Once streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video siphoned viewers off from the networks, everyone wanted to get in on the streaming game. That’s led to some great services like Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+ and Apple TV+ with original programming you can’t get anywhere else.
Not every new streaming service made it though. It’s the nature of the business. There are probably dozens of obscure streaming services that never made a dent, but these five were supposed to be somewhat big things. They’re gone now, but we can still pour one out for them.
Quibi was a misguided streaming service from the start
Perhaps the most notable streaming service flameout was Quibi. Short for “quick bites,” Quibi separated shows into segments under 10 minutes, the idea being that you could watch them in shorter blocks than 30-60 minute shows. Quibi founder Jeffrey Katzenberg blamed the pandemic, in an interview with the New York Times. The pandemic eliminated people’s commutes and waiting in line, which was where Quibi was supposed to appeal.
But, Katzenberg misjudged the market, pandemic aside. There was never anything stopping people from watching just 10 minutes of a Netflix show at a time. Those streaming services held your place. And YouTube already offered short form content. So expensive short form originals with big stars were never going to be sustainable. Still, most Quibi shows are now available to stream on Roku Channel.
Seeso only streamed for less than two years
Before Peacock, NBCUniversal tried a comedy branded streaming service. Launched in Jan. 2016, Seeso let viewers stream episodes of NBC hits like Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, or Parks and Recreation. They produced some originals too.
Aside from standup specials, originals like Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Shrink and HarmonQuest did not exactly become must see TV. Despite support from creators like Dan Harmon, Wyatt Cenac, and Jonah Ray, Seeso ended before the year 2017 was up.
Yahoo! couldn’t save Yahoo! Screen
Technically, Yahoo! has offered original video since 2006. But, the official Yahoo! Screen began in 2011. The streaming service gained its most visibility when it picked up the sixth season of Community, but it had some other originals too. Burning Love satirized reality dating shows, and Paul Feig created the sci-fi comedy Other Space for them.
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John Stamos even hosted the sex talk show Losin’ it for Yahoo! Screen. Alas, even Community couldn’t bring enough eyeballs to Yahoo! Screen and it officially ended in 2016, though was still viewable for free via Hulu a few more years.
DC Universe created some great superhero shows
DC Universe had a very specific angle on a streaming service. It would exclusively cater to fans of DC Comics. That meant all the Warner Bros. movies made about Superman, Supergirl, Batman and others, but also the various TV incarnations.
For originals, DC Universe launched Titans, Doom Patrol, Swamp Thing and the animated Herley Quinn series. Fortunately, three of those shows continued on HBO Max with Titans only ending now with its fourth season. DC Universe was a good idea for a streaming service, but with HBO Max under the same company, perhaps it makes more sense as a hub than a standalone.
The CNN+ streaming service barely got going
We’ll never really know what CNN+ could have been because it barely had a chance to get started. It only lasted a month in 2022. Created by the previous regime, it was one of the first casualties of the Warner Bros. Discovery merger. A devoted news streaming service could have been something had they been inclined to give it a chance.
Filmstruck should have been a movie lover’s dream streaming service
Filmstruck only lasted for two years, 2016 – 2018. While pretty much every streaming service had a movie library, FilmStruck catered to the TCM crowd. It was Turner Classic Movies’ streaming service and they included the Criterion Collection with it.
At least the demise of Filmstruck led Criterion to create their own channel. TCM titles went to HBO Max. Still, it hurts to think there weren’t enough movie loving subscribers to make Filmstruck work.
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