Tony Gilroy on streaming‘s decline and Andor’s legacy has sparked considerable discussion, especially after comments from a Disney executive declaring that “streaming is dead.” This sentiment brings into focus the future of high-budget series like Andor, which Gilroy suggests may not be possible again given the changes in funding and strategy at major studios like Disney.
Gilroy, speaking at the ATX Television Festival as reported by IndieWire, reflected on the remarkable scope and freedom involved in making Andor. The show received a hefty $650 million investment for its 24 episodes. Gilroy recounted their creative liberty even with controversial story choices, though these freedoms are rare in the current climate of tightening budgets and scrutiny.
“I mean, [for] Disney this is $650 million,”
he said.
“For 24 episodes, I never took a note. We said ‘Fuck the Empire’ in the first season, and they said, ‘Can you please not do that?’ … In Season 2, they said, ‘Streaming is dead, we don’t have the money we had before,’ so we fought hard about money, but they never cleaned anything up. That [freedom] comes with responsibilities.”
—Tony Gilroy, Andor creator
Inflated Budgets and the Tipping Point for Streaming Services
The streaming wars began in earnest when studios realized the immense profits Netflix and HBO were earning through hits like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones, prompting every major studio to launch their own platforms rather than license content to others. Disney was influenced by the success of Marvel shows on Netflix, leading to the decision to retain content for its own streaming service, while Paramount reconsidered its distribution of Star Trek properties. This industry-wide rush resulted in excessive spending to jumpstart new streaming services, but the creative quality struggled to match the investments.
Studios then bet heavily on speculative projects and unproven writers, often with little oversight. Amazon’s large financial commitment for the Lord of the Rings rights, only to assign showrunning duties to relatively inexperienced creators, is cited as an example. Disney, meanwhile, allocated film-level budgets to projects like Secret Invasion, which failed critically and commercially. These decisions contributed to major losses and failed to attract enough new subscribers to compensate.
How the Quality of Content and Subscriber Experience Has Shifted
As the era progressed, streamers recognized unsustainable losses, leading to cost reductions and a reevaluation of the value proposition for viewers. The result is reminiscent of the cable TV experience—high subscription costs, persistent advertisements, and a decline in overall programming quality. Studios aim to recover their investments by keeping subscription fees high while decreasing expenditure on content, marking a sharp shift from the early streaming landscape.
As the market consolidates, it appears likely that only a few dominant players—Netflix, Amazon, and Disney—will remain. This consolidation erodes competition and may further erode the advantages once promised by the streaming revolution, including ad-free and premium entertainment.
Changing Viewer Habits and the Apple TV Exception
For many viewers, the lack of consistent must-watch content undermines the value of year-long subscriptions, so the trend is now toward brief, targeted subscriptions only when particular shows conclude a season. Some argue that Apple TV+ still delivers a higher-quality offering than its rivals, yet even Apple’s slate is not immune to the industry’s financial realities. Apple’s strategy may not be driven by content profitability but by selling its hardware, raising questions about the sustainability of their current approach.
The Fallout from the Mishandling of Genre Series
The enthusiasm and spending that marked a so-called golden age of fantasy and science fiction are now widely viewed as squandered opportunities. Missteps include Netflix’s approach to The Witcher, Amazon’s controversial Lord of the Rings adaptation, and the faltering Wheel of Time series. Disney’s Willow project and even mistakes in HBO’s handling of House of the Dragon’s second season illustrate that no major studio escaped criticism. Across these franchises, budgets have run dry or are too limited to restore the properties’ former glory, contributing to a sense of disappointment among fans.
Andor as a Unique Success Story
Amidst this challenging landscape, Andor is regarded as a rare achievement—delivering high-quality storytelling and production value at the precise window when such a project was still viable. The show’s two seasons are praised for bringing out the best in the Star Wars universe, a view echoed by many critics and fans alike. The circumstances that enabled Andor’s creation now seem unlikely to reoccur, making it a standout legacy in the current era of streaming.
The Future of Star Wars Television and Streaming Models
The outlook for additional Star Wars live-action series remains uncertain. While projects like Ahsoka Season 2 are still in the pipeline, there is skepticism about the creative direction and the possibility of future seasons for shows like Ahsoka or The Mandalorian. Disney appears to be shifting focus back to theatrical films, which allow for more controlled budgets, whereas the future of Star Wars content on Disney+ may center on animated projects or lower-budget series. Lucasfilm’s next steps may depend on embracing smaller-scale, writer-driven pitches in an effort to balance quality with financial prudence.
This shift also influences subscriber behavior. Many, including long-time fans, now choose to subscribe only for individual months, aligned with the release schedules of specific series, rather than maintaining year-long commitments. As the value proposition continues to erode, the appeal of long-term subscriptions diminishes.
Asking What Comes Next for Streaming and Star Wars Fans
The comment from Disney to Tony Gilroy about the end of the streaming boom encapsulates a broader industry reckoning, and for many observers and subscribers, it accurately reflects today’s media environment. The fierce competition and stunning budgets of the past have given way to cuts, consolidation, and a return to business models reminiscent of cable television. As Star Wars pivots back to theaters and viewers reconsider which platforms deliver true value, the era that made Andor possible may truly be closing. For now, Andor stands as a testament to what streaming once aspired to achieve, even as the industry charts an uncertain path forward.
