To no one’s surprise, 2020 was a bumper year for streaming. With people stuck at home last year, services saw millions of new subscribers — Netflix attracted 16 million customers in just three months, alone. The early part of 2021 continued that trend, but as the year draws to a close, it appears the growth is slowing down across the board. This suggests that as restrictions ease around the world, people might be returning to pre-pandemic norms.

But on the whole, 2021 was still a pretty big year for streaming. Netflix now has 214 million global subscribers, and services like Disney+ and HBO Max lured customers with exclusive TV shows and movies. US platforms, like Peacock, expanded internationally and online-only programming was well-represented at multiple award shows. Titles exclusive to streaming, such as Squid Game and WandaVision, became part of the cultural landscape. A slow year or not, it’s clear that this is how most of us watch our shows now. Here are some of the biggest stories in streaming this year.

Netflix

Netflix continues to dominate

As mentioned above, Netflix is the undisputed leader in streaming with over 214 million subscribers worldwide. Sure, it’s faced a few challenges from rivals like Disney+ and Amazon Prime, but Netflix is still holding strong. Part of that is due to the company’s strategy of investing in original content that you can’t get anywhere else, like Stranger Things and The Crown.

And of course, there’s Squid Game which is undoubtedly the number one TV show of the year. Netflix has said that around 142 million households watched the Korean-language show, making it the most-viewed new show in Netflix history. There’s also the recently released Red Notice, which became the service’s most-watched movie in its first 28 days of release, with around 328.8 million viewing hours in that time span. That tops the previous record held by Bird Box, which had 282 million viewing hours back in 2018.

Things don’t seem to be slowing down, either. Netflix has signed multi-year deals with big names like Kevin Hart and Steven Spielberg, it has exclusive rights for Universal animated films and it purchased the rights to Roald Dahl’s entire catalog. this phenomenon

Still, 2021 wasn’t without its hiccups. The largest one by far is when Netflix employees staged a protest over the CEO’s remarks defending Dave Chappelle’s standup special, which was heavily criticized for its transphobic content. CEO Ed Sarandos has since said he “screwed up” on the messaging, but has not rescinded his defense.

Disney

Disney+ proves it’s a serious contender

Disney+, on the other hand, currently has 118.1 million paid subscribers worldwide, which doesn’t quite compare to Netflix. But the service still gained ground in 2021, with around 43 million more subscribers compared to last year. A lot of that can be attributed to Disney’s powerhouse brands such as Pixar, Star Wars and, especially in 2021, Marvel.

2021 was when the Marvel Cinematic Universe released four different TV shows, all exclusively on Disney+: WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki and Hawkeye. This is a big deal, as Marvel has said that these TV series are key to the MCU’s “Phase Four” chapter, indicating that fans will likely want to watch them in order to understand the context behind upcoming movies set in the same universe.

But there was more to these shows that made them required viewing. As the first out the gate, WandaVision set the tone. The episodes were meant to be watched weekly, as each one spurred so-called “water cooler” discussions in-person and online. This felt a lot like “anti-binging” TV, as much of the appeal of these shows lay in the anticipation of what would happen next. At the very least, it showed that Disney+’s slate of original content — which also includes The Mandalorian and the upcoming The Book of Boba Fett — could hold its own against that of more established platforms.

Warner Bros.

The direct-to-streaming revolution that wasn’t

During the thick of the pandemic, many movies eschewed theatrical releases for direct-to-streaming debuts. Examples include The Lovebirds, Borat Subsequent Movie Film,Mulan (via paid Premier Access), Soul, and Wonder Woman 1984. That carried into this year as well, with Disney+ continuing its paid Premier Access model with Cruella, Black Widow and Jungle Cruise (Luca, however, did not have Premier Access release).

The biggest move, however, was when Warner Bros. announced that every single one of its movies in 2021 would have a one month exclusive access period on HBO Max concurrent with the film’s domestic release. This meant that big blockbuster movies like Suicide Squad, Dune and Matrix 4 would be available on HBO Max on the same day they debuted in theaters for an entire year.

While some may have heralded this phenomenon as the future of entertainment, it looks to be short-lived. Disney revealed a few months ago that all of its remaining 2021 movies will get a 45-day head start in theaters. This could be due to strong responses to titles like Free Guy and Shang-Chi, but Disney might also want to avoid lawsuits like the one Scarlett Johansson filed for breach of contract over shortened theatrical releases. Warner Bros. also said that it’s going back to theater-first releases in 2022. It looks like the direct-to-streaming revolution isn’t quite here just yet.

