As 2025 draws to a close, the streaming and media landscape has evolved dramatically since the bold forecasts made for 2019. Back then, analysts peered into a future dominated by cord-cutting, streaming wars, and technological shifts. Six years later, with hindsight as our guide, it’s fascinating to revisit those predictions and assess their accuracy. Some nailed the trends with eerie precision, while others veered off course amid unexpected corporate maneuvers, regulatory hurdles, and market surprises. This retrospective examines how those early insights held up, highlighting the hits, misses, and near-misses in an industry that continues to redefine entertainment consumption.
Here are our 2019 predictions, and below you can find how we did:
Realistic Predictions
A Major Live TV Streaming Service Will Shut Down: One forecast anticipated that intense competition would claim a victim among giants like PlayStation Vue, Sling, DIRECTV NOW, FuboTV, or YouTube TV by year’s end. This proved spot-on, as PlayStation Vue revealed its shutdown plans late in 2019, though the service lingered until January 2020 for a smooth wind-down. Meanwhile, DIRECTV NOW underwent a significant overhaul, rebranding to AT&T TV, which altered its operations and pricing structure substantially. These changes underscored the brutal economics of live TV streaming, where subscriber retention and content costs forced consolidations and exits. Looking back, this prediction captured the fragility of the sector, foreshadowing further shakeups like subsequent mergers and pivots in the 2020s.
NFL Sunday Ticket Streaming Version: Observers expected the NFL to signal a shift away from DIRECTV toward a streaming-exclusive Sunday Ticket, potentially announcing the move in 2019 even if the launch came later. The timeline slipped, but the essence materialized when the league inked a deal with YouTube and YouTube TV for streaming rights starting in 2023. This delay stemmed from protracted negotiations and legal reviews, yet it validated the prediction’s core idea. By 2025, streaming has become the default for out-of-market games, boosting accessibility but also sparking debates over pricing and blackouts that persist today.
Disney Will Own Majority of Hulu: Projections held that Disney would consolidate controlof Hulu post its Fox acquisition, with Comcast likely divesting stakes to manage debt. This unfolded precisely as foreseen, with Disney securing full operational control through agreements, though Comcast’s final stake sale dragged on until 2024. The move solidified Disney’s streaming empire, enabling bundled offerings and content synergies that propelled Hulu’s growth. In the end that did happen as Comcast agreed to sell the remaining shares of Hulu to Disney but it would take a few more years to fully close.
Slower 5G Rollout: Enthusiasm for 5G’s role in cord-cutting was tempered by expectations of a sluggish 2019 deployment due to technical challenges and regulatory obstacles, paving the way for a 2020 surge. Reality aligned closely, as initial rollouts were patchy and limited to select cities, hampered by spectrum disputes and infrastructure delays. By 2025, 5G has matured into a cornerstone for mobile streaming, but the early caution proved wise, reminding us how hype often outpaces practical implementation in telecom advancements.
Disney+ Will Be an Initial Success but Face Backlash: The launch of Disney+ was tipped as a massive hit, yet prone to subscriber churn once the incomplete back catalog became apparent. This missed the mark overall, as Disney+ sustained strong growth without widespread backlash leading to mass exits. However, elements rang true: complaints about missing titles lingered, and issues like The Simpsons streaming solely in widescreen were swiftly addressed following user outcry. Six years on, the service thrives, but the prediction’s nuance about content gaps foreshadowed ongoing criticisms in a crowded market where completeness matters.
“Crazy Way Out There” Predictions
AT&T Sells Satellite Customers to Dish: A speculative bet suggested AT&T might offload its DIRECTV satellite base to Dish Network for cash, creating a unified satellite TV powerhouse akin to Sirius XM. Attempts at such a merger surfaced multiple times, including a failed DIRECTV bid for Dish in 2024 blocked by creditors. Ultimately, it never materialized, thwarted by antitrust concerns and financial roadblocks, though the repeated efforts affirm the prediction’s insight into industry consolidation pressures.
Walmart Buys Roku: Forecasters imagined Walmart snapping up Roku to challenge Amazon’s Fire TV dominance in streaming hardware. Roku rebuffed acquisition overtures, and Walmart pivoted to purchasing Vizio in 2024 instead. The prediction correctly sensed Walmart’s ambitions in the space, but the target and timing differed, illustrating how corporate strategies can shift toward better-aligned opportunities in the evolving smart TV ecosystem.
Google Ditches Chromecast for Android TV Stick: This envisioned Google swapping the basic Chromecast for a full Android TV stick with a remote, mirroring competitors like Fire TV or Roku. It happened as predicted, albeit delayed, with the 2020 launch of what became Google TV devices. By 2025, Chromecast branding has faded, confirming the shift to Google TV.
Samsung Launches a Roku TV: To penetrate the affordable TV segment ruled by TCL and Hisense, Samsung was thought to introduce budget models running Roku OS over its Tizen system. This didn’t occur, as Samsung stuck with Tizen while others like LG and Sony adopted alternatives such as webOS or Google TV. The broader trend of OS diversification held, but Samsung’s loyalty to its platform defied the forecast. Though it is true that Samsung has lost market share with TVs under $1,000.
Apple’s Streaming Service Will “Bomb” Initially: Apple’s 2019 entry was predicted to falter due to device exclusivity, lacking support for Roku, Fire TV, or Android. This assessment proved accurate, as Apple TV+ grappled with low subscriber traction and hefty losses, only recently expanding to Android mobiles. Persistent struggles highlight how platform silos can hinder growth in a multi-device world.
Please add Cord Cutters News as a source for your Google News feed HERE. Please follow us on Facebook and X for more news, tips, and reviews. Need cord cutting tech support? Join our Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.