Not so long ago, if you wanted to watch your favourite movie or cartoon or series, you had limited choices. You either waited for it to come on cable TV, went to the cinema, or bought a DVD/CD. That was it. Fast forward to the present day; we have Netflix, Disney Plus, YouTube, and Prime. With just a phone, tablet or smart TV, you can watch anything at any time. Even the TV at home has taken the place of a refrigerator because people stream more on phones and tablets than TV.

When a family turns on the TV, it's just there for display. What they are mostly on is their phones, scrolling and watching. This big change has affected cable TV, DVDs, and even cinemas. Some people love streaming. Others miss the old ways. And surprisingly, cable and DVDs might even be quietly coming back. Let's find out.

Streaming means watching movies or shows online without downloading them or buying a physical copy. You just pay a subscription fee, click play, and then you're on the go.

Cable TV used to be the king of entertainment. I remember how my family would pay a monthly subscription and still get a bunch of repeat shows and classics no one asked for. In Africa, DStv is showing dominance in terms of cable entertainment, but African cable TV might be slowly dying. Reasons include the unfair prices given at the expense of putting on repeat shows, old shows, and lacklustre entertainment. Which is making more people divert to streaming. Streaming apps like Netflix cost below half of what cable TVs are offering. Apart from adding internet costs, which can actually balance the equation.

With cable, you had to wait for your favourite show to come on at a certain time, but with streaming, you can watch anytime, pause anytime, and replay anytime. That convenience made many families cancel cable subscriptions. Cable TV has many commercials. Streaming often has fewer ads, or you can pay more to remove them. That makes watching more enjoyable.

There was a time when owning a DVD felt special. You went to stores and markets, bought a movie, opened the case, and inserted the disc. But streaming caused massive changes. Why buy a DVD when you can just stream the movie instantly? Plus, CDs take more space in your house.

Streaming also changed movie theatres. Before streaming became popular, going to the cinema was the main way to watch new movies. But now some movies are released on streaming the same day as cinemas, some movies skip theatres completely, and families sometimes prefer watching at home. But I think cinema is a fun and interactive experience.

During the pandemic, major movies got shipped to streaming. So people had already got used to sitting at home and streaming a movie. Cinemas attracted few visitors because of this.

Streaming is convenient for many reasons. You can stream a movie anywhere with an internet connection, anytime on the go, from a huge library with thousands of titles to watch from, plus DVDs damage easily, but streaming doesn't.

Even though it may seem streaming may be all fun and interesting, it's also not perfect. Now there are many streaming services; if you subscribe to all of them, it can become expensive. So if a movie is trending on both Netflix and Amazon, a user will have to pay for both. Movies can be removed from streaming platforms. With a DVD, you own it forever; NO INTERNET, NO STREAMING. Another major issue.

Surprisingly, some people are returning to cable. Why? Sports fans still rely on cable for live games. Streaming most times delays live broadcasts. Older viewers prefer traditional news channels. Some people don’t want to manage multiple apps and passwords. Cable gives everything in one place.

DVDs might be making a little comeback because CDs don’t disappear. They can become valuable over time. Some movie fans prefer owning their favourite films physically.Streaming has changed how movies are made.

Studios now create more series instead of movies and focus on binge-worthy content. release films directly online. Companies like Warner Bros. and The Walt Disney Company now think carefully about whether a movie should go to cinemas or streaming.

Streaming has completely changed the entertainment world. It made watching easier. But it also made cable TV and DVD sales shrink. Cinemas faced new challenges too. Yet nothing disappears completely. Cable still works well for live events. DVDs still attract collectors. Cinemas still offer magic you can’t recreate at home. Instead of one replacing the others, we might be entering a time where all of them exist together just in different ways. And no matter what technology we use, one thing will always stay the same. People love stories