Other notable streaming news

• Paramount+ replaces CBS All Access, which essentially opens up the service to other ViacomCBS channels, such as Comedy Central and VH1, plus Paramount’s existing movie library.

• Discovery+ makes its debut. The service features content from HGTV, Food Network, Animal Planet, TLC, the Magnolia Network, and Discovery.

• AT&T spun off its WarnerMedia division and merged it with Discovery in a $43 billion deal. The new company will combine Warner’s film division, HBO Max and Discovery+.

• Roku purchased Quibi’s shows and released some of them as “Roku Originals.”

• Roku pulled YouTube TV from its channel store amid a contract dispute with Google. The latter apparently requested priority placement in search results and wanted to block results from other providers while the app was in use. As of December 8th, both parties have finally agreed to a multi-year extension.

• In other notable YouTube TV news, the service recently lost access to all of Disney's channels, which includes ESPN, ABC and FX, as Google and Disney had failed to strike a deal. After just a couple of days, however, the two companies reconciled and reached an agreement, thus restoring all of the aforementioned channels. When YouTube TV initially lost those channels, Google had dropped the price of the service by $15 (from $65 to $50 in the basic package). Now the price is back to normal. However, if users had already initiated the cancellation process, Google will still honor the one-time $15 credit if they resume their membership. 

• WWE Network ceased operations as most of its content moved to Peacock.

• Peacock aired multiple live Olympics sporting events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

• Universal made a deal where Peacock and Amazon Prime Video would have some streaming rights for its live-action movies after their theatrical run. They would air on Peacock for four months, then on Prime Video for 10 months, and then back to Peacock for at least another four months. This kicks into effect in 2022.

• Netflix gained exclusive streaming rights to all of Sony’s upcoming movies, including upcoming titles in the Spider-Man franchise.

• Peacock debuts in the UK and Ireland.

What to look forward to in 2022

While the growth in streaming might be slowing, there are still plenty of shows and movies to anticipate next year. Netflix has confirmed that the aforementioned Sandmanwill be released in 2022, as well as The Witcher: Blood Origin and new seasons of favorites like Stranger Things, The Crown and Ozark. Disney+ will continue its MCU run of TV shows with Ms. Marvel, and will introduce a couple of Star Wars series too: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor. Perhaps the two biggest TV series to get excited about, however, are HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, and Amazon’s epic Lord of the Rings series, which is set thousands of years prior to The Hobbit.

As we get closer and closer to the end of the year, there are still plenty of interesting gadgets, instruments and devices to review. This week, we’ve got a new addition to the Halo series with Halo: Infinite, which Jessica Conditt says fits right in with the rest of the franchise. Terrence O’Brien played the Fender Acoustasonic Player Telecaster and reported that the hybrid instrument produces convincing acoustic sounds that echo the original guitar. James Trew used the Analogue Pocket and says it’s the best handheld retro experience available right now, period. And Billy Steele listened to Yahama’s YH-L700A, which he deemed a bit heavy-handed, albeit excellent for movie watching.

The Yamaha YH-L700A headphones have a unique aesthetic and a high price

Billy Steele/Engadget

Billy Steele likes the look of the Yamaha YH-L700A headphones: he says the combination of leather, fabric, matte black and silver accents makes for a refined look while the square fold-in ear cups make them easy to travel with. The noteworthy feature on these headphones is the 3D Sound Field feature, which consists of seven presets to enhance music and movies. There’s also a head-tracking feature which makes the sound appear to be coming from a stationary point.

Billy says this last feature added a cinematic element to movie watching, but he didn’t think it translated when listening to music. The seven presets of the 3D Sound Field likewise worked better for movies and television where they created a spacious sound. While testing the filters with music, Billy reports they felt heavy-handed and didn’t work well across genres. He says the active noise cancellation on these cans is sufficient if not impressive, and points out that the marquee features can be toggled on and off within the app. However, he was disappointed with the battery life – during testing, the headphones managed to last just under 11 hours, which is lackluster when most of the competition boasts closer to 30 hours of battery life. And at $500, they have a high price tag to boot.

