1.Introduction

In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital entertainment, video streaming platforms have emerged as a transformative force, reshaping the way individuals consume media and film [1]. Since video streaming platforms contain a wide range of content, including movies, TV shows, documentaries, live events, and user-generated videos, this paper just focuses on the platforms distributing videos with cinematic content. Due to the various applications, video streaming platforms mean that the audiences can choose cinematic video content they would like to consume based on the personalized design given by data analysis [2].

With the proliferation of high-speed internet connectivity and advancements in technology by facilitating seamless streaming experiences, these platforms have gained tremendous popularity and captivated audiences worldwide. Because they have eliminated the inconvenience and conventional characteristics of traditional platforms (cinema and broadcast television) controlled by the government’s authority or gatekeepers, which means they have finite content, and their scale of audience has to be restricted [3]. Besides, another factor expediting the rise of streaming platforms in a brief period of time is the unexpected emergency as a result of COVID-19. During the pandemic period, the film- viewing habits and audiences' behavior have changed unexpectedly due to the limited social contact, remote work arrangements, and the closure of movie theaters. Therefore, on the other hand, accelerating and magnifying the progress and expansion of video streaming platforms in daily life [4]. Individual users gradually accommodate this social transformation and even rely on the convenience of the new video-viewing mode, leading them to entertain and collect information to their maximum capacity in a limited time but no-limited places. This on-demand accessibility and the ability to personalize viewing experiences have not only revolutionized the entertainment industry but also promoted the diverse possibility of cinematic storytelling for filmmakers by offering audiences unparalleled choices and exploring the impact of streaming platforms on altered storytelling.

Based on the advent of the digital age, this paper focuses on the positive impact of video streaming platforms on various aspects of storytelling by introducing novel film formats, realizing creative freedom, promoting diversity, and using data analysis to alter the pattern and pace of storytelling. At the same time, this paper provides insight into how streaming platforms have increased user accessibility to expand users' movie-watching experience in more personalized and interactive ways.

1.1.Diverse Content & Film Forms

Through changes in internet technology, streaming platforms can deliver various videos from different subjects and content, thus allowing audiences to expose diverse perspectives, cultures, and stories from films [1]. Also, the simple use of video streaming platforms has made it easier for content creators from diverse backgrounds to share their work with a global audience.

With the rapid expansion of the digital industry, media consumption has become global and primarily digital. This has created a unique scenario where both major and minor stakeholders have gained access to new digital technologies that encompass the entire production-to-consumption process [5]. As a result, it has become simpler for them to dig further into local markets and has brought forth a new era of redefining brand identities by incorporating elements from both international and regional perspectives [5]. There is an intriguing scenario that existed under this transformation: more and more films and TV series with restricted cultural content, like Korean soap operas and Chinese fairy dramas, appeared and attracted audiences’ attention on global streaming platforms. The surprising combination of regionalization of video content and international media not only reaches a wider audience in distinct regions but also diminishes the control of any particular group of nations [6]. Moreover, since individual audiences have different preferences for video content and viewing habits, streaming media must include various subjects and content as much as possible. Within this convenience, viewers can structure the experience according to their interests based on personalized and recommendation algorithms that apply to almost all streaming media. Unlike traditional media outlets that often prioritize mainstream content, streaming platforms have the flexibility to accommodate a wide range of genres and categories because video streaming platforms are more considerate of audience demands. This allows for including niche topics that may not have received attention in traditional media. By providing dedicated sections or categories for these topics, streaming platforms make it easier for viewers to discover and engage with content that caters to their interests.

