to watch their shows on demand without using alternate services such as Netflix, Amazon or Hulu. The avoidance of other streaming services such as Netflix will give FX full control of the distribution of tv shows. This may be particularly beneficial for the television channel, which is currently the biggest supplier of popular shows on Netflix and Hulu. Last year, FX sold the right to re-run one of their most popular show, "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J Simpson", on Netflix.
FX President Landgraf, a long-time opponent to streaming services like Netflix, asserts that FX "shouldn't be licensing exclusively." The executive continued to explain the presence of FX shows on Netflix, stating that he "may not be in control of the decision to license every show FX makes because not all are produced and owned by FX Productions." Due to the already diversified line-up of FX shows, with some shows owned by other production companies, FX faces an obstacle of making its shows exclusive to FX subscribers. The presence of easily accessible streaming services like Amazon exacerbate this obstacle to maintain viewers for the cable channel.
The cable television channel isn't the only one to create its own service to compete with popular streaming services like Amazon. Earlier this year, the mass media company Disney
- https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-25/netflix-s-biggest-critic-responds-with-a-paid-service-of-his-own
- https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/8/16115254/disney-launching-streaming-service-ending-netflix-deal
- http://host.madison.com/business/investment/markets-and-stocks/disney-is-just-the-first-of-many-to-abandon-netflix/article_e28c30c9-7793-57c4-86e1-0ddf272dfd54.html