Willie O’Reilly: The only way is up for the price of streamed entertainment

It’s the golden age of online TV and film content, but networks like Netflix and Apple TV will soon be looking for a better return on their investment

Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, backed by Netflix, is nominated for a dozen Oscars. This year alone, three Academy Best Pictures nominations are by streaming services

When television first arrived in Ireland, the offer was simple. An evening of entertainment, current affairs and sports, all for the price of the licence fee.

But the medium has changed in ways people of the last century could not have predicted. Broadcasting is now 24/7 and the choice has increased exponentially, though not always in a good way.

“Fifty-seven channels and nothing on,” Bruce Springsteen sang back in 1992. Today it’s more like 570 ...