Why Streaming Is Dead: The Shocking Truth Behind Andor’s Final Season

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Showrunner Tony Gilroy has revealed the genuine reason he believes we won’t see another series like ‘Andor’ – and it’s due to his conviction that “the era of streaming is over.“. Initially, I was taken aback when I encountered comments from Gilroy a month ago suggesting nothing comparable to ‘Andor’ would ever be made. At face value, they appeared somewhat self-aggrandizing; however, upon further consideration, it appears this wasn’t the intended interpretation.

He made it clear that it wasn’t due to their greatness, but because “no one will ever attempt a production of this magnitude again, combining practical shooting with the necessary resources and protection to pull off something like this.” At the ATX Television Festival last week, he delved deeper into why this is such a rare occurrence – and the reason might surprise you.

According To Tony Gilroy, “Streaming Is Dead”

During the panel discussion, Gilroy made a surprising revelation when he disclosed the whopping $650 million budget for Andor. He mused, “For Disney, that’s $650 million,” and then boasted about only receiving one note asking for a change in season 1. In Season 2, he recounted, they said, “Streaming is dead, we don’t have the money we had before,” so there was a struggle over budget, but ultimately no changes were made. However, his casual comment, “streaming is dead,” seems significant.

Six years ago, Disney joined the streaming competition by introducing Disney+. A significant factor behind Disney’s $71.3 billion acquisition of Fox was its shift towards streaming – Disney needed a more extensive content library to stay competitive. Furthermore, each studio at Disney was tasked with creating content for their new streaming service, as it is widely believed that successful streaming platforms thrive on fresh content.

It appears that Disney is readjusting its priorities once more, with a renewed emphasis on theatrical presentations. Notably, Marvel Studios has reduced the number of MCU TV series in production, leaving only one confirmed live-action Star Wars TV show – Ahsoka season 2, currently underway and scheduled for release next year. Instead, Lucasfilm and Marvel are planning to escalate their movie productions. In simpler terms, Disney is focusing more on movies rather than TV shows from these franchises.

What’s Gone Wrong With Disney+?

Despite achieving record-breaking subscriber numbers that surpassed even Disney’s most optimistic expectations, it’s important to note that Disney+ has been operating at a financial loss for The Walt Disney Company. As reported by Forbes, the Direct To Consumer (DTC) division accrued operating losses totaling $11.4 billion from the platform’s launch up until April of the previous year. However, stringent cost-cutting measures, the introduction of a new ad tier, stricter password sharing policies, and other strategies managed to improve the situation significantly by the first quarter of 2025.

Fundamentally, the issues stem from within the streaming platform structure. There’s a potential issue of subscribers cancelling their subscriptions until fresh content they desire is available, leading to a constant need for new releases to maintain viewer engagement. This demand for continuous content creation puts immense strain on providers. As the market expands and competition increases, costs surge, yet streamers seem to be spending money merely to maintain their existing subscriber base rather than growing it.

In the meantime, there have been genuine worries that Disney’s shift towards streaming services may have negatively impacted their theatrical releases. During the pandemic, Pixar movies were released on Disney+, leading to suggestions of brand damage due to significantly lower box office earnings post-release. The Marvel Studios TV shows on Disney+ are now perceived as watering down the MCU’s identity, while the studio has struggled to maintain quality due to limited resources, as they focus on both these shows and movies. This issue was also encountered by Lucasfilm, which may be the reason we haven’t had a new Star Wars movie in six years.

Disney Is Working Hard To Fix The Streaming Problems

It’s clear that Disney won’t be abandoning its streaming platform; instead, I believe we’re entering a new era of strategy for Disney+. As early as February 2023, there were signs pointing to this shift, such as Lucasfilm being instructed to boost movie production prior to Star Wars Celebration 2023. Since then, it’s become apparent that the Disney studios are refocusing on theatrical releases, which subsequently become exclusive to Disney+ after their initial run in cinemas.

Despite having fewer expensive productions like “Andor,” Disney+ will continue to release content, including series based on properties like “Percy Jackson” that are managed with tighter budgets. However, the extensive collection of movies and shows available on Disney+ seems to be its primary appeal, as evidenced by films such as “Moana” consistently ranking among the top four most-watched on any streaming platform since the launch of Disney+, demonstrating the library’s worth.

It’s likely an overstatement to claim that “streaming has ended entirely.” However, it seems that a significant turning point or shift in the industry has occurred, a transition from which we can see why Tony Gilroy encountered greater financial difficulties with Andor season 2 compared to the first season. I believe he’s correct in thinking that there may not be another project quite like it moving forward.

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2025-06-02 19:18