The Analogue Pocket offers all the fun of ‘90s portable gaming

James Trew/Engadget

James Trew is a long-time vintage gaming fan and is quick to point out that while the Analogue Pocket is the best experience available right now, it’s also not for casual users. At $220, it lets you play most vintage portable titles from Game Boy, as well as Game Gear, while adapters for Neo Geo Pocket Color and Atari Lynx are on the way. It also has more modern touches, too, like a backlit display. And in addition to being a quality gaming device, the Analogue Pocket can also hook up to a TV and has built-in music making software.

Because of its FPGA “cores,” the Pocket can mimic vintage consoles at a hardware level – no more emulator quirks to suffer through. It’s also functional with original Game Boy accessories like the Game Boy Camera, printers or rumble packs. And it can connect to an authentic Game Boy for a multiplayer experience. James liked the 3.5-inch screen made with Gorilla Glass as well as the save states, but wished the shoulder buttons were better and said some of the display modes obscure on-screen messaging at times. Overall, the Analogue Pocket offers elevated retro gameplay with enough forthcoming additional features to ensure it will get better over time.

Halo: Infinite has fun new mechanics and tools

Engadget

Jessica Conditt had high hopes for Halo: Infinite, the first open-world game in the franchise’s history. And she admits that playing the new storyline brought back warm, gleeful feelings and a sense of familiarity. However, she also thinks the game lacks surprise and intrigue – much of the innovation into vertical space has been done by other, more recent games, and the cramped map made for contained and linear gameplay.

That being said, Jessica reports she had a lot of fun playing with the newly available mechanics and tools, in particular the grapple hook. From climbing mountains to scaling buildings, the grapple hook provides new vertical space for players to explore. Jessica says that while she expected a lot more from the pioneer FPS title, she also thinks it’s at its best when it gives users a rich environment full of grappling, shielding and in-air headshots. From the maze-like levels, military stereotypes and sarcastic robots, Infinite plays like a classic Halo game.

The Hydrasynth Explorer offers an endless array of synth options

Terrence O'Brien/Engadget

Terrence O’Brien admits up front that the Hydrasynth Explorer offers a remarkable array of features and options in a portable, well-built device. For $600, you get a wavemorphing engine with an eight-note polyphone, three oscillators per voice, a ring modulator, a noise source and over 200 waveforms. There are also two filters which can be in series or parallel to determine how much of each oscillator goes to each filter. He says that the 88-page manual feels like it’s just skimming the surface of what the synth is capable of.

However, you don’t need to master the sound design tools to get started with the instrument – just dig into the 640 presets spread over five banks of 128 patches. During testing, Terrence found the Explorer easy to use thanks to the neatly labeled sections on the front panel. A few things missing on the versatile device are a proper sequencer, full-sized keys, and touch strips instead of pitch and mod wheels. There are also only three filter knobs instead of five. Despite that, Terrence still feels that the Explorer is well worth its price tag given its great sound, solid build and plethora of tools to explore.

Fender’s Acoustasonic Player Telecaster is an (almost) perfect couch guitar

Terrence O'Brien/Engadget

Terrence O’Brien also spent some time with the new Fender Acoustasonic Player Telecaster, which slashes $800 off the price of the previous model. For $1,200, you get a mahogany and spruce satin finish with a rosewood fretboard, two pickups and a three-way switch with six sound options. Instead of a rechargeable battery, the Player runs on a standard nine-volt cell. Terrence reports it eats through the batteries surprisingly quickly, but remains convenient.

When it came to how the instrument sounded, Terrence reports that while there are fewer acoustic simulations on this model, the two offerings (Rosewood Dreadnought and Mahogany Small Body) cover a lot of ground. He says that he prefers the electric sounds of the Telecaster to the more expensive Jazzmaster, as it resembles the original guitar more and plays better with pedals. Terrence says the two acoustic simulations offer depth and character, and that overall, the hybrid guitar is a perfect couch instrument.

Universal’s Audio Volt is an audio interface ideal for a home studio

Terrence O'Brien/Engadget

Terrence O’Brien deems Universal Audio’s first foray into the budget space a success. The company’s Volt series, five models that run from $139 to $369, are affordable audio interfaces that share a core 24-bit/192kHz audio converter and a preamp with a “Vintage” mode that aims to recreate that classic tube preamp sounds. Terrence tested the $189 Volt 2 and the $299 Volt 276, which are both two-input interfaces.

The differences between the two models are slight: the Volt 2 is simple and utilitarian, but works well with limited space, while the “76” version has a built-in compressor and will require extra desk space as most of the controls are on the top. Terrence says the compressor makes a big difference as it’s capable of softer edges to tame the harsher frequencies. He also felt the metering LEDs on the 276 were easier to see and the wooden sides were a nice touch. While the base models were excellent interfaces at reasonable prices, Terrence said the 176, 276 and 476 stood out from the pack thanks to their compressors, style and ergonomics.

