OPINION - 5 Reasons Why DC’s Streaming Service is an EXCELLENT Idea
I know what you were thinking when you heard about DC launching it’s own streaming service, because I thought it too – Why? We don’t need another streaming service. At first, it seems like too much considering how many places we can get content for entertainment now: cable, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, not to mention every other streaming service launched by major networks like HBO. Adding one more thing to pay for or even more content feels like overkill. However, after some thought, there are a few reasons why DC not only should launch it’s on standalone service, but it needs to.
1: Animation
DC has an excellent tradition of animated content, TV and Movies. In my opinion, it has been a higher quality of product than what their main competitor, Marvel, has been able to produce. The storytelling often mirrors exactly what the comic book stories are, which is satisfying for fans of the comics. The content can be as adult as possible, but they also have a deep catalog of all ages material to build on. In addition to the deep movie stock, they have shows like Batman: The Animated Series (in my opinion, one of the best animated series ever), Superman: The Animated Series, 2 variations of Justice League, Static Shock, Young Justice (more on this later), and more. Already, there is so much content to add on day one. And that’s just a little sliver of content possibilities. For me, this already makes a streaming service worthwhile, but wait there’s more…
2: Movies
Feel how you will about DC’s current track record of movies, they have a lot of content here as well. Even though we get to live in a golden age of superhero movies now, there are many DC live-action films that we could watch on this service in a queue, should DC and Warner Bros. obtain the rights, if they don’t already have them. Multiple Superman and Batman movies, Swamp Thing, Supergirl, Constantine, Watchmen, and that’s not even entering the most recent slate of DC movies into the conversation. Imagine the ability to watch the DC Holy Trinity, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman movie back to back! How amazing could that be?!
3: The CW
Stay with me here, if you aren’t a fan of the CW content. Going back in time, you have a show like Smallville that showed it was possible to have a serialized, weekly superhero drama. There are 218 episodes of that show alone. Fast Forward to now, we have a universe based on Green Arrow and the Flash, affectionately referred to the Arrowverse or the Flarrowverse. Episode totals for these shows are unbelievable. To date, Arrow has aired 121 episodes; Flash, 75; Legends of Tomorrow, 39; Supergirl, 48. If we round it off to an hour per show (which is high, of course), that is over 500 hours of DC based shows that you could watch. This is a huge value, considering that to purchase all of these seasons would be expensive and in some instances, it would take up quite a bit of space in your Blu-Ray or DVD collection.
4: Consolidation
While I hate to compare DC & Marvel, I freely admit that Marvel is a bit of a mess when it comes to it’s properties. They are spread between Disney, Universal, Fox, and Sony. While this is not currently a problem for DC, it very easily could be. Their content could be spread across the CW app, Netflix, and Hulu. This is a problem they’d sure like to avoid. Placing the copious DC library on one consolidated service and making it the exclusive home for content opens up a multiverse of possibilities. Consider a free trial period where you may have access to the first 5 episodes of every series and a full movie. Or an animation only version of a subscription. So much can be done to progress what we do with streaming and superheroes and it can all be done in one place.
5: Original content
This is the biggest reason to be excited. For starters, Young Justice. This show has been nothing short of amazing. It’s cancellation is one of the biggest letdowns in recent memory from Cartoon Network. The show was a great take on these characters and bringing this original show back (albeit for season 3) on the service makes it an excellent source for what I imagine will be another incredible season. And the fresh content doesn’t stop there. If you’ve been paying attention to casting, the DC service will include a live action Titans. The lineup is nothing short of a dream: Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Hawk, and Dove – and these are just the characters we know about. The ability to take risks here and put out content that isn’t based solely on the big members can do for this service what the Netflix Marvel shows have done for Netflix.
All things considered, this service should be a must have for any comic book fan, provided that the price is right. Keep in mind, most of this is speculation, but if they are even a little bit close, this will be a major win. I’ll likely be picking it up if the prices are in line with Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Go and hopefully you will too.