MGM has announced that its Stargate-focused streaming service Stargate Command will shut the iris for the last time later this year, and that much of its original content will migrate over to YouTube.
In a statement, the site’s staff say that the “past two years have been a joy,” and that in that time, “we’ve learned that while you’ve supported our platform and mission, you prefer to engage with the franchise and fellow fans on communities where you already are: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.” That transition will start on December 31st, and the original content will migrate over sometime in 2020.
Accordingly, the site will shift some of its original video content over to its YouTube channel, which the site has used to stream free episodes, interviews, and other content.
MGM announced Stargate Command at San Diego Comic Con in 2017, along with an original Stargate series, Stargate: Origins. The platform was designed as a one-stop-shop for all things Stargate. It hosted each episode from the three TV shows, as well as the original feature film, spinoff films, and original, behind the scenes content, all for $20 a year.
The site was an interesting experiment while it lasted. There is intense pressure within the consumer marketplace for streaming services, with heavy hitters like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV + (launching today), and Disney + (launching later this month). Stargate Command provided an incredibly narrow focus: one single franchise. The platform never really expanded beyond that fan base, although there had been some talks about bringing in Syfy’s space opera series Dark Matter after it was canceled, but that never came to fruition.
On his blog, Stargate showrunner and producer Joseph Mallozzi had some thoughts: “Respectfully, cost and accessibility were two of the biggest concerns I heard fans express regarding the site. Either they were interested but couldn’t afford it, or they were interested but unable to stream it in their region.” He praised the site’s staff for opening up the exclusive content on YouTube, and noted that this doesn’t mean the end for the franchise: “Of course the question on everyone’s mind is – how does this affect the Stargate franchise? Bottom Line: it doesn’t.”
Stargate is one of MGM’s flagship assets, its most popular television franchise, and, as I’ve been saying for a while now, it’s not a matter of IF we get a new Stargate series, but WHEN.
The site was fun while it lasted: a good way to binge on the entire franchise, and we got a short original series out of it. Hopefully, the episodes will find their way to another streaming service before too much longer.