Drive to Survive — the F1 documentary that has changed a sport

Matt Slater, The Athletic

An F1 season concluded last weekend with more drama than Netflix producers could dream of, and neither the service nor the racing series will be complaining. The documentary-style series Formula 1: Drive to Survive has massively expanded the F1 fan base since its debut in 2019, thanks to cinematic behind-the-scenes access to drivers, teams and tactics from the previous season. "Nowhere has that effect been more obvious than in America," Slater writes.

How Shein beat Amazon at its own game — and reinvented fast fashion

Louise Matsakis, Meaghan Tobin and Wency Chen, Rest of World

When an influencer posts a thrift store find, it becomes the latest fashion trend. Fast fashion companies seize quickly on what's popular on social media and Shein has created a billion-dollar business doing just that. 

Robert Downey Jr.: Here’s how to accelerate discoveries to help the planet

Robert Downey Jr and David Lang, Fast Company

Ironman has some ideas on how to fix science funding, arguing that the rapid response to the pandemic needs to be applied to saving the planet. 

The Witcher: Blood Origin, a prequel to Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Anderzej Sapkowski’s dark fantasy novel series, will debut in 2022, and you can watch the first trailer now. In a surprise move, Netflix shared footage from the show as part of season two of The Witcher. The trailer is attached to the final episode of the season as a post-credits scene. And as of the writing of this article, Netflix has yet to upload the clip to YouTube.

Per Gizmodo, the trailer doesn’t provide many story hints, but what it does do is offer a look at Michelle Yeoh as Scian, one of the protagonists of the tale. Blood Origin will center on the Conjunction of the Spheres, the moment in the Witcher universe where humans, elves and monsters all came to inhabit the fantasy world of the series.

Blood Origin is just one of several Witcher-related projects Netflix has in the production pipeline following the success of the first season of its live action adaptation. The company recently greenlit a third season of the show, in addition to a second animated movie (following Nightmare of the Wolf) and a kids and family series.

Not to be outdone by Spotify (and nearly every other streaming platform, for that matter), Disney’s Hulu has released an end-of-year recap. Dubbed “Your TV DNA,” you can use the tool to find out how many films and TV episodes you watched in 2021, as well as what your favorite genres were over the last 12 months. As part of the experience, Hulu will also generate recommendations for current and upcoming content that is similar to the stuff you watched recently.

It’s no surprise to see the company offer a year-end recap. If social media is any indication, Spotify has had tremendous success with Wrapped. Each year, it seems like Spotify users flock to Twitter and Facebook to share their yearly chronicles. At the same time, you frequently see those who use Apple Music and other platforms lament that their music streaming service of choice doesn’t offer something similar. Hulu clearly wants to replicate some of Spotify's success with the Your TV DNA experience allowing people to share their “streaming personas” on social media.

Spotify has bought another audio platform, and this time it's hoping to bring radio into the modern era. The streaming company has acquired Whooshkaa, an Australia-based firm that offers a tool to convert radio broadcasters' shows into podcasts. Spotify plans to integrate the tech into its Megaphone suite for podcasters with a clear goal — stations could further profit from shows by offering ad-supported podcast episodes.

Whooshkaa might also boost some of Spotify's other efforts. Founder Rob Loewenthal noted Whooshkaa also had speech-to-text (and text-to-speech) technology, smart home integration and "enterprise grade" podcasting tools. Neither Spotify nor Whooshkaa mentioned using this tech to auto-transcribe podcasts or otherwise augment podcasting features, but it wouldn't be surprising if some of this know-how carried over.

The appeal of the purchase is clear. If Spotify can persuade more radio networks to offer podcasts, it could expand its catalog and lure more listeners. Even if few of those shows become exclusives, Spotify could thrive as radio listening declines and more stations look for ways to supplement their usual on-air ads.

It seems TikTok is getting into livestreaming from desktops. The service is testing a Windows app called TikTok Live Studio, which allows users to run broadcasts on the platform using their computer.

Users can stream directly to TikTok Live using the software. One of the most obvious use cases for the app is for livestreaming games, which could turn TikTok into a serious competitor to the likes of Twitch given the already-enormous reach of the platform. Live Studio users are able to broadcast content from their computer, phone or game console.

