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Tim Cook

Apple Inc.

Variety

Iger’s razzle dazzle at WWDC set himself up to repeat the same mistake Mark Zuckerberg made: overhyping the metaverse

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What a Disney-Powered Vision Pro Means for Entertainment’s Future

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Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (NASDAQ: CSSE) today announced it will premiere the original lifestyle series At Home with Genevieve Friday, June 23 on its free streaming service Crackle. Hosted by expert celebrity interior designer Genevieve Gorder,

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment to Premiere Original Lifestyle Series At Home with Genevieve June 23 Streaming Free on Crackle

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The Buffalo News

Broken

TV’s streaming model is broken. It’s also not going away. For Hollywood, figuring that out will be a horror show.

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The Binge Purge

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Vulture

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Reboot

ABC is reaching into the past for it latest unscripted project. The network is developing a new version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which ran for nine seasons on ABC beginning in 2004. The new version is set to be hosted by Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin,

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American Broadcasting Company

‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’ Reboot in the Works at ABC

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The Hollywood Reporter

Doctor Who

Filmmaking

COMPETITION Actor Ncuti Gatwa (“Sex Education,” the upcoming “Doctor Who”), filmmaker Asif Kapadia (“Amy”) and journalist-turned-screenwriter Terri White, who’s

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Ncuti Gatwa, Asif Kapadia, Terri White to Judge BMW, BFI U.K. Filmmaking Competition – Global Bulletin

Netflix

The second most popular show of the moment is “Fubar.” The new action-comedy series stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Monica Barbaro as a father and daughter who learn they are both CIA operatives and have been lying to each other for years.

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The Most Popular Shows On Netflix Right Now Besides 'Manifest'

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YAHOO!News

Shareholders have voted against Netflix's pay packages before. Last year, only about 27% of Netflix's investors voted for the proposed pay packages. Still, the pay packages for the company's then-CEOs, Sarandos and Reed Hastings, rose by about 31% and 25%, respectively, from 2021 to 2022, according to regulatory filings.

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Writers Guild of America, West

Warner Bros. Entertainment

Netflix shareholders vote to reject executives' pay packages

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CBS News on MSN.com

Of course, Netflix will be working on ways to ensure its long-term survival, so users can expect to see the company adapting to new trends and attempting to incorporate new technologies.

Netflix Shutting Down 2023: Will It Shut Down This Year?

Yahoo

Of course, a side hustle can help you pay for Netflix, Spotify and all the rest ... Music, streaming and entertainment: I pay for Apple Music because I like the variety in genres. You might need a few streaming services to watch your shows, and ...

Netflix and other subscriptions out of control? How to decide which apps are worth paying for

AZ Central

Comcast

Studio executive

The move comes as striking writers have put a hold on productions amid their fight to improve pay and conditions in the streaming era.

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WGA blasts studio executive pay in message to Comcast, Netflix shareholders

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LA Times on MSN.com

Netflix, Inc. provides subscription streaming entertainment service. It offers TV series, documentaries, and feature films across various genres and languages. The company provides members the ability to receive streaming content through a host of Internet-connected screens, including TVs, digital video players, television set-top boxes, and mobile devices. It also provides DVDs-by-mail membership services. The company has approximately 167 million paid members in 190 countries. Netflix, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California.

10 VPNs for Netflix That Actually Work: Unlock Any Series

10 VPN para Netflix que realmente funcionan: desbloquea cualquier serie

10 VPN pour Netflix qui fonctionnent réellement : débloquez n'importe quelle série

नेटफ्लिक्स के लिए 10 वीपीएन जो वास्तव में काम करते हैं: किसी भी सीरीज को अनलॉक करें

実際に機能する Netflix 用 VPN 10 選: あらゆるシリーズのロックを解除

10 VPNs para Netflix que realmente funcionam: desbloqueie qualquer série

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10 个实际有效的 Netflix VPN：解锁任何系列

India is a huge market for anything, but still, Netflix is struggling in India because Indian consumers are not willing to pay for movies and shows that they are going to watch only a few times in a month and are easily available on pirated sites. In India, almost 9.589 billion visits have occurred to pirate sites. However, there are several strategies that Netflix can employ to succeed in India: Build a habit: Netflix needs to create a habit for its customers, something that they can look forward to every day. Many people subscribe to Netflix monthly just for sitcoms, as they need them while eating, traveling, or when they get bored. Netflix should create something like a sitcom for India, releasing daily episodes. Focus on Tier 2 and 3 cities: Netflix must target the huge customer base in these areas, who, from my observation, enjoy grand mass movies, mostly from South India. Netflix should produce more movies like these, or acquire and dub them, as Goldmines does. Sign contracts with talented directors: Netflix should collaborate with young and innovative Indian directors, such as Lokesh Kanagaraj, who is creating India's first planned movie universe, the Loki Universe. Acquiring and arranging all the released and upcoming movies of the Loki Universe would help Netflix attract a large audience due to their high rewatch value. Reduce subscription price: Netflix should consider reducing the subscription price for a single screen from 149 to 99 rupees for almost a year to attract more customers. Also, improving the streaming quality to 720p from 480p would enhance the viewing experience and entice more subscribers. Tackle password sharing: To address this issue, Netflix must implement an OTP system for login. Because it is a little time-consuming and annoying to ask for OTP. Focus on regional content: Netflix should pay attention to regional content, as they are focusing on South India. For example, Netflix does not have any decent movies in Marathi. Leverage brand image: Netflix has an established brand image in India, which it should leverage to create hype and market its content effectively, unlike Sony Liv, which has failed to build a strong brand image despite producing excellent series like Rocket Boys, Gullak, Scam 1992, etc. In my opinion, most of Netflix's shows cater to smart, educated millennials and Gen Z, so they must add a touch of “Disneyness”, as most content produced by Disney+ Hotstar is for Tier 2 and 3 India. In conclusion, Netflix needs to focus on building habits, expanding regional content, collaborating with young and talented directors, and reducing subscription prices to win over Indian audiences. By leveraging its brand image and targeting Tier 2 and 3 cities with content that resonates with local audiences, Netflix can establish itself as a leading streaming platform in India.

How Netflix Can Win the Indian Market

As most people with a Netflix subscription are aware, streaming services can be surprisingly tricky to navigate. This is especially the case when it comes to region-specific content, leaving many users unable to watch their favorite shows from other locations. For this reason, a VPN can be extremely preferable, as it will remove those restrictions and allow for simple access to the greatest hit shows on the streaming platform. But there’s still the question on which VPNs will truly stand out when it comes to streaming, and those who find no luck with deeper commitments are sure to have buyer’s remorse. That’s why this article will take a look at 5 of the best VPN services for Netflix that offer free trials. This article includes links to NordVPN and ExpressVPN. You won’t be charged anything extra for clicking on links to these services, but purchases made through these links will support the writer. Disclaimer: Best Free VPNs for Netflix (VPNs With Free Trial Offers) 1. ExpressVPN 2. NordVPN 3. SurfShark 4. CyberGhost 5. TorGuard 1. ExpressVPN True to its name, aims to deliver content to users in an “express” manner. As part of its , it mentions access to nearly 200 different countries alongside extreme speed and extra privacy. The service also has great support across devices, allowing users to enjoy Netflix reliably even if they’re watching through their phone. This is true of most VPNs, but many of them lack the reliability and vast access of other countries provided by ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN reasons why the service is great for Netflix Going for a 2-year plan of this service will cost around $8.32 USD per month. Opting for a 1-month plan will cost around $12.95. No matter which option you choose, you’ll be able to take advantage of a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll have plenty of time to test out the service and see if you like it before making a full commitment, so there’s no rush if you want to give yourself some time to get used to it. 2. NordVPN As another one of the leading VPN brands, is easily able to hold its own when it comes to Netflix streaming. focus mostly on effective speed and a lack of interruptions. Streaming overseas content is bound to cause slowdowns no matter where you’re from, but NordVPN seeks to eliminate those slowdowns as much as possible. In other words, if you speak multiple languages or want to see region-exclusive shows before anyone else, NordVPN is one of the best choices you could make. NordVPN The use cases A 2-year plan for NordVPN’s standard package is around $3.49 per month while a single month plan costs around $11.99. There are costlier packages with more features available, but the only relevant one for streamers is the Plus package for its cross-platform password manager. No matter what package or plan you choose, the 30-day money-back guarantee will be in effect, once more letting you test NordVPN to see how well its claims hold up. 3. SurfShark is yet another great contender in the realm of free trial Netflix VPNs. For , the focus is on unblocking and avoiding region-locking. Those familiar with should already know of this service’s great performance in this area. It’s far from the only VPN that can do this, but users will likely have an easier time streaming content they couldn’t normally access if they decide to stick with SurfShark. SurfShark its use cases the best VPNs for use in schools and universities The service costs around $2.49 per month for a 2-year plan. This changes if you go for the 1-month plan, which is around $12.95, but — like previous options on this list — you’ll still be able to take full advantage of a 30-day money-back guarantee. Even if you manage to miss out on this offer, going for the 2-year plan won’t tear through your wallet too harshly, making SurfShark one of the safer options to choose. 4. CyberGhost While can compete fairly well with its rival services, its streaming-related features and documentation are arguably unmatched. While , it mentions how it owns servers dedicated solely for streaming. On top of allowing you to access Netflix with great speed and few slowdowns, the service also does its best to prevent users from getting locked out of the service while using the VPN. If you tried the other services on this list and found nothing but issues, CyberGhost might just alleviate those concerns. CyberGhost covering issues that plague streaming through VPNs A 2-year plan of CyberGhost costs around $2.11 per month while a 1-month plan costs around $12.99. Notably, CyberGhost is one of the few services to offer a 45-day money-back guarantee for the 2-year and 1-year plans. This guarantee falls to just 14 days if you go for the 1-month option, so you should keep this in mind before making your decision. Should you decide to go with the full commitment of 2 years, you likely won’t be disappointed with what CyberGhost provides. 5. TorGuard is perhaps the most unique option in this list. Rather than offering one plan for everyone, it provides . This makes it especially effective at maintaining speed and reliability, as you’re unlikely to end up with problematic connections through something so dedicated. Top that off with personalized choices for streaming IPs and you have perhaps the most customizable VPN out there. TorGuard specialized bundles designed for streaming Where many users might find TorGuard problematic is its price. Its basic streaming bundle costs a total of around $201.98 for a 2-year plan, and its addons are sold for additionally hefty monthly prices. Plus, TorGuard only offers a 7-day money-back guarantee. Money-conscious users will have to push this VPN to its limits on the very week they get it. But if price is not an issue in the long run, using TorGuard for streaming might very well yield the best results you’ll ever find. Final Thoughts When it comes to streaming, many VPNs share the same benefits. While their focuses might be different, a lot of their benefits are shared between each other, leaving it up to the user to test claims of high speed and reliable service for themselves. Take advantage of whatever money-back guarantees you can get and see which VPN will stick with you through your Netflix binges!