Furthermore, the changes brought by video streaming platforms to improvements in cinematic storytelling are far more than these. With the advent of the post-cinema era, cinema has transcended its traditional boundaries within movie theaters and has become seamlessly integrated into different aspects of our everyday existence [7]. Post-cinema is often associated with the emergence of new media forms and hosts of new storytelling, like video games, streaming platforms, and virtual reality as well as highly related to the impact of digital technologies. These transformations challenge the nature of traditional cinema, offering interactive and personalized experiences, such as interactive storytelling. There is a typical example of interactive implementation, which is popular in Chinese video streaming platforms. Bullet screen is the main difference between Chinese video streaming platforms and Netflix, which refers to the overlaid audience comments flying across the screen. These comments are shown in the timeline when audiences write, so later viewers can see exactly what comments have been left at a certain point in time during the videos. The effect of Bullet screening is to provide a synchronous community for audiences who watched the same videos and films to discuss the content or even comment on any details they found in the videos, thus adding to the complexity of the genre and storytelling and making their story more substantial than the producer originally made it [8]. Consequently, this implementation insightfully reflects important progress that streaming platforms can provide more possibilities for audiences to enhance their engagement and interactivity.

2.Creative Freedom

In today's era of media movies, streaming platforms are spread across the globe, with numerous users coming from different countries and cultures. This global reach allows producers to create content that resonates with diverse audiences. Producers can find their creativity and imagination without geographical or cultural limitations. Users can choose what stories and movies they want to watch on the streaming media, and the streaming media will recommend them based on this data. This results in a broader audience and a higher demand from users, and this data-driven approach provides valuable insights to producers and encourages them to create diverse and original content.

The combination of media technologies allows storytellers to create immersive entertainment experiences more efficiently than ever [9]. The positive influence of video streaming platforms on cinematic storytelling is gradually influencing the era of digital media. The insightful impact is to allow producers to think outside the box and develop novel and creative concepts. This streaming characteristic has a less restricted format that differs from traditional media and movies in that streaming platforms often have more flexible episode lengths and structures. Producers are not tied to fixed time slots or commercials, which gives them the freedom to tell the story as quickly and for as long as they want. In addition, videos make it possible to publish unlimited content and be integrated with different streaming media by increasing the inclusion of filmmakers. Likewise, DC characters can now be developed across “Warner Bros” numerous media platforms, including animation, TV shows, film adaptations, toys, video games, and theme parks. This is undoubtedly not the convergence that diversity and creative freedom have brought to streaming [10]. This is undoubtedly the convergence of creative diversity and freedom brought to film streaming.

The film industry has also introduced a subversive new media platform in the development of a new digital era. Netflix is the product of sophisticated technology and contemporary entertainment, whose market has been opened, and countless new movies and media have flooded in. Since Netflix launched its original animation series in 2013, it has continuously explored new markets and cooperated with well-known animation IP companies to produce animation. Netflix animation, as a breakthrough for its streaming platform [11], demonstrates the transition from popular style and drama to niche markets or multiple combinations of art. It has injected fresh blood into the film market and made the film industry establish a more diversified trend. At the same time, modern streaming media has also shaped more films with different cultures or customs, like putting opera and play on the screen. Films should not be taken lightly, rather as a form of storytelling to express that they can be beautifully artistic, emotionally absorbing, thought-provoking, educational, and entertaining [12]. The science-fiction animated series “Love, Death, Robot”, a popular series of Netflix episodes starting in 2019, run 5 to 15 minutes per episode. Their video content has been divided into 18 creative teams, bringing together top animation teams from the United States, France, Canada, Hungary, and South Korea. Creators are not subject to any restrictions and can create them according to their preferences and styles. In addition to the diversity of this genre and subject matter, the animated series alternates between 2D, 3D, and 2D + live-action shooting so that audiences with different preferences can enjoy the fun of watching the movie. Animation works have inherent freedom and a reasonable range of exaggeration [11].

3.Changes in Media Consumption

Media consumption has changed dramatically in the past few years with the development of online video streaming applications and the support of mature technology. With society’s reformation and rigorous economic development, people's private time continues to shrink and become fragmented. Since individuals cannot watch TV programs by broadcasting on a fixed schedule given by television stations, they have been shifting their viewing habits from watching traditional broadcasts to online video consumption to obtain more control over their self-media consumption [5]. Instead of traditional TV schedules by consuming one episode of a series each week, video streaming platforms allow viewers to access episodes at any time, offering greater convenience and flexibility. This change has resulted in a shift in storytelling strategies, as creators no longer have to rely on episodic recaps or reminders since viewers can easily revisit previous episodes if needed. Also, streamlined storytelling has gradually emerged in the public view, as producers can focus on advancing the narrative without excessive repetition or reminders. More importantly, video streaming platforms have popularized the binge-watching culture, where viewers can consume multiple episodes or even entire seasons of a series in one sitting [13]. The shift in cinematic storytelling has prompted producers to consider narrative flow and pacing across episodes attentionally, resulting in more serialized storytelling with continuous story arcs and cliffhangers at the end of each episode to keep viewers engaged.