TikTok Live Studio seems fairly barebones for now. Creators can switch on features like gifting, comments and keyword filters. However, they're unable to set browser windows as a source for their streams, have moderators or create alerts for new followers or tips, as they can with other livestreaming software such as OBS and Streamlabs.

Still, it's worth bearing in mind these are early days for the app. TikTok told TechCrunch that only a few thousand users have access for now. If it decides to move forward with the app, the company will likely expand the Live Studio feature set over time. 

Should TikTok add all of the other necessary bells and whistles streamers want to Live Studio, it could become a viable destination for those who want to forego the likes of Twitch and YouTube or tap into an existing fanbase on the platform. Among other things, the app could give creators a way to bring their broadcasts and on-demand videos together in one place.

TikTok is planning some key changes to the For You page (FYP), the app's home screen. It will adjust the algorithm that populates the FYP with a never-ending stream of videos to stop it from showing too much of the same kinds of content.

"As we continue to develop new strategies to interrupt repetitive patterns, we're looking at how our system can better vary the kinds of content that may be recommended in a sequence," TikTok wrote in a blog post. "That's why we're testing ways to avoid recommending a series of similar content — such as around extreme dieting or fitness, sadness or breakups — to protect against viewing too much of a content category that may be fine as a single video but problematic if viewed in clusters."

The service is also working on a way to identify when the algorithm only shows a user limited kinds of videos. It notes that, while videos about loneliness or weight loss might not violate the platform's rules, those kinds of videos could have a negative impact if they make up most of what a user sees on the For You page. So, preventing that from happening is important.

"Our goal is for each person's For You feed to feature a breadth of content, creators, and topics," TikTok said, noting that too many similar videos appearing in the feed doesn't reflect the kind of experience it wants to foster. The service is consulting with its Content Advisory Council and the community, as well as experts from the fields of medicine, clinical psychology and AI ethics.

In addition, TikTok is developing an option that will let users block videos linked to certain words or hashtags on the For You page. That will give them more control over what they see on the home screen.

The FYP recommendation algorithm is TikTok's secret sauce and one of the main reasons why the app became incredibly popular. The app's systems monitor users' engagement habits, such as how long the screen stays on a particular piece of content and the videos someone likes, to determine the kinds of videos that might keep them hooked on the FYP.

At a Senate Commerce Committee hearing in October on the effect of social media on children and teens, senators pressed representatives from TikTok, Youtube and Snap on several matters. Among them was how their algorithms might promote content about issues like eating disorders and self harm.

TikTok's latest announcement might help to soothe the lawmakers' concerns. The platform notes that it'll take some "time and iteration" to make these changes to systems and tools and to get them right.

Never mind trying to attract Twitch legends to rival services— Facebook Gaming just landed one of the world's biggest sports personalities. Soccer star Neymar Jr. has signed a deal to livestream exclusively on Facebook, with his first official broadcast starting December 17th at 2PM Eastern on his page. He'll stream games "multiple times" per month and pair with another creator once each month.

Don't expect the Paris Saint-Germain forward to play FIFA despite his real-world skills. Varietynoted Neymar previously streamed the likes of Call of Duty and Counter-Strike on Twitch, and we wouldn't rule out some Fortnite when he appeared in the game earlier this year.

The deal won't necessarily shift the balance of livestreaming away from Twitch and YouTube, and we wouldn't expect many more deals like this. There are only so many top-tier athletes who are interested enough in video games to livestream them, after all. When Neymar has over 88 million Facebook followers, though, this could easily lead to large audiences and raise Facebook Gaming's profile.

As part of its years-long podcast push, Spotify has been constantly adding new features for users on top of steadily expanding its library of 3.2 million shows. Today, the service is debuting yet another tool for listeners to offer feedback on the podcasts they listen to: ratings. The company says the ability to offer 1-5 star ratings will roll out to users "over the coming days." The feature will be available in all markets where podcasts are available on the streaming service. 

Spotify says features like its podcast charts have helped users find new shows, and the same goes for the service's personalized recommendations. However, until now, there was no real way for listeners to see what other people thought of a show in the company's apps. The star rating system will be familiar to podcast listeners as platforms like Apple Podcasts also use the scoring metric. Like Apple, Spotify will display the number of ratings in parenthesis beside the average score on each show's page. Of course, the system will also allow creators to see how their podcast is performing among listeners, directly from the people who are listening to the show.