5 Best Free VPN Services for Netflix (VPNs w/Free Trials)

Where is Netflix headed in 2023 under the direction of co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters? On January 19, Reed Hastings, arguably the most important and influential person in the rise of New Hollywood, , having shared the position with Sarandos since 2020. Hastings, who remains executive chairman, made an impact on the entertainment industry that will be felt for years to come. Now Sarandos and Peters, who had been Netflix’s chief operating officer, are calling the shots. stepped down from his role of CEO They’re taking over at a time when Netflix is storming into 2023 with guns blazing. In its , Netflix said it added 7.7 million paid subscribers for the quarter. This figure easily surpassed the 4.57 million Wall Street expected. Revenue also slightly exceeded Wall Street’s expectations. fourth-quarter 2022 earnings announcement This is the second consecutive big quarter for Netflix. Its stock price is gradually rebounding from a freefall in 2022 following a harsh year that rocked the streaming industry. With the wind at their backs, Team Sarandos/Peters will likely not rock the boat and instead will stay the course – for the most part. Even so, many questions and hot button issues loom. Here are three big questions the company faces in 2023: How Soon Will Netflix Expand into Cloud-Based Gaming? -- which is too big for Netflix to ignore. So, in November 2021, the company games for mobile devices, available to Netflix subscribers in an ad-free format. (Mobile accounts for 86 percent of the global video gaming market, .) Gaming is a $300 billion market launched according to Statistica Since then, the company has built a portfolio of 50 games and acquired four game studios. The company will expand its offerings in 2023. According to Vice President of Gaming Mike Verdu, Netflix is “ ” beyond mobile. very seriously exploring a cloud-gaming offering so that we can reach members on TVs and on PCs A potential move into cloud gaming is important because the global cloud gaming market size is expected to reach $20.94 billion by the year 2030, according to market research store . Research and Markets What are Netflix’s chances of growing profitably in gaming overall? On the one hand, Netflix can offer well-known entertainment titles that lend themselves to games and an audience that is receptive to gaming. According to Karol Severin, lead gaming analyst for MIDiA Research, 46 percent of Netflix’s weekly active users play games on mobile devices and 33 percent play on consoles, “ .” which over-indexes significantly compared to the consumer average Indeed, Netflix’s most recent letter to shareholders noted, “In the fourth quarter of 2022, the company launched season four of the unscripted series Too Hot to Handle, which was a top 10 title for us globally for three consecutive weeks. Simultaneously, we debuted our Too Hot to Handle game, which has been our biggest game launch to date and is another encouraging sign in the long-term opportunity to entertain members with Netflix intellectual property (IP) across different mediums.” Gaming creates the potential for revenue through features such as in-app purchases, a model that Fortnite has mastered – should Netflix choose to go down that path (which it currently is not). But the company has a long road ahead. In 2022, only 1.7 million Netflix subscribers out of 220 million were playing one of its games on any given day, – although it must be said that even if daily active usage is low. according to Apptopia downloads of Netflix games have been improving It’s too early to say yet how much value gaming will deliver to Netflix from the standpoint of growing and keeping subscribers and generating revenue. That said, the potential value cannot be denied. Kevin Westcott, who leads the U.S. technology, media and telecommunications practice of Deloitte, The Los Angeles Times, “The more entertainment services that are on a platform, I believe it will make it much more sticky and reduce churn.” told Reducing churn, or subscriber loss, is important at a time when analysts are concerned that the streaming industry is over-statured. The Los Angeles Times noted that many consumers prefer not to pay for mobile games and instead play free ones that are supported by ads, or that charge for additional gameplay or bonus items. This suggests that gaming will be more valuable as a customer retention strategy, not an acquisition strategy. In 2021, Netflix Epic Games, TikTok, and YouTube as rivals for customers’ screen time. Keeping people engaged is important to Netflix. The company , which is all about viewer retention. cited counts total streaming minutes of any program as a key performance indicator for successful content Adam Levy of The Motley Fool , “The way I view Netflix's foray into games is as a moonshot. The biggest mobile games seemingly come out of nowhere and go viral (think Wordle). The same thing happens with some of Netflix's biggest shows (think Squid Game). The more shots the company takes, the more likely it's going to find a hit. And it has the resources and experience to capitalize if and when it finds that hit. That could result in stronger subscriber retention and monetization down the road. concluded So, while games have been disappointing so far, there's no need for Netflix to give up on them anytime soon.” An expansion into cloud-based gaming makes sense for Netflix, and I predict that’s exactly what Netflix will do in 2023. Cloud gaming involves streaming games off the internet instead of outright downloading them. It’s a more natural experience for Netflix subscribers and keeps Netflix’s audience locked into its own platform more easily. In 2022, the appearance of multiple Netflix for cloud-based gaming positions fueled speculation that the company would go in this direction -- as did Mike Verdu’s about cloud-based gaming at TechCrunch Disrupt in October 2022. job postings bullish comments In doing so, Netflix enters a crowded field that includes the likes of Microsoft’s Game Pass, Sony’s PlayStation Plus, and NVIDIA’s GeForce Now. Google made a run at cloud-based gaming . Before the advent of cloud-based gaming, Disney tried to launch video gaming and also before instead of trying to do all the heavy lifting of creating games in-house. and failed gave up licensing its properties to gaming companies Neil Barbour, an analyst at Kagan, , “While Netflix does have the infrastructure set up to stream video as well as an existing consumer base, there is a pretty deep chasm between video streaming and game streaming. Microsoft and Nvidia have been working for years at this and are just now approaching usable experiences for the average consumer.” said Netflix has a major advantage: the ability to develop games based on its marquee shows. After you’re done watching , with cloud-based gaming, you can play the game without having to fuss with downloading. This depends on Netflix quickly developing games that capitalize on the popularity of its content – and, of course, games that appeal to gamers. Gaming is a different experience than passively watching television. (At TechCrunch Disrupt, Verdu did not say whether  Netflix would build its own game controllers like Google did for the unsuccessful Stadia service; he did say that the titles wouldn't rely on TV remotes for input.) Stranger Things Stranger Things This is why Netflix has been fast tracking its growth by acquiring gaming studios. Even still, Netflix has its work cut out for it. How Successful Will Content Monetization Be? Reed Hastings must be relieved he is stepping back from his CEO role now that Netflix has launched its own ad-supported tier. During Netflix’s glory years when seemingly no one could touch the company, he was a content purist – insisting on building a business by creating great content that drives subscriber growth. But he eventually changed his thinking as his competitors grew their ad-supported offerings and Netflix’s subscriber growth showed signs of slowing before 2022. By 2022, he was , “Every major streaming company excluding Apple has or has announced an ad-supported service. For good reason, people want lower-priced options.” admitting to shareholders And so, under his watch, Netflix launched its own ad-supported tier in November 2022 – just as Disney+ unveiled its own. Netflix has not released any performance numbers on its ad-supported offering, but it looks like Netflix is delivering promising results. , daily subscription signups rose by more than 50 percent during the first few days the ad-supported tier was available. Ampere Analysis said that almost 10 percent of new customer signups are now for the ad-supported tier. According to Ampere Analysis Peters and Sarandos say they are going to push the ad model forward full throttle. They believe the model is succeeding already. Peters , “We have knocked this thing outta the park. We literally went from zero to get this thing launched in six months. And then we were within this much of what our predictions were. We’ve got a crap load of work, there’s no doubt. We're gonna be busy building this out for years to come.” He predicted its growth trajectory as follows: “Think about it as zero two months ago [when the service was launched in November 2021] and then about mid-single digit billions of dollars in three years” by catering to price-sensitive consumers. assured Bloomberg recently In its letter to shareholders discussing Q42022 growth, Netflix was equally sanguine about its prospects: While it’s still early days for ads and we have lots to do (in particular better targeting and measurement), we are pleased with our progress to date across every dimension: member experience, value to advertisers, and incremental contribution to our business. Engagement, which is consistent with members on comparable ad-free plans, is better than what we had expected and we believe the lower price point is driving incremental membership growth. Also, as expected, we’ve seen very little switching from other plans. Overall the reaction to this launch from both consumers and advertisers has confirmed our belief that our ad-supported plan has strong unit economics (at minimum, in-line with or better than the comparable ad-free plan) and will generate incremental revenue and profit, though the impact on 2023 will be modest given that this will build slowly over time. Advertising doesn’t tell the whole story about Netflix’s aspirations for monetizing content. The company for years. has been quietly building a merchandising operation as well For example, in 2019, Netflix and bike maker Mongoose agreed to offer a limited edition Mongoose based on a fictional bicycle used in , which was followed by the licensing of more -inspired bikes. Netflix also launched , including those with , , , and Stranger Things Stranger Things 75 co-brands Burger King Coca-Cola H&M Nike. These relationships — hybrid in-show product placements plus real-world merchandising — offered a glimpse of how Netflix would monetize its titles more broadly. Notably, the tie-in capitalized on the growing popularity of , which was a turning point for Netflix’s commitment to monetizing the value of its titles. Stranger Things Selling licensed products is a massive revenue opportunity. Global sales revenue generated by licensed merchandise and services grew to $315.5 billion in 2021, a 7.75 percent increase over the $292.8 billion generated in 2019, according to the by Licensing International, a trade group. In 2020, Netflix hired Nike and Disney veteran Josh Simon to lead its Consumer Products division. Since, then, the company has merchandized its content in a number of ways, including: most recent study of the industry A to distribute Netflix-inspired clothes, toys, beauty supplies and housewares on the . Initially this was an online operation, but the two companies recently said they’re . (It’s not clear what the Hubs actually look like – a row of merchandise? A kiosk? A store within a store?) In addition, Walmart is making available a Netflix Streaming Gift Card, exclusively at Walmart. The low-priced Netflix Streaming Gift Card gives customers a chance to use the streaming service without having a credit or debit card. Walmart will also offer Concession Kits to help fans create a movie theater-style couch-watching experience with themed items like popcorn, confections and collectible cups. partnership with Walmart Netflix Hub expanding the Netflix Hubs across  2,400 Walmart stores Distribution deals beyond Walmart. For instance, and sell Netflix-inspired merchandise. Target Amazon The launch of the , an online store built with Shopify to nimbly create merchandise based on the popularity of series like Squid Games. Netflix Shop Pop-up stores in major markets such as and . Los Angeles New York A for a live experience for Pat McGrath Labs’ collection. partnership with YouTube shopping Bridgerton makeup The Walmart relationship is intriguing because Walmart has a deal in place to offer a competing streaming service, Paramount+, to members of the Walmart+ premium service. Nevertheless, I predict Netflix and Walmart will double down on the Netflix Hub by rolling out more Netflix Hubs across all 10,500 stores globally -- especially because global markets are essential to Netflix’s growth. Walmart offers Netflix: An in-store, web-based, and mobile distribution channel to millions of Walmart customers. . . Its website is the . The company is the world’s largest retailer Walmart’s app is the most popular shopping app in the United States most visited eCommerce and retail site in the world Insight about how its shoppers behave – what they buy, when, and where. Walmart has mastered the science of collecting and analyzing first-party data, or the information people share with Walmart about themselves when they shop in store and online. First-party data has helped Walmart launch its successful Walmart Connect ad network, one of  many such retail-based networks emerging in recent years. Brand strength. Netflix is a newcomer to merchandising. Walmart gives the company visibility and legitimacy. As with gaming, merchandising is an early-days effort for Netflix. The company has not disclosed how much money it actually makes from merchandising, and based on earning reports, the mount must be immaterial for now. Disney sets the gold standard in this area, but streaming levels the playing field. Even Disney is still just figuring out how to develop synergies between Disney+ and Disney brands such as its theme parks and stores. Walmart is Netflix’s ace in the hole. Will Netflix Rethink Movie Distribution? For years, Netflix has locked horns with the major theater chains because Netflix has refused to give its movies a wide theatrical release before taking its films to streaming. AMC and Regal have flat-out boycotted Netflix’s films. The conflict eased up in 2022 when, for the first time, Netflix distributed one of its titles through three major Old Hollywood theater chains, AMC, Cinemark, and Regal. , the sequel to the hit Knives Out, was distributed to 600 theaters on November 23. The movie ran for one week, followed by a blackout period, and then a streaming premiere on Netflix on December 23. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Netflix didn’t release financial results for , . By contrast, Disney’s Thanksgiving release was on track to make about $24 million during Thanksgiving Week – but the movie was distributed across 4,174 theaters. Glass Onion but it’s estimated to have raked in $14.5 million during its one-week showing in only 638 theaters Strange World It’s been widely discussed that Netflix should have exhibited longer in theaters and cashed in on an opportunity to make much more money – especially because Netflix paid a reported $450 million for two sequels to . Box office analysts it could have earned four times as much if it had been released in more theaters and perhaps hundreds of millions if it had stayed in theaters longer than a week. Glass Onion Knives Out said Jeff Bock, a senior media analyst at Exhibitor Relations, , “This is probably one of the biggest gaffes in modern film release history in terms of bungling what could have been made at the box office with ‘Glass Onion.’ In my mind, they left hundreds of millions of dollars at the table. If they can afford that, that’s great, Netflix — but any other studio in town is just shaking their head at this decision because any other studio in town would have loved to have this film in the marketplace right now.” told The Los Angeles Times Sarandos countered, “There’s all kinds of debates all the time back and forth, but there is no question internally that we make our movies for our members, and we really want them to watch them on Netflix. Indeed, a short theatrical run for did exactly what Netflix had hoped for: build buzz for its streaming release. turned out to be the fourth most popular movie in Netflix’s history. As the company reported in its Q4 letter to shareholders, “We believe people typically sign up for a streaming service because they’ve heard about a title ‘you simply must watch’ from a friend, seen the excitement on social media or read about it in the press.” Glass Onion Glass Onion That was then. This is now: Sarandos and Peters are operating in a wary-to-hostile investing climate. The movies were expensive to acquire. And movies are enormously risky: unlike TV shows, which build buzz over multiple episodes, movies have only one shot at generating fan love. Knives Out And surely Sarandos and Peters are watching what their competitors are doing. A number of films enjoyed huge, extended, box office runs followed by successful streaming premiers in 2022: earned $750 million globally before Warner Brothers premiered the film the HBO Max streaming service. then enjoyed a first-week viewership of an estimated 4.1 million households (per Samba TV) – the second best first-week for a theatrical release on HBO Max. The Batman The Batman One of the biggest movie success stories of 2022 (or any year), , took to arrive on its studio’s streamer (Paramount+), which didn’t stop it from immediately becoming the service’s . Top Gun: Maverick seven months No. 1 offering banked $842 million globally during an 82-day run in theaters – and then . Black Panther: Wakanda Forever became the most-watched Marvel premiere on Disney+ based on hours streamed within the first five days I predict that Netflix will loosen up even more and allow a longer theatrical run for its titles (which it should do for the upcoming , starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston). Murder Mystery 2 The company can still cater to subscribers by releasing movies in theaters and then versions exclusively for streamers, as Peacock did following the movie’s successful box office run. And Disney+ often includes the standard and the IMAX versions for Marvel movies, plus often commentary tracks and a ton of extras, like you’d get on a DVD release. has a 90-minute making-of documentary. by streaming two versions of Jurassic World Dominion West Side Story New Hollywood is learning it can have its cake and eat it, too, by exhibiting movies in theaters as a way to maximize revenue and also build excitement for their streaming releases. What does Netflix have to lose, besides money on the table? Big Shoes to Fill Netflix is looking at a much brighter year than it did in this time last year. Reed Hastings’s legacy is secure, and Netflix has re-asserted its role as the leader of New Hollywood. Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters have big shoes to fill. Gaming, monetizing content, and rethinking Netflix’s movie distribution strategy are three ways to do that.

