The short version

Brian Lesser predicted on September 25, 2018: “I don't believe – nor does anybody on the team believe – that subscription video on demand services could possibly pay for all the content being developed” Verdict: Called it. Right. Contrarian at the time - Netflix and Amazon were proudly ad-free. Within four years every major SVOD service had reversed into advertising:…

Prediction by

Brian Lesser

On September 25, 2018

“I don't believe – nor does anybody on the team believe – that subscription video on demand services could possibly pay for all the content being developed”

Follow-up

Right. Contrarian at the time - Netflix and Amazon were proudly ad-free. Within four years every major SVOD service had reversed into advertising: Netflix launched Basic with Ads in November 2022, Disney+ followed in December 2022, and Max, Peacock, Paramount+ and Prime Video all sell ads today. Content economics forced exactly the outcome Lesser called.

From the High Caliber AI network — see the AI for PR module in the course.