Streamers surged in a Covid world
(This is the latest chapter of a book-iu-progress, “Television, and How It Got That Way.” For the full book, so far, click “The Book,” under “categories.”)
For a cozy time, streaming networks were just a bonus fringe.
They were kind of like an Imax theater in a multiplex or a luxury box in a stadium: They offered appealing alternatives (including “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” shown here), without affecting the masses.
Then Covid came and spun everything into overdrive.
In less than nine months, four major streamers were born — Apple TV+. Disney+, Max and Peacock. Others grew. Streaming seemed like a made-for-Covid phenomena. Read more…