Three Questions for Netflix’s New Co-CEOs

Netflix reported its on Jan. 19 showing growth in subscribers. fourth-quarter earnings Following the results, the company’s on Jan. 20, reaching $334.33. stock increased by almost 6% The latest earnings report from the streaming juggernaut, released on Jan. 19, shows that the company added subscribers in the most recent quarter, far exceeding the of 4.57 million. 7.66 million expectations Additionally, the company said that co-CEO Reed Hastings would leave his position to take the executive chairman position at Netflix. Greg Peters, the COO, has been named co-CEO alongside Ted Sarandos. The above-expectations growth in subscribers comes after the company saw a tumultuous 2022, with dwindling subscribers following an increase in subscription prices, and amid a current period of an overall in the tech industry. economic downturn A report by J.P. Morgan shows that 2022 was a bumpy year for Big tech companies. According to the report, Big Tech companies lost a combined market value of about $2.5 trillion as a result of macroeconomic headwinds, global supply chain issues, and declining revenues after experiencing steady growth for more than a decade and a pandemic-induced boom. In Netflix’s earnings report interview, new co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos expressed optimism for the future of Netflix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Ml_KoRV1E&embedable=true Their answer to the question posed by Jessica Ehrlich, an analyst from Bank of America Merrill Lynch “What is your view of the next five-plus years? Do you need to get bigger? Stay the course?” showed that they both see a focus on subscribers as the primary driver of revenue for the company. They envision a steady growth in revenue, as well as an expansion of the platform’s scope of content to provide even more diverse options for its customers. Sarandos attributed Netflix's growth to the company’s focus on consumers. “I think being able to focus on consumers first and -- has really been our biggest benefit.” - Ted Sarandos Sarandos added that he expects “an enormous amount of growth ahead,” even in markets where Netflix is very well established, noting that “in the U.S., we're about 8% of TV time still.” Regarding the company’s expansion plans, Peters said he associated growth with gaining more members around the world. “I think that that translates into being bigger. And I think that means being bigger in terms of touching more members around the world, delivering them incredible entertainment. We'll see that in terms of being bigger, in terms of the amount of engagement that we can drive, the amount of hours that we're satisfying them. Be bigger in terms of the culture impact, too. I mean, you've seen, you know, I mean, just incredible cultural impact in terms of "Wednesday," "Stranger Things." The ramifications that these shows have in terms of the popular culture are significant, and that's going to get bigger, too. Also, it means bigger in terms of revenue and profit streams. So, we're looking forward to those as well.” - Greg Peters Netflix recently last two months, and with the launch of its ad-supported plan on November 3, Netflix experienced its sign-up rate in the United States since the pandemic began in April 2020 after experiencing its first-ever subscriber loss in the first quarter of 2022.** launched an advertising platform highest daily subscription

Netflix Seeks Higher Revenues by Reaching More Subscribers Despite Ongoing Economic Downturn

Imagine if your favorite streaming service platform name was Kibble, yes, like food. Dog food. That would be hilarious yeah? That was exactly Netflix's name when it first started on August 29, 1997. According to Marc Randolph, a co-founder of , the streaming service was previously known as Kibble. Even though the name was only a placeholder, it alluded to the notion that a product isn't successful unless, in his words, "the dogs eat the dog food." And boy, did the dog eat the dog food? I bet it did! Netflix The story of Netflix as a company is the story of a business that knows how to innovate, takes chances, and takes risks that even compromise its business model for longer-term success. “That Will Never Work' is the untold story of Netflix. It's how a handful of people, with no experience in the video business, went from mailing a used Patsy Cline CD and ended up with a publicly traded company.” - Marc Randolph It's surprising to imagine that the streaming giant once relied on direct mail as its business model. Let’s take a look at where Netflix has been, and where it is now. In August 1997, Netflix was founded as a DVD-by-mail business. The original Netflix business model allowed customers to rent movies by selecting them online and having them delivered to their homes. This service was revolutionary at the time and a significant development for the industry and it was Netflix that was powering the DVD by Mail Era. Video rental stores dominated the home entertainment market when co-founders Reed Hastings and Marc Rudolph launched Netflix. But Hastings was dissatisfied with the market because it was unfriendly to customers, and he blamed charging customers high fees for late returns. At a time when VHS dominated the market and less than players, they spotted an opportunity to conduct rentals differently and started renting out DVDs by mail in April 1998. This was a game-changer in the video-rental industry as well as a major gamble at the time. 7% of American households had DVD The company's co-founders were confident their venture would succeed if it attracted 20% of all households. They had the audacity to take the risk, and their prediction was correct, later on, they had expanding online DVD rental sector. Subsequently, . 95% of the quickly over 80% of American households had DVD players After a year, Netflix introduced a subscription model in which customers could rent DVDs online for a fixed monthly fee. In 1999, the company launched its Internet-based membership service and had about 300,000 subscribers and movie buffs join its platform. Blockbuster was initially Netflix's main competitor; however, it took Blockbuster years to begin offering a similar service to what Netflix was already doing. When they finally switched to a subscription service, Netflix had already begun the process of transitioning their customers to streaming subscribers and was exiting the DVD rental business. Putting them ahead of the competition, and riding Blockbuster down a dead end. Reed Hastings, a co-founder of Netflix, once asked former Blockbuster CEO John Antioco in 2000 about purchasing the business for According to Antioco, the mail-based DVD rental business sounded too specialized, and he declined the offer. $50 million. That could have probably been a blunder by the co-founders I guess. Fast forward to today, the now-defunct chain of video stores, which now has one site left suffered severe losses. While Netflix made a staggering . With approximately 221 million users in 190 nations, billions of hours of hit series like "Stranger Things," and 226 accolades under its belt, the company has achieved great success. $30 billion as its total revenue in 2021 Reed Hastings “I founded Netflix. I've built it steadily over 12 years now, first with DVD becoming profitable in 2002, a head-to-head ferocious battle with Blockbuster and evolving the company toward streaming.” Over the past 25 years, Netflix has changed how movies and television are produced. Unfortunately, those who grow big get attention, and traditional media companies have started to take notice and are now supporting more of their own programs and withdrawing their content from Netflix. The problem for Netflix is that it has expanded tremendously (while being a mark of success too), and as it approaches greater popularity, competition has grown significantly. With the emergence of new competitors like Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Peacock, and Disney+, things for the illustrious streamer are different now, 20 years later. Disney+, one of Netflix’s most significant competitors has gained 152.2 million users since its 2019 launch (That was quite fast), catching up to Netflix, which still has, regardless, the largest subscriber base of all the streaming services with approximately 221.6 million subscribers. Netflix reported its second-quarter profits on July 19, 2022. Although the corporation exceeded forecasts, it lost an estimated members in the crucial area of subscriber growth. Even while it outperformed the predicted loss of 2 million, more subscribers in its most recent quarter. 970,000 Disney+ garnered 14.4 million In less than a year, Netflix's market capitalization has also already decreased from . At the time of this story, it was at $142.59B, still lower than the end-of-year market cap of $267.46 B in 2021. $300 billion to under $90 billion This shows that Netflix, though still the world’s major streaming service, is struggling with both its financials and keeping its subscribers. What does this mean for the media giant? To maintain its place as an industry leader the movie darling will have to do what it knows how best to do. Innovate. Innovate. Innovate. In a , the company stated that it is seeking to create cash by altering its long-standing business model and incorporating adverts, and cracking down on password sharing as it experiences losses in its enormous user base. blog post by Netflix According to the chief creative officer co-CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, the company has previously survived downturns. “They don’t feel great at the moment, but man it feels great to come out on the other side of it, and we know we will come out on the other side,”  Ted Sarandos Netflix competes fiercely in a market where there are a variety of entertainment options for consumers, from traditional TV to streaming, TikTok to YouTube, and video games to social media. However, the media giant ( still maintains its place as one of the world's most popular movie streaming platforms. with the highest number of paid subscribers)