To meet the audiences’ binge-watching habits, serialized storytelling, and serial movies have become the trend for producing cinematic videos. This narrative method can provide the creator with more space to enrich the direction of the story and the personal development of the characters to draw the attention of more audiences. Moreover, many producers attempt to connect different series and create a universe dedicated to these characters and stories that existed in fans’ beliefs. Marvel and DC characters and storylines have traveled beyond their series origins into distinctive stories interacting with various characters in their created stories system [10]. Therefore, this comprehensive system emerges into the global pop culture marginally. As the series continues to grow and enrich, the audience's passion for these works slightly increases. Streaming platforms offer opportunities for fans to recreate the work of famous series at their own pace and on their terms, including but not limited to the continuation of the story [13]. Through fandom’s creation and re-development into series, these video works are not only a medium to transmit stories but also form a cultural system that obtains a rigorous historical development.

4.Conclusion

As a result, alter and dynamic streaming platforms have influenced the audience positively. Streaming media enables consumers to access content on various devices, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and laptops. This flexibility allows consumers to watch or listen to their favorite content on the go, during their commute, or in any environment with an Internet connection. This shift in consumer streaming services is driven by the convenience, cost-effectiveness, and flexibility of streaming platforms, which allow consumers to access a wide range of content without being bound by fixed schedules or long-term content. Streaming media has successfully satisfied modern consumers’ demands in their fragmented time for entertainment. Through extensive data detection and analytics, streaming platforms provide personalized content recommendations by analyzing consumers' viewing history and preferences, suggesting relevant content, thereby influencing viewers to allocate their scattered time to specific shows, movies, or genres that meet their interests. This personalized approach is designed to maximize user engagement with the platform.

Indeed, streaming platforms have transformed how consumers access, consume, and engage with content. Leading to a shift in viewing habits, a decline in traditional TV subscriptions, and the rise of personalized and interactive experiences. Today's streaming platforms capture and retain consumers' fragmented entertainment time, using personalized recommendations, exclusive content, curated collections, and marketing efforts to influence how consumers allocate their fragmented time, ultimately increasing audience engagement and trust in the platform.

Meanwhile, the positive impact of video streaming platforms and attempts to raise the whole society's attention to deep-rooted social problems and suffering minority groups. The form of films and video has always been the intelligible ways to demonstrate social and cultural conditions across barriers of time and nation [14]. Also, it is an intuitive method for audiences to comprehend and perceive social issues revealed behind cinematic storytelling. As it happens, streaming media is the bond to interlock worldwide audiences with events and people portrayed on the video. Streaming platforms have become instrumental in promoting diverse representation in film and television, allowing for more accurate and nuanced portrayals of various minority groups. By featuring stories centered around minority groups, streaming platforms give space to filmmakers, actors, and storytellers from these communities, allowing them to share their experiences and perspectives. This increased representation not only offers more opportunities for underrepresented talent but also helps to foster a sense of inclusivity and belonging for viewers who identify with those communities. Streaming platforms have played a pivotal role in breaking these stereotypes and providing more authentic and multi-dimensional portrayals.

Overall, the rapid advancement of the digital age has propelled streaming media beyond its initial role as a platform for video viewing. Today, streaming media has permeated all aspects of our personal and social development, offering a diverse range of experiences and opportunities. In addition, producers also seized the opportunity of streaming media and strived to bring an innovative and immersive experience to audiences. While watching the film, audiences not only pay attention to the storytelling and aesthetic expression but also perceive the untouchable world through video. The widespread use and popularity of video streaming platforms reflect the transformative impact of technology on our daily lives, opening up endless possibilities for how we entertain, learn, and connect in the digital age.