An Archive Utopia. Attempts and illusions of the Studio Portals Catalogues

Streaming market evolution saw a notable emergence of so-called “Studio Portals.” These portals are developed by producers as a downstream vertical expansion, enabling Studios to directly reach their viewers without the need for distribution intermediaries. This shift empowers Studios with complete control over their audiovisual content. Disney+, followed by HBO Max, and subsequently Paramount+ are the three primary market entities that have consolidated as Studio Portals, constructing their catalogues in a dual direction. On the one hand, they have released original direct-to-streaming titles, and on the other hand, they have populated their portals with legacy content from their intellectual property portfolios. This second direction has been the focus of Disney+ at the start. Initially, the portal was regarded as a potential digital repository for the whole corporation’s production. However, over time, the practical limitations of maintaining an archival model led to a more manageable “collection” configuration. Here we seek to delineate the limitations of the archival potential of Studio Portals, particularly in relation to the effects of the homogeneous dimension of digital streaming content. We will illustrate how the three predominant players contend with the utopian archival vocation, frequently propelled by market imperatives, between pushes, missteps, and total disinterest.