How Netflix Transitioned From DVDs to Video Streaming

What Will Netflix Gaming Look Like In 2023? I have been following gaming promoters on LinkedIn for a while now. ‘Play Oxenfree now on Netflix!” they proudly proclaim. “Oh, and we own the studio that made the game!” Netflix And I want to be thrilled as I hear of another way to play games in 2023. But after Google closed all Stadia services in January this year, I don’t know whether to be excited or dismissive of a new gaming platform. To determine whether Netflix gaming is likely to become successful, we first need to look at Netflix is moving toward gaming. why Why is Netflix breaking into gaming? The first question is, ‘why does Netflix want to break into the gaming market?’ The obvious response is to increase profits. The video game market revenue almost doubled for 2022, topping $300 billion. And over a third of this was mobile gaming, which is more than enough to pique any global streaming giant’s interest. Newzoo’s predictions Add to this the fact that Netflix has always been eager to embrace innovation, being the pioneer of TV and film streaming. They might be telling themselves, why can’t we be the kings of game streaming too? And their early attempts at Netflix gaming were a hit. The first example of a game-movie crossover for Netflix was Bandersnatch in December 2018. Bandersnatch was an interactive movie where viewers selected options on their TV to progress the story. And later came the Stranger Things game in 2021, which proved popular with gamers and viewers alike. With the success of these experimental titles, it’s no wonder Netlflix feels confident continuing to take a chunk out of the gaming market’s profits. How will users play Netflix games? So how can we play these games when they are all released? Well, Netflix released their strategy for games as part of their services in July. Since then, they have purchased Night School Studios (Oxenfree), Next Games (biped), and Boss Fight Entertainment (Dungeon Boss). In the strategy, Netflix defined the access point for games as “primarily focused on games for mobile devices.” But as a speculative observer, this may change as their list of titles, and service popularity grows. Add to this the fact that in September 2022, , then it seems likely the shift from mobile to the home console or at least TV streaming may happen sooner than they are letting on. Otherwise, how would they ensure their ROI? Netflix announced plans for an internal development studio confirms this fact by quoting Netflix’s vice president of gaming, Mike Verdu, stating that the streaming giant is “seriously exploring” a way to offer cloud gaming. Eurogamer From this quote, we can see that the move from mobile to home gaming environment is definitely in the making. What will the future of Netflix gaming look like? So what will the future hold for the bright promise of Netflix gaming services? According to Netflix, it will not add any expense to existing subscriptions. This is mentioned in their September strategy announcement. And their own internal Helsinki studio is likely to justify its ROI by producing its games directly for Netflix. Much in the same way that Netflix produces its TV and film content. But let’s get to the exciting stuff; Will we soon see a Netflix console (The Nex Box?) advertised in the future? Netflix gaming streaming that you access via your TV or a separate small device? It’s hard to know for sure. But one thing is certain, Blockbuster-killing Netflix was once known as the king of innovation. And if they want to recoup the , they need to keep pushing new services if they want to survive. 200,000 subscribers lost in April While Stadia failed, Game Pass is reigning supreme. So if they choose a suitable business model, streaming is much more likely to be on Netflix’s cards than a separate console. This is a shame, though, as the Nex Box has quite a ring. Play this space While it’s not yet clear what Netflix gaming will look like, the company’s track record and partnerships suggest that it will be a significant player in the future of gaming. With its immense resources and global reach, Netflix has the potential to shake up the industry and change the way we game. So far, they have been tight-lipped about definite plans. But given their history of innovation, we can be sure that they are cooking something up that will be worth watching (pun intended). Whether you’re , , or a regular gamer, keep your eyes on Netflix gaming announcements – this could change everything. Microsoft Sony

What Will Netflix Games Look Like, and How Will Users Play Them, in 2023?

¿Cómo serán los juegos de Netflix y cómo los jugarán los usuarios en 2023?

À quoi ressembleront les jeux Netflix et comment les utilisateurs y joueront-ils en 2023 ?

2023 में नेटफ्लिक्स गेम्स कैसे दिखेंगे और उपयोगकर्ता उन्हें कैसे खेलेंगे?

2023 年に Netflix のゲームはどのようなものになり、ユーザーはどのようにプレイするのでしょうか?

Como serão os jogos da Netflix e como os usuários os jogarão em 2023?

Các trò chơi Netflix sẽ trông như thế nào và người dùng sẽ chơi chúng như thế nào vào năm 2023?

2023 年，Netflix 游戏会是什么样子，用户将如何玩这些游戏？

After purchasing small gaming companies, such as Oxenfree developer Night School Studio, Netflix plans to launch its own video game studio, thus intensifying its efforts to establish itself in the gaming industry. Based in Helsinki, Finland, Netflix's studio will be led by former Zynga and Electronic Arts executive Marko Lastikka. In this Slogging thread, our community discussed Netflix's move and how that'll impact the gaming industry. This Slogging thread by Mónica Freitas, Manas Goel, Valentine Enedah, Teri, Ashish Kushwaha, Hamza, Daniel Yerimah, Daniela Gerardo, Alokam Chinenye Augusta and Sara Pinto occurred in slogging's official #gaming channel, and has been edited for readability. Mónica Freitas Sep 29, 2022, 1:29 PM Netflix plans to launch its own video game studio https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63048019 🔥 1 Mónica Freitas Sep 29, 2022, 1:30 PM Based in Helsinki, Finland, it will be led by former Zynga and Electronic Arts executive Marko Lastikka. Netflix has previously purchased small gaming companies, such as Oxenfree developer Night School Studio. But the streaming giant is now going further and creating a studio from scratch. Lastikka is an established figure in gaming, having co-founded Zynga studio - also in Helsinki - which worked on FarmVille 3 under his leadership." "Netflix is setting up its own video game studio, as it intensifies its efforts to establish itself in the gaming industry. Mónica Freitas Sep 29, 2022, 1:31 PM "Amir Rahimi, Netflix VP of Game Studios, announced the "vision to build a world-class games studio" . "[It] will bring a variety of delightful and deeply engaging original games, with no ads and no in-app purchases." https://about.netflix.com/en/news/building-our-internal-games-studios Mónica Freitas Sep 29, 2022, 1:31 PM "Netflix has had a growing interest in the gaming industry in recent years. It has released several series based on games, such as Arcane (based on League of Legends) and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (based on Cyberpunk: 2077). Netflix is also working closely with Ubisoft, which will see both a live-action Assassin's Creed television series developed, and a Netflix-exclusive mobile game. It is unclear whether the Netflix studio intends to develop games exclusively for mobile, or if it will also target the home console market." Mónica Freitas Sep 29, 2022, 1:33 PM I didn't see this coming! What do you think of this Netflix move? Will it be enough to compensate for the many many canceled subscriptions? Is it a new opportunity for success? Manas Goel Sep 29, 2022, 2:00 PM I think this is just the finest move. I mean who could expect an OTT platform to launch video games?! A few months back, YouTube was on higher precedence than Netflix. And that was because of podcasts. Now I know that I have the potential to finish a series in, let's say 3 hours and that keeps you engaged for one day in your leisure time. Obviously, YouTube does the same for you, but only this time, it keeps you preoccupied every day. Netflix could not compete. But now with video games comprised, I think this little sliver can turn out to be a real game changer for Netflix. Plus what could be more engrossing than sitting around playing with your favorite fictional characters? Valentine Enedah Sep 29, 2022, 2:08 PM Mónica Freitas, I know for sure, they will excel. They might even come close to Sony and of course their greatest project of all time, The God of War. 🔥 1 Teri Sep 30, 2022, 1:30 PM I never tried Netflix but launching this kind of service would make sense for people who love to immerse themselves in the reality of gaming and enjoy the thrill. There are exciting times ahead. Ashish Kushwaha Oct 1, 2022, 2:48 PM I think it's just a way to increase their business. The gaming industry is going to boom even more in the future because of technology like VR, AI, etc. Also, gaming falls into entertainment which may attract people who enjoy movies towards video games and vice versa. Hamza Oct 1, 2022, 4:11 PM I am not a big fan of games but I think is a welcome development in the gaming industry. 🔥 1 Daniel Yerimah Oct 3, 2022, 1:24 PM While this could be a great move by the Netflix team, it's yet to be seen. Mónica Freitas Oct 3, 2022, 5:25 PM Manas Goel, Valentine Enedah, Teri, great points! What movies/series would you like to be transformed into video games? Valentine Enedah Oct 3, 2022, 5:34 PM Marco Polo, Red Notice, Gray Man🔥🔥 🔥 1 Daniela Gerardo Oct 3, 2022, 6:16 PM Mónica Freitas, Netflix has often been in the hot seat for some of its decisions. The decision to raise prices and some of the original content they have sent out. Maybe they are trying to change the attention from one place to another. They certainly are titans in their industry and changed the game once, we'll have to wait and see if they can do it again. Mónica Freitas Oct 3, 2022, 6:36 PM Daniela Gerardo, I don't see this as a "look over there" distracting move - I see it more as they taking advantage of the titles they already have and using them to enter the gaming universe and make more money. Wouldn't you like to see some movies or tv shows turned into games? Alokam Chinenye Augusta Oct 3, 2022, 7:14 PM I am not sure if it would help Netflix get back their lost subscriptions, but it would be something I would enjoy personally. Mónica Freitas Oct 3, 2022, 7:19 PM Alokam Chinenye Augusta, what shows would you like to see turned into video games? Teri Oct 3, 2022, 8:00 PM I don’t know much about movies but if Prison break can be converted into a video game, that would be cool. That was the only series I watched from the beginning to the last season. 🔥 2 Sara Pinto Oct 4, 2022, 1:36 PM Entering the game industry seems exciting! I think it's an interesting way to fight the growing number of canceled subscriptions. Seems like it's something they've had their eye on for quite ome time, and if they already are into it, it can be a smart investment, Mónica Freitas. s Sara Pinto Oct 4, 2022, 1:37 PM Mónica Freitas, do we know what type of games they are interested in producing? Mónica Freitas Oct 14, 2022, 12:23 PM Sara Pinto, no idea, but I assume it relates to their shows.

