All the people changing the TV landscape in 2018
Compared with life before VOD (heaven forbid), it’s clear the TV landscape has changed dramatically over the years. Thanks to the rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and HBO, there’s now an abundance of binge-worthy box sets available at the click of a button. Since 2010, the amount of shows available on Netflix alone has nearly tripled, jumping from 530 to 1600 titles. Global streaming subscribers are projected to surpass 1.1 billion by 2025, with Netflix alone topping 312 million subscribers as of mid-2025 and heading toward 325 million by year-end. Streamers spent roughly 95 billion dollars on content in 2025, underscoring the scale of the shift from limited broadcast schedules to round-the-clock libraries.
With so much choice on offer, the market has become less predictable as consumers take command. In an interview with The Drum, Head of Global Sales at Endemol Shine Group, James Hayr, described how “competition for viewers is at an all-time high, driving up the quality of new content and giving rise to a generation of new talent.” In the wake of this increased competition, Studiocanal TV’s Rola Bauer said compelling storytelling that takes “viewers into a unique, special world” is the key to wider distribution. The average U.S. household now subscribes to about four services but actively uses only two, a sign that curation and price sensitivity matter as much as sheer volume.
Consolidation and bundling reshape the streaming market
Post-2018 growth has given way to mergers and shared infrastructure. Disney+ and Hulu are scheduled to merge into a single app by the end of 2026, while Apple TV+ and Peacock launched a joint bundle in October 2025 priced between 14.99 and 19.99 dollars. Multiple platforms raised prices across 2025 and 2026 to offset content costs, shifting the conversation from pure abundance to curated ecosystems that keep subscribers from churning.
YouTube and live content challenge traditional streamers
YouTube’s ascent as a primary TV destination has altered viewing patterns. The platform is now cited alongside Netflix as a defining 2025 story, with live sports and events drawing audiences that scripted libraries alone cannot hold. Streaming is projected to exceed 50 percent of U.S. TV viewing by summer 2026, and YouTube is expected to surpass traditional broadcast in that share, forcing legacy streamers to add live tiers and real-time programming.
AI and personalization as new discovery tools
Fragmented libraries have made discovery a central problem. Industry analysts predict AI viewing assistants will increasingly decide which titles surface first, turning recommendation engines into gatekeepers. This shift places pressure on metadata, thumbnails, and algorithmic placement, with platforms testing generative tools to surface content before viewers even search.
Sustained global reach of non-English originals
International series have kept expanding beyond the 2018 hype cycle. The Berlinale Series Market 2026 Selects features 17 scripted international titles, maintaining the festival’s role as a marketplace for non-English drama. Babylon Berlin wrapped filming on its fifth and final season in November 2025, with the U.S. and Canadian premiere set for 2026 on MHz Choice, while earlier hits such as Dark and Skam remain catalog staples that proved long-term viability.
An avenue reaping the benefits of this content revolution is international television. While the changing landscape is still taking shape, the abundance of polyglot shows at this year’s Berlin Film Festival – also known as Berlinale – shows there is more room for non-English TV series, with hype surrounding shows such as Studio Hamburg Production Group’s Bad Banks, Israeli TV’s Sleeping Bears, and Norway’s Heimebane. While mainstream American networks are “still xenophobic”, it doesn’t matter as much in the era of Netflix and Amazon, said Bauer. “The fact that we have all these new platforms coming out is indicative of the fact that we have lots more time slots to fill.” Outside of Berlinale, this can be seen through the release of shows like NRK’s cult-hit web series Skam, Netflix’s acquisition of the German science-fiction thriller Dark, and the breakthrough hit in Tom Tykwer’s period thriller Babylon Berlin.
Elsewhere at Berlinale, FremantleMedia Intl. premiered its new female-centric series Picnic at Hanging Rock on Monday. In an interview with Variety, head of the company Sarah Doole said, “I think we’re in a new era, and it’s coming from a commercial imperative . . . about viewers’ needs and wants. Viewers want women in there, driving the narrative forward.” Female-led TV shows have enjoyed a strong few years, and this trend appears set to continue in 2018. With CBS alone, the network reacted to criticism for its lack of inclusion and women’s voices by taking on three pilot episodes from female writers. The slate includes Gloria Calderon Kellett’s History of Them and Michelle Nader’s I Mom So Hard, as well as Amanda Green’s drama series Murder.
Of course, it’s not just female-led shows we’re seeing an abundance of – LGBTQI and racial diversity have been driving the television sector. For example, the reboot of One Day at a Time is currently airing its second season on Netflix, featuring a majority Latino cast as opposed to the all-white 70s cast, while using the narrative to discuss racism and acceptance. Elsewhere, The CW is bringing back the fantasy series Charmed with an LGBTQI twist, while Queer Eye returned this month, bringing a “new cast, mission, and platform”. According to the Observer, “In this era of peak TV and diverse viewership, networks, and content creators are in desperate need of ideas that apply to a wide range of audiences.”
Recent data shows the representation gains have held. The 2024-2025 primetime season featured 489 LGBTQIA+ regular and recurring characters, up 4 percent year-over-year, with 51 percent people of color. In children’s new programming, female leads reached a record 48.8 percent. Queer Eye concluded with its tenth and final season in January 2026, while the One Day at a Time and Charmed reboots completed their runs, leaving a measurable footprint in both audience metrics and industry hiring patterns.
While television continues to be a highly profitable, cash-generative industry, viewing habits are changing as a result of the rise in digital services. Thanks to the foundations laid over the past several years, it seems the TV landscape in 2018 will continue to expand and diversify as production companies compete to offer culturally relevant and appealing content. Consolidation, live competition, and algorithmic curation now shape how that expansion plays out, with global non-English titles and sustained diversity metrics serving as durable markers of the market’s evolution.
