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The streaming wars didn’t kill the little guys. In fact, they’re thriving.

For much of the past decade, conventional wisdom inside the entertainment world has been that only a small handful of megaservices would survive the streaming wars, but numerous media executives now believe that there could be room for some more modest streaming services, too. (Lia Sued C./The New York Times
For much of the past decade, conventional wisdom inside the entertainment world has been that only a small handful of megaservices would survive the streaming wars, but numerous media executives now believe that there could be room for some more modest streaming services, too. (Lia Sued C./The New York Times

By John Koblin / New York Times News Service 5 min read

Executives from the Hallmark Channel made a curious decision this fall: They started a new streaming service.

It seemed like an awfully late date to do so. Most media companies entered the streaming fray years ago, and few have had success going head-to-head against titans like Netflix, Amazon and Disney.

But Hallmark executives decided the timing was not an issue. Their app, Hallmark+, did not need to appeal to the whole country, they said, just their core audience — the people who regularly flock en masse to the network’s trademark holiday and feel-good programming.

“We don’t have to make content that are all things to all people,” said John Matts, Hallmark Media’s chief operating officer.

He might very well be onto something.