Netflix Plans to Launch its Own Video Game Studio

Netflix planea lanzar su propio estudio de videojuegos

Netflix prévoit de lancer son propre studio de jeux vidéo

नेटफ्लिक्स ने अपना खुद का वीडियो गेम स्टूडियो लॉन्च करने की योजना बनाई है

Netflixが独自のビデオゲームスタジオを立ち上げる計画

Netflix planeja lançar seu próprio estúdio de videogame

Netflix có kế hoạch ra mắt Studio trò chơi điện tử của riêng mình

Netflix 计划推出自己的视频游戏工作室

As the aphorism says, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”And I would add, up to a certain extent. Companies, like humans, are organic creatures living in an environment called a market. When the market’s landscape changes and challenges the company’s survival, that stressor can finally become a huge motivator to leap forward! This is what makes startups interesting business creatures. They are often challenged to the point of having to redefine, from time to time, their business playbooks (what’s in startup lingo is called a “pivot”). This is the essence of post-traumatic growth! Netflix’s post-traumatic growth It might seem counterintuitive to many, yet stressors from the environments help us push through hurdles, whether as an individual (there is no muscle growth without intense exercise, which is a stressor) or as a company (when the market landscape changes, you got to adjust your business playbook). Those stressors challenge our assumptions and make us redefine our beliefs. This is what happened to Netflix. Let me reconstruct a bit the whole story. In Q1 of 2022, Netflix’s subscribers slowed down for the first time in a decade. Various factor seems to have affected this slow-down. In short, Netflix has identified a few issues with its slow-down business model. Some are related to the economic slowdown (which the company can’t control). Some others were related to linear competition (the streaming market has become much more crowded). And the last one, to me, the most important, was non-linear competition. In other words, attention might be migrating to other platforms like TikTok/YouTube, especially for younger generations. Another key point to me is that Netflix has been consolidating its business model playbook, in the last decade, in an era of abundance. Thus, in the current era, where abundance is over, Netflix is completely shifting its business model toward an ad-supported version, which relies no longer on binge-watching but rather on content releases through theaters. In other words, the business model that worked as a way to develop and disrupt an industry might not work anymore when you’re operating at scale. Changing business playbook Returning to this last quarter’s results, Netflix seems to be back on track. For Q3 of 2022, Netflix subscribers passed 223 million! Netflix stock jumped from $230 to $280, levels the company didn’t see in months. How did this happen? And does it mean the problem is solved? Let’s see how the Netflix executive team has been tackling the issue. As Netflix explained in its last earnings: The key is pleasing members. It’s why we’ve always focused on winning the competition for viewing every day. When our series and movies excite our members, they tell their friends, and then more people watch, join and stay with us. In that respect, Netflix seems to understand the binge-watching has as a way to retain subscribers and create a viral buzz about new series. value Binge-watching is still a critical brand enabler for new releases And that is another key point. Regarding content releases, it’s critical for Netflix to keep a tight schedule of new great releases to enable more and more subscribers to join in, thanks to the strong buzz binge-watching generates. Netflix highlighted how one of the latest series had gotten substantial traction and buzz thanks to binge-watching. As the Netflix team highlighted: It’s hard to imagine, for example, how a Korean title like Squid Game would have become a mega hit globally without the momentum that came from people being able to binge it. We believe the ability for our members to immerse themselves in a story from start to finish increases their enjoyment but also their likelihood to tell their friends, which then means more people watch, join and stay with Netflix. Going beyond the licensing model While streaming series have defined Netflix as a company, it now also understood that to become the new Hollywood, Netflix needs to push on original Film production. This is a key shift. And I’ve been explaining for years that it’s not just about content. This is a massive business model shift. When Netflix releases Films on its platform, which it licenses from other studios, there is a huge advantage: making the selection on Netflix much wider and at much lower costs (licensing is way cheaper than production). However, there are some major drawbacks in the long term. Let’s see the core ones. Slow and secondary distribution Due to the pay-one window, movies produced by other studios generally debut well after theatrical release. This means that a new movie will be available on Netflix much later compared to the theatrical release. As you can imagine, this makes it way less effective for Netflix to have content already widely distributed elsewhere available on its streaming platform. Limited availability With the licensing model, Netflix can expand its selection quickly. Yet, not in perpetuity. The licensing agreement does not give Netflix ownership of the content but only the ability to distribute it on its platform for some time (usually 18-24 months). And even there, you’re subject to the change in strategy of other studios. Limited expandability Producing movie hits is extremely hard as the movie-making industry is not far from the Venture Capital industry. You place various bets, hoping one will pay off for all the others. And when you have a winner, you got to place even more weight on it. In short, movie-making is a winner take all business. Where the few make for the most of the revenues for the whole industry. When it comes to movies, therefore, if you don’t own the copyright (as it happens in the licensing model), you can expand a movie into a series. If you think about it, Marvel’s movie series are among the highest-grossing movies! In addition, as – with the licensing model – you don’t own the IP, and you can’t make out of it other consumer products. Back to Marvel, the merchandise is a great revenue stream. Therefore, by pushing into original programming, Netflix is finally transitioning into a media company. This transition has been going on for almost a decade (starting in 2013) and is now in full force! Netflix is slowly moving away from the licensing model (Netflix is still a subscription-based streaming platform). Netflix Original Film Strategy Thus, it can’t abandon licensing immediately, as it needs to keep a wide selection of movies and series), Netflix is enabling: Original Netflix Movies will be available on Netflix first, which will greatly benefit subscribers. 1. Fast and primary distribution. Since Netflix owns the IP of these movies, it can distribute them as much as it wants. And another key point, it can also license it to other streaming or TV services after those have been widely distributed on Netflix. Thus, it can further make money from licensing and distributing its content on other platforms! 2. Unlimted availability. By owning the IP, Netflix can not only create movie series and spin-offs, but it can easily develop consumer products around these movies! 3. Unlimited expandability. The strong move beyond the licensing model for movies is the most important element of the last quarter’s results. Indeed, Netflix has 118 million household subscribers, a great number to generate for the next Oscars! Competition: linear and non-linear As highlighted in the last quarter’s results, Netlfix’s executive team is well aware of the competitive landscape. As they highlighted: We operate in a highly competitive industry, where people have many different entertainment choices – from linear TV to streaming, YouTube to TikTok and gaming to social media. That is why Netflix keeps an eye on all these elements for its core strategy. And these are the initiatives in place to defend and attack at the same time: Account sharing Netflix is tackling the ability for borrowers to transfer their Netflix profile into their account, for sharers to manage their devices more easily, and to create sub-accounts (“extra members”) if they want to pay for family or friends. So to monetize all the accounts that, right now, are not monetized. Ad-supported version Netflix is officially launching an ad-supported tier, starting at $6.99, making the platform’s way more competitive. price This will enable Netflix to understand the dynamics of the streaming advertising industry while lowering the basic subscription price and giving an additional reason for basic subscribers to switch to the plan without ads. Marketing campaigns at scale To keep generating buzz and a high volume of eyeballs, Netflix has been consolidating its strategy through its event platform, Tudum, which generated over a billion views in a year. This is the Netflix response to platforms like TikTok/YouTube. Gaming Netflix has entered the gaming industry, establishing its infrastructure, with 35 games on the service and over 55 games in development. The opportunity that Netflix sees is the ability of gaming to cross TV and films. Games are a great IP from which to develop content that can, in the future, become movies or series. Thus, Netflix is betting on that… That’s all for now! Also published . here

Netflix Business Strategy In 2022

For the first time, Netflix will distribute one of its titles through three major Old Hollywood theater chains, AMC, Cinemark, and Regal. , the sequel to the hit , will be distributed to 600 theaters on November 23. The movie will run for one week, followed by a blackout period, and then a streaming premiere on Netflix December 23. Even though will see a limited theatrical run (Netflix calls the theatrical release a sneak peek), the agreement is a landmark. For years, Netflix has locked horns with the major theater chains because Netflix has refused to give its movies a wide theatrical release before taking its films to streaming. AMC and Regal have flat-out boycotted Netflix’s films. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Knives Out Glass Onion Because Old Hollywood and New Hollywood need each other. The Old Hollywood theaters are still reeling from the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even though box office sales are rebounding strongly from 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic virtually closed theater chains, moviegoing has tallied off sharply in the second half of 2022 because of a shortage of available films. (Too many films had their production delayed because of the pandemic, and studios sold a number of titles to streaming companies to recoup their cost during the shutdown.) Meanwhile, Netflix is suffering from declining subscriber totals. (The streaming giant lost 2 million subscribers in the first two quarters of 2022.) The company is adopting an advertising tier to bring in revenue. Exhibiting a major title in movie theaters could become a permanent strategy if the approach works. Netflix acquired the rights to and for $450 million in 2021 before the company’s fortunes declined. It’s likely that Netflix is betting that a theatrical run of will: 1. Generate revenue from box office sales. 2. Create excitement for the movie’s streaming premiere, which could result in more subscribers and a spike in engagement levels. The success of the WarnerBros. title should be encouraging to Netflix. earned $750 million globally before WarnerBros. premiered the film the HBO Max streaming service. then enjoyed a first-week viewership of an estimated 4.1 million households (per Samba TV) – the second best first-week for a theatrical release on HBO Max. The appeal of to movie chains is clear: even with a limited run, the movie is likely to generate foot traffic. received a rousing reception at the Toronto International Film Festival and is building strong buzz. The title is also benefitting from a halo effect created by the wildly successful . Glass Onion Glass Onion Knives Out 3 Glass Onion The Batman The Batman The Batman Glass Onion Glass Onion Knives Out Even still, we won’t know for sure just how much Netflix will benefit from this limited run because Netflix keeps its own metrics close to the vest. The company has been criticized for potentially leaving millions of dollars on the table with its strategy of bypassing movie chains. For Netflix, actions will speak louder than numbers.

A New Direction for Netflix?

What happens when 15 data professionals get together to create content? That’s right, The Iron Analyst! Seven renowned data practitioners recently came together to compete for the ‘ ’ title in the category of Data Analysis and Visualization. Using a data set provided by , the leading web data platform, each competing data wizard was given a mystery data set that was then required of them to clean, analyze, and create a spectacular visualization or dashboard. Iron Analyst Bright Data Using a panel of three judges–notable data influencers Tina Huang, Ban Rogojan AKA Seattle Data Guy, and Josh Starmer–the projects were judged based on clarity, usability, and practicality. The seven notable contestants, all data influencers, who competed for the title were: - Data analyst and Youtube creator Luke Barousse - Data Professional, Data Career Jumpstart Avery Smith - Data Engineer, BetFanatic Shashank Kalanithi - Data Scientist, Cloudflare Hunter Kempf - Programming & Data Science, YouTube Creator Keith Galli - Senior Data Scientist, HUMU Mark Freeman - Staff Data Engineer, Airbnb Zach Wilson Ken Jee, Data Science & Sports Analytics at Scouts Consulting Group, hosted the competition. After the mystery data set was revealed, contestants were given just 1.5 hours to work with a set of Indeed job posting data provided by Bright Data. Every contestant was given a huge scale of data –over 40GB – broken into over a hundred different individual files to download and quickly analyze. Each data competitor’s project was approached in a totally different and unique fashion, due to the diverse nature of each contestant’s data background. The data engineers, data scientists, and data analysts all naturally took a different route in managing and presenting the data based on their own personal framework. “For the engineering approach, it's very much about getting something out, filtering, in order to get something out first as opposed to a data scientist or data analyst, they approach it in a linear fashion. I do think that the engineers have an advantage in this particular situation.” -- Tina Huang. And Tina wasn’t wrong. In the end, Shashank, a renowned Youtube creator and Data Engineer, ultimately took home the title of Iron Analyst for his organized, clear, and versatile visualization. The other two top projects that caught the attention of the judges were Luke’s and Keith’s. Luke’s runner-up project, created with Power BI and Bright Data’s data sets, wanted to look at mainly job skill requirements and a comparison tool between top tools required for Data Science jobs across the US. While the judges loved it for its ease, simplicity, and clean design, judge Seattle Science Guy flagged concerns for the data counts seeming a little low. Luke admitted to the size of the data set being not feasible to fully address in the allotted time, so he only focused on the Data Analyst, Data Scientist, and Data Engineer roles. Meanwhile, Keith’s runner-up project, created with Python, the Panda’s library, and Bright Data’s data sets, was enjoyed by the judges for the story it told. Keith developed a heat map visualizer directed at small-town kids with big career dreams, where places with the most jobs (all jobs - not just data jobs) were more lit up on the map. To handle remote jobs being so prominent, he cleverly found a small town in Oregon called Remote, which shone brightest due to so many remote jobs today being available. Of the project, judge Josh asked “but was the graphic equivalent to the story?” “The story matters a lot, doesn’t it,” responded judge Tina. Winner Shashank took home the crowning title using Python and Bright Data’s data sets to develop a clever visualization of data engineering jobs across the US. He allowed the user to look at specific jobs or companies, the average company rating of all the companies the user selected, company location, and a subsection of salaries. When asked what the goal of his dashboard was, Shashank explained, “I would hope that this dashboard allows people to look at a wide swath of jobs all at once, in a data-intensive format, instead of individual jobs one at a time.” While judges were impressed by all the projects created under such intense time constraints, judges liked Shashank’s the most because “it was a practical approach to things, and the reasoning behind why Shashank did it made a lot of sense,” said Tina from the judge’s couch. Said Shashank after his win, “the web data and insights provided by Bright Data was just… mind-blowing. What you could actually do. For example with [most job postings] data, without an insane amount of work, you couldn’t get it… The ability to actually [have the data] and do this is something now that I really want to play around with after the meetup is done!” You can watch the full episode of Iron Analyst, sponsored by Bright Data, . here

A New Netflix Style Reality Show for People Who Love Data

“Every single person who has an idea, who fancies themselves an entrepreneur, hears, ‘That will never work.’ It's what your wife says to you. It's what your investors say to you. It's what your employees say to you. It is the universal response to ‘I've got an idea.’” Watched any good shows lately? Got yourself wrapped up in the latest true crime docuseries? For that, you can thank Marc Randolph – the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix, and the latest guest on my podcast. Netflix You heard right. The guy who first put DVDs in envelopes and changed the way we watch TV is our latest guest. For one of the original innovators, he's got some pretty unique takes on business, startups, and how to test your ideas. Marc didn't start his entrepreneurial journey when it was romantic or glorified to do so. You could say that he was ahead of his time, as were most tech startups of the 80s and 90s – and because of that, he's got some of the most valuable insights for entrepreneurs of today. Got a few ideas brewing for your future startup? You'll want to hear what Marc has to say. We talked iteration, MVPs, and how to test your ideas before they're 'good' rather than after. Grab your popcorn, and let's dive in. Netflix: The Origin Story Many of you are likely familiar with the way Netflix started out, so I won't dwell here for too long – but it's such a cool story that it really deserves a special mention. In the 90s, Marc Randolph was well into his entrepreneurial journey. He'd been drawn to it since childhood. "Kids grew up wanting to be a fireman, or a doctor, or something like that. I was just someone who was always trying to solve problems. I'd see something that I thought needed doing, and I'd begin wondering – is there a way to do it?" By the time his idea for Netflix rolled around, he'd already tried his hand at a few different startups, even managing to sell the successful ones. “Netflix was startup number six," Marc told me. "I was working at a company that acquired my fifth startup, that was currently being run by Reed Hastings. When we sold that company, and I realized I was going to be out of a job, it was a fairly natural thing to say, ‘Okay, I'm gonna start another one.’ And the question, of course, was what?” (Reed Hastings is the other co-founder of Netflix. He's an incredibly talented business person, too.) “Once you're an entrepreneur, you're always an entrepreneur. And Reed wanted to try and keep a hand in the startup game, so we agreed that he'd be my angel investor and chair of the board. We would come up with an idea together, and then I would start it and run it. And that was the plan.” Reed and Marc put their heads together during their daily commutes to work. Marc would pitch one of his ideas, and Reed would grill him on all the details until most of his ideas were deemed unworkable. It was this iterative, feedback-based process that eventually led Marc to pitch his Netflix idea – but at the time, he already had serious doubts. “Video came on VHS cassette; it was big and heavy, plastic, expensive, fragile things. And so that idea quickly turned out not to work. I had a lot of mail order experience, so I knew what it costs to ship things around the country using DHL and Federal Express. And so that idea got abandoned and ended up in a pile on the side of the road.” Iteration Brought Netflix To Life It wasn't long before the DVD came out; tentatively at first, but making waves in the tech news space. Reed had a lightbulb moment that resurrected Marc's idea for mail-home entertainment – they would mail DVDs instead of cassettes, and if the discs didn't break, they'd only cost the price of a letter to send. “We said, ‘The fundamental premise here is that we can mail DVDs, we can use the US Mail way cheaper.’ And then we got into this argument. Is it gonna work? Is it just gonna break? What's it going to cost? We go, ‘screw it, let's just find out.' Right in the middle of our commute, we turned the car around and drove down to Scotts Valley to buy a DVD. Of course, there wasn't any; it was a test market. So settled for a used music CD, and popped that into a little pink gift envelope and mailed it to Reed's house in Santa Cruz. And the very next morning, when he came to pick me up, he had an unbroken CD in a little envelope that had gotten to his house in less than 24 hours for the price of a first-class stamp.” I love this origin story because it goes against everything we're told about the iterative process. Reed and Marc didn't sit on their hunches; they acted immediately, testing their ideas in the real world as quickly and cheaply as possible. That'll Never Work Being an entrepreneur means a life of being shut down. A lot of the time, it's even your loved ones who tell you an idea is stupid, and that you should give up. “Every single person who has an idea, who fancies themselves an entrepreneur, hears ‘That will never work.’ It's what everybody says when you come rushing with great excitement into the office to tell them this new idea," Marc noted. And it's not just the people around you who voice their doubts; it's your own mind that shuts down your ideas left, right, and center. But when have we ever been able to predict the next big-time startup? Who can honestly claim to know what will work and what won't in the business world? I tend to side more with Marc's attitude on this: “I've realized that nobody has any clue whether it's going to work or not," Marc explained. "In fact, there is no possible way to really know in advance whether an idea is a good idea or a bad idea without trying it. So all the things I do revolve around ‘that will never work’, because it's a reminder to me – and I hope to everybody – that it's just unknowable.” Doesn't that take an enormous weight off your shoulders? Doesn't it free you up to try new things, without the crippling pressure of perfectionism? No one has a claim on what makes an idea 'good' or 'bad', so we shouldn't be constrained to others' expectations. Every Idea Is A Bad Idea In Marc's opinion as a seasoned entrepreneur, mentor, and business extraordinaire, every idea is a bad idea. And he means it. “Anyone who's worked in any kind of corporate setting has sat in a brainstorming meeting, where the well-meaning moderator gets up in front of the group, and goes, ‘Okay, let's get some ground rules here. Rule number one for this brainstorming session is there's no such thing as a bad idea.’ And I call bullshit on that. I think, in fact, there are plenty of bad ideas. I'll go out on a limb and say that they're all bad ideas. There's no such thing as a good idea. Every idea is fluid. They're all not going to work. There's always something wrong.” I'm aware that this sounds a bit contradictory on Marc's behalf, considering the previous section – but what Marc hints at here is the need for iteration. No idea is a good idea in its untested, raw state. Ideas need to be worked, and re-worked, and fine-tuned through experimentation until they earn their 'good'. “I have never found a successful company that became successful doing the thing they originally envisioned," Marc explained. "If you recognize that they're all bad ideas, what you recognize is it's futile to keep searching for this perfect idea. The skill here is not coming up with good ideas; the skill is figuring out a clever way to try something to quickly and cheaply and easily collide your idea with reality.” From MVP to Sharpie and Paper When he was working as a mentor in universities, Marc came into contact with a number of students who had their own startup ideas. One student wanted to create a platform where users could lend or sell their clothes to one another. But this girl was worried about what her next steps should be. Should she drop out of school? How would she get the necessary funding? These were the thoughts she expressed to Marc. “I said, ‘Whoa, slow down. I want you to write on some paper, Want to borrow my clothes? Knock! And tape it right now to your dorm room door. And we're going to start this experiment now. You're going to find something out: either no one's going to knock, or you're going to learn the next phase.’” “Her problem wasn't can I make an app? How do I get credit cards? Yes, those are things she would have to do if she was to make it a real business. But she narrowed it down to the fundamental problem: does anyone care? And I can find that out with a piece of paper and a Sharpie.” The lesson here was important. Why worry about the finer details when you haven't even tested your idea for validity? Experiment first, refine later. An MVP doesn't have to break the bank. “People stick with their MVPs for too long because they put so much time and effort into it, they're not willing to walk away. But if you stick something on the front of your dorm room door and that doesn't work, you throw it in the trash, and you write something different the next day. And then you wad that up and throw that in the trash and try something different the third day, and eventually, someone knocks.” Build A Minimum Unviable Product If you're in the entrepreneurial space, you'll know of the debate around what a minimum viable product should look like. How 'done' should it be? How much time and money should you invest? Well – what if you heard that building an MVP is already one step too far? “If you're building a minimal viable product, you're building too much," Marc claimed. "The problem – whether it's an MVP, or whether it's actually raising money – is that people do these things because they think, ‘that's how this works.’ You get emotionally invested in an approach." I so agree with that statement. Entrepreneurship can be prescriptive at times; we rely heavily on the behavior and advice of others, but forget to question whether those things are actually serving us well. “Even a minimum viable product sometimes takes weeks, or months, or hundreds of thousands of dollars – so you're not about to say, ‘Oh, didn't work. Okay, abandon this, let's try something new.’ Which is why you've got to figure out ways to do it super cheaply, super simply, super quickly.” In my mind, this equates to so much freedom. Imagine being able to test your entire concept with just a Sharpie and some copy paper? “You want to build a minimum unviable product. You do not need to test all the components of your idea. Because most of the components of your idea, if you begin parsing it apart, don't need to be tested. You don't need to say, can we build an app? You don't need to worry, is someone going to trust me with their credit card? Customers accept all these things.” Don't Wait For A Guaranteed Win Marc Randolph's main sentiments around MVPs and idea validation remind me of a book by Michael Masterson called . (Read that again – the order of words is important). Ready, Fire, Aim Sometimes it's better to fire right away, before you've even had a chance to steady your scope and take perfect aim. You can always adjust as you go, but if you wait for the perfect moment, you may never start shooting at all; your target will move on, nightfall will come, and you'll be left with an unloaded weapon. Marc is incredibly passionate about this topic, and I highly recommend giving his interview a watch over on my YouTube channel. I've only scratched the surface. He’s also got a book called , and a podcast by the same name. That Will Never Work “I don't want people to get stuck in a rut," Marc told me. "As soon as you can, collide with reality. You're gonna find out that it's a bad idea, but that's fine – the important thing is not that it's bad. The idea is, why is it bad? Because with all the reasons you realize it's not going to work as you envisioned, it informs your intuition. You get some insight into what might work.” As an entrepreneur, you need to have a bit of grit and determination. You also need to be okay with the fact that your first – or second, or third – idea might not work out as planned. But by taking action and learning from your mistakes, you increase the chances that your fourth, fifth, or sixth idea will be a winner. “I've worked with so many companies since I left Netflix. I’ve had the chance to work with hundreds of early stage companies and 1000s of entrepreneurs. And over and over and over again, the things that finally work are never the first thing you try. It's always this process of starting and seeing where those collisions with real people lead you.” I'll end with a quote from Eric Ries, author of : The Lean Startup “Reading is good, action is better.” And on that note, what are you doing still reading? Take action on those big, brewing ideas. I can't wait to see what you come up with. Also published here.

Don’t Wait For A Good Idea: The Netflix Origin Story 

I finally saw the much commented-about Netflix Documentary and was amazed by how he went on to scam so many women using the exact same strategy time and time again. More importantly, I found it very interesting how these very normal, smart, self-made women fell for him time and time again and all I could see was a strategy that worked so well that it didn’t need to be changed. Tinder Swindler As a content marketing enthusiast, my mind couldn’t help but draw parallels between some of Simon’s behaviors and winning (content)marketing strategies that I personally endorse. As I always say, content marketing is a lot like romance so this article can be read as content marketing advice or as dating advice.😉 Make Your Customers Feel Special Simple as it sounds. Everyone loves to love and everyone wants to feel special, cared for, and thought about. Everyone loves the idea that they mean something to someone and as a brand, it is important to go the extra mile to make sure that every one of your customers—no matter how many—feels special. Some brands that I think do a really good job at this are , , and . If I were looking to date, these three would be top of my list because they’ve, in one way or the other, been able to make me believe that they genuinely care for ME and not just after my buck. Footlocker PayPal LinkedIn sends me coupons on my birthday and keeps track of exactly the kind of shoes I like to see. My browsing experience feels tailored to me and my interests. Footlocker is the caring partner that checks in, their choice of copy shows that they understand my issues and exactly where they come into the solution. Paypal I would describe as a great listener. Delivers recommendations based on my recent activity and searches. LinkedIn I don’t know about you but If I had just offloaded to a friend about needing to eat a specific type of food and they texted me the next day with restaurant recommendations for exactly that food, I would 100% fall in love with them. That’s a love language. Everything from their UX copy to Email marketing and notifications just screams concern, care, and a personalized experience. A personalized experience can only be achieved through active listening. Listening to your customers, their issues, their preferences, what they like, and what they don’t. That tells you what to say to them, when to say it, and how to say it in order to ensure that it is well received. Open Up/ Be Transparent The age-old way to make someone feel closer to you is to make them feel like they know you. Vulnerability is a driving force of connection. Transparency makes your brand real, relatable…human. It gives it a physical form, something measurable, something that’s worth attention. Because Simon was able to tell these women about his fake problems, he was able to draw them even closer into the story he was trying to sell by making them a part of it. His vulnerability made them feel special and made them feel like they were in this together. In the same way, Brand transparency is all about being open and honest when it comes to your products, your pricing, your values, and how you do business overall. It gives customers a view into what your company is all about and makes them a part of your journey. Be Consistent In the words of some wise woman somewhere, “ ” Don’t introduce me to a vibe you can’t maintain Inconsistency is unattractive—in people, and in brands. Content marketing is a journey, not a campaign and by design is supposed to be a continuous process. To make a customer fall in love with your brand (or you), you cannot afford to be hot today and cold tomorrow and then decide to be hot again the next week. The process of falling in love *I think is very similar to the process of building a habit. It doesn’t matter how well you perform on any individual day. Sustained effort is what makes the real difference. Consistency in presence and consistency in delivery. Half of being in love with someone or something is just (your brain) being used to them—being used to the fact that they’re always there. The human brain makes them a part of your personal story. That way you condition your customer’s mind to relate your brand with positive experiences or more simply put, the customer’s mind gets used to you and falls in love with you. In conclusion, a huge part of building consideration in the minds of customers (or lovers) is the commitment to the cause. Take your customers through a journey using storytelling to make them fall in love with your brand just like they would a person. True connections are always worth it every time. This article was first published We here.

Lessons in Content Marketing from Netflix Shows

What did Netflix really miss? Netflix missed earnings recently, but in my opinion, they missed something big. They missed building a moat. Whenever you stumble upon a castle, you have to start building a moat around it. Netflix’s castle was its early entrance to streaming. They recognized it, did interesting deals with media companies to get more content (pay for Friends, The Office, Seinfeld, etc.), and accelerated user adoption to the new way. But as the adoption of streaming grew, it was also clear the technology behind streaming is easy to replicate. Thanks to Azure, AWS and GCP. Even Netflix streaming product is built on AWS. A combination of cloud technology adoption, increased internet speeds, and success of companies like Roku and Hulu were clear signals. At this point, there were a couple of years when Netflix adopted its strategy to spend the highest to create original content. That was a good strategy and also a reflection of the fact that Netflix is now mainly a media company and not a tech company. During these last 5 years when they were spending gigantic sums on content, I never understood why they didn’t do other smart things. These are not mutually exclusive options. Some of these other things include: Buying an old movie studio (like MGM by Amazon): My understanding was, yes you could spend $20B to create original content, but you can save time to get a good catalog for cheap by leveraging Netflix’s equity. And their equity was soaring. It is just good capital allocation. Get into Audio streaming Get into merch (they did recently) Experiment with audio streaming products, and user-generated content products like YouTube. This might sound ridiculous but hear me out. When Google stumbled upon success with Search they protected it with Maps, YouTube, Chrome, and more. Most of their experiments failed but some succeeded and that’s what matters. Moonshots: They seem to do new things like gaming, which I think could be potentially huge for them. Especially when you consider their DNA in creating new code. Doing this on a high ride is usually easier and gets tough when your equity is getting crushed and your employees start leaving. But again Netflix has been in a similar situation before and came back stronger than ever. Their current situation is not nearly as bad as they had seen before. They still have the most important streaming product with great revenue and their original content catalog is bigger than ever. But some things should change. Netflix should not spend so much on new content, they should acquire large and cheap catalogs. It’s tough now that everyone has a streaming service. But worth a try. More money doesn’t mean more creativity. Look at HBO Max. Find great content curators, and take interesting bets. They should explore more experimental products/apps. Consider acquisitions to compete against YouTube, Spotify, and AMC. This will allow Netflix to create bundles which can be sold for a premium. Disney is doing that with their bundle of ESPN and Hulu. Its a great value for customers. Consider theatrical releases via own theaters (yes acquire them if possible) or just using the status quo. Hit series on Netflix could also premiere in theaters, honestly will avoid future churn. There are many interesting ideas, but the bottom line is**“when you stumble upon a castle, build a moat around it”.** Finally, I will leave you with this picture of how built a moat around its castle. Disney

If Only Netflix Had a Moat... 

Si tan solo Netflix tuviera un foso...

Si seulement Netflix avait un fossé...

अगर केवल नेटफ्लिक्स में एक खंदक होता ...

Netflixに堀があれば...

Se ao menos a Netflix tivesse um fosso...

If Only Netflix Had a Moat ...

如果只有 Netflix 有护城河……

Streaming means watching videos on the internet without downloading them. The streaming industry grew with advancements in internet technology. The pandemic further boosted its growth globally. Like how VCRs and DVDs did when they were introduced, streaming captured eyes across the globe. In their early days, people used streaming services only as an alternative to their cable services. Over time, streaming services have evolved from being merely cord-cutters to being a part of our lifestyle. Smartphones have made streaming portable and ubiquitous, thus increasing consumption. As the industry grew, it became more crowded and competitive. Having been launched in 1997, Netflix has become a synonym for streaming. However, success always attracts followers. Other companies__ __ the feasibility of the streaming strategy in the market. Netflix is now up against a slew of competitors, including YouTube, Hulu, Disney +, Amazon Prime, and several new entrants. followed Netflix's lead when it showed This article will explain how the new entrants can try to break into the saturated streaming market. And how they can leverage technology to stay ahead of the pack. Streaming Wars The streaming industry juggernauts like Netflix and Prime are investing heavily to cement their position as the industry leader. and are examples of their effort to capture the market with original content. Stranger Things Patriot There is no doubt that the new entrants without deep pockets cannot compete with the giants when it comes to content. Although it is true that content is the key to a streaming service’s success, a great content library that is not easily accessible is a failure. After all, people turn to streaming platforms for entertainment and a bad UX is definitely a turn off. Did you know that “ look for something new to watch every week but 62% of them struggle to find it!” 55% of consumers What is a great user experience? A good user experience is subjective and varies from user to user. There is no one size that fits all. Fortunately, there are several factors that contribute to creating a great experience for every user. Content Recommendations UI-UX Friction-free Streaming Content Recommendation It is no secret that a recommendation system solely relies on customer behavioral data. To understand a user’s taste and preferences we need to classify and analyze data in two aspects. Movie or video metadata User profile The two aspects should be blended and fed into the recommendation system to make the right recommendations. Movie Metadata The more detailed the metadata is, the easier it is to reach the right viewers. A video without metadata is like a person on the airport without a boarding pass or money – they ain't going anywhere. Apart from helping your videos rank on search engines, metadata is also an opportunity to inform your viewers of the details about the content they are watching. This is a great way to earn their trust. Moreover, it helps them discover content that they might have missed otherwise. Take for instance the X-ray view on Amazon Prime videos. As you watch just click on the button to know about the people who worked on it - and the best part is that you can discover other works of the artist. User Profile A user profile is simply asking users for their region, preferred languages, genres they like, etc,. In fact, this could be a great starting point for recommendations – when you do not have enough data to analyze their interests. You can come up with recommendations only based on their interactions with videos, For example, if a user is opening a drama but passing it on in a minute or two – it could possibly mean that the user is not interested in dramas. Opening a video does not ensure they like it. Understanding their interaction is the key. A powerful analytics engine is the best source to power your recommendations. Analyzing views based on what % of the video was watched, also understanding how viewers search for content and what time of the day they prefer to watch is key to creating a good user experience. Also, keeping track of the video ratings given by a user and monitoring their comments and other video interactions play a major role in recommending the right video to a user. Creating the buzz by recommending a show Apart from recommending based on user preferences, recommending stellar content, that is sure to be liked by all is a great way to create a buzz about the show and if the content is entertaining and marketed right on social platforms it would sure make a trend – and thereby acquire more audience UX Matters! Netflix and the other big players like Prime and YouTube have definitely set the bar high when it comes to content and user experience – thanks to their deep pockets. Though competing with them in respect to content needs serious money working on an equally good if not a better user experience is possible. For OTT platforms, a good UI/UX should be simple, appealing, easy to use, and make the customer feel at ease. This is precisely the success secret of Netflix – it just showcases what you are looking for. A good UI/UX is not just about displaying the content attractively it is about creating an easy flow – in and out of videos, ease of search, and, creating an enjoyable experience. Tips to Improve the User Experience : Keep your content organized. Organize your content like shows, seasons, movies, and other categories - this makes looking for content easy. Organize : The interface has to be simple and friendly. Apart from showcasing content with carousels and listings, it is important to empower your users with the ability to define their own watchlist where they can keep track of their favorite shows and resume watching a previously watched video Keeping things simple : Send notifications and emails. Push notifications are the best way to invite your audience to watch your content. The more creative and tempting your push notification is the better chances of opening it Communicate Personalization is no longer the differentiation factor that acquires an audience, it has become the de-facto requirement to retain the acquired audience. Friction-free Streaming Imagine you are watching your favorite show and suddenly your video pauses and you see a circle spinning on the screen. There could be nothing more irritating than this moment. Now, this spinning wheel makes viewers leave almost immediately. Studies show that the . higher the general buffering is within a session, the shorter that session will end up One of the most commonly used methods to reduce buffering issues is encoding. Encoding is compressing and converting video content into a form that is compatible with various devices and internet speeds. For viewers to view videos without any buffering issue it has to be compressed. But compression can reduce quality. Would you trade off video quality for reducing friction? Well..that isn’t a good idea. So what’s the solution? It is adaptive bitrate streaming. To keep it simple consider your viewer’s internet connection as a pipe. The faster the connection is the wider the pipe is – the slower, the narrower. Now you have to transmit a video file to your viewers through the pipe. The video simply glides through the wide pipe, but it gets blocked several times on the way in a narrower pipe. So it is not advisable to send uncompressed files on narrow pipes. This method of compressing the video based on the capability of the receiving device is called adaptive bitrate streaming. You would have definitely adjusted the video quality settings or witnessed the auto change in quality with YouTube at least once. Youtube has done this to reduce its churn rate. This is one of the fundamental lessons to learn from Youtube Apart from other benefits, adaptive bitrate streaming is the critical reason for you to encode all your videos before distribution. Takeaway Regardless of how amazing your content is, if there is friction in accessing it – your viewers would leave. To reduce the friction you need to understand your users and distribute your content to them just the way they want it. So the only secret is to understand your audience. Create amazing content and distribute it the how-where-when your audience likes it. That’s the basis of a good user experience.

How to Compete with Netflix: Beyond the Streaming Experience

I was watching the TV series, La Casa De Papel (Money Heist) on Netflix, a few weeks ago. I realized that the story of the gang can reveal some best practices we should use while dealing with the security of the products we build. Beware, the text contains spoilers. If you haven't seen the show till the end and you are planning to, please visit the article on a later day. Or proceed with your at your own risk :) Threat Modeling Can Protect you Against Unexpected Events First of all, ?
Threat modeling, in layman terms, is an analytical process. In there, the engineers who build a product coordinate with the security team. They collaborate towards the security architecture of the product. what is threat modeling More specifically, the model, how someone can attack the product, and what is worth protecting (assets). They also model what they can be loose about. Being loose, not because they don't care. But because protecting it can be more costly than the asset itself. Threat modeling can get you a long way and protect you from events, against the odds. What is threat modeling in our "Money Heist" case? It is Professor's (aka Sergio Marquina's) plan against all potential routes the plan will take. In having alternatives, even for the edgiest scenarios. The assets are clearly, the stolen money or his comrades in the heist. A Single Point of Failure can Cause a Chain of Bad Reactions Threat modeling might help you recover from many security problems that will arise. You can recover from a cyber-attack but things will never be the same. A crack in the security wall can have a domino effect. Imagine a lake dam, with a few cracks around, going unnoticed and being exploited by nature. You can always fix it, but it might take time for the lake visitors to establish trust again. Like the Professor, where he lost respect after the gold (temporarily) vanished. Even though his great problem-solving skills, helped resolve the issue, things got hairy very fast. Luck is not a Strategy in the Long Term. In the show, there are some provocative cases of luck. For example: Raquel renegading the police organization Police and army failing plans to invade the bank Failing to shoot to the target many times. From troops, that are supposed to be professional shooters. Snitches and below-expectations defense might give you some extra time. to move with your plan or escape. But you have to take advantage of it. To either move with your plan or escape. Always think your luck might go away, any time soon. Never Drop the Weapons This is not specific to cybersecurity but to life in general. Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever. Accept your mistakes, remediate them and learn from them. As long as your heart is pumping blood, you are not dead yet. Architectural mistake? Patch it immediately and re-architect the product (yeah, I know...delivery and business constraints) Below expectations monitoring? Fix it now. Add more people and see how they can be more effective Serious defects in the code? Train your team insecure practices and code review focused on security. Buy a license to a package like Snyk or Nessus. Plan some percentage of your capacity to patch the most severe ones Even in the Worst of Moments, Keep your Composure Imagine a ransomware attack. It is there, it is happening. Screaming over people's heads will not solve the problem. When you cannot win against an attack, you still have to do your best, to at least not lose. For sure, don't panic. As the Stoics say, you have to be your best self on the things you control. And let the rest, just be. Accept them. You cannot control the next stage of an attack. But you can do your best to prevent it, to not repeat the same mistakes, and to close the open doors that exist now. Don't lose your temper and clear mind, As Tamayo lost it when he realized the gang was blackmailing him for various reasons. He got angry, he got blackmailed, he was even ridiculed in the eyes of the European Central Bank. And what was the result? He lost, hands down, even though he lied to the media about winning. Conclusion Top-notch cybersecurity is not a free lunch. And not everyone can do it, as the caveats are so many. But with some discipline, retrospection, and humility, you can do wonders. Also, the show is great, if you haven't seen it, please do. First published here

Cybersecurity Lessons from the Netflix Series La Casa De Papel

The entertainment and film industries have been at the forefront of technology since their inception. The techniques developed for the recording, construction, and presentation of the first motion pictures took the world by storm, and when the first films were introduced, entertainment changed forever. We don’t often consider how revolutionary films were for us as a society, but technology advanced at a rapid pace to accommodate people’s appetite for this emerging medium. Companies like Netflix began to challenge the movie rental industry, and soon enough (with the help of the internet), they became a dominant force in the way we consume entertainment. Streaming services are now the titans of the industry. Fewer and fewer people are using cable television as their primary source of entertainment, and this trend is only expected to continue. The film industry was good about responding to consumers’ desires for better tech, but it has lagged behind when it comes to representation and diverse voices. But now, Netflix is drawing on EdTech entertainment industry platform, , as a partner in global storytelling. Stage 32 How Stage 32 and Netflix are Diversifying the Entertainment Industry As the world's largest online creative talent incubator with more than 800,000 members, Stage 32 provides a necessary oasis of community and educational resources so that creatives can continue to connect and develop their artistic gifts and talents. The industry overall has found itself in a content gold rush since the pandemic—the floodgates have opened, and it seems as if every project that was put on hold in 2020 is now in production. The amount of movies and shows released on streaming platforms is unprecedented (Netflix, for example, recently announced its goal of releasing 52 films per year along with 200 television shows. By comparison, Paramount only releases eight films per year.) And consumer demand is at an all-time high. The need for diversified talent is stronger than ever. Stage 32 and Netflix have worked together on past projects to promote and source local language content, but now, Stage 32’s social media and education technology platform is helping staff and ideate projects that Netflix brings to fruition, and together, they are taking the next step—they’re going global. Stage 32 is partnering with Netflix to develop a game-changing initiative for the industry. Enabled by technology, their program will help creators access new opportunities in the entertainment industry from their computers in locations internationally. Running through the end of 2022, their program ‘ ’ will include a series of educational virtual workshops to teach creatives how to turn their ideas into compelling structured TV series the ‘Netflix’ way. Creating Content for the Global Marketplace They’ve also partnered with Mike Gauyo from the Netflix original series Ginny and Georgia to open submissions for the , which will focus on giving industry access and resources to pre-WGA Black screenwriters. Black Boy Writes/Black Girl Writes mentorship initiative The Forefront of Education and Entertainment Stage 32 was already at the forefront of education and innovation for their industry, with thousands of hours of resources and educational content available for their members. Earlier this year, Stage 32 partnered with Netflix to present a global online television workshop taught by Netflix's own Chris Mack. To date, the workshop has been viewed by over 100,000 people worldwide, making it the most successful online entertainment industry workshop in history. Netflix is the clear leader in original streaming content (though many are vying for the crown). Their move toward partnering with creatives worldwide signals a positive move toward access and inclusion in the industry. As a social platform, Stage 32 excels at finding local-language content and emerging creatives that need a broader platform to showcase their talents. In partnership with Netflix, they will present a series of five free webcasts designed to teach writers, producers, filmmakers, and other industry professionals across the world how to create and develop content for the streaming titan. This marks a significant change for how the industry will operate moving forward. Through this technology, creatives have more access to resources and opportunities than ever before. This dismantles the often-siloed nature of the industry, and furthering the partnership between creatives, executives, and streaming services signals a new era for entertainment.

Netflix Teams up with Edtech Company Stage 32 to Make a Global Statement

Netflix is set to release its live action iteration of beloved anime , starring John Cho, Daniella Pineda, and Mustafa Shakir. The creative adaptation follows a recent effort to personify popular cartoons and video games with varying degrees of success. Cowboy Bebop on November 19th The decision to give Cowboy Bebop this ‘flesh and blood’ facelift is especially interesting. Few anime garner the love and cult fandom that this 90’s gem receives. Which begs the question: why do this at all? What could Netflix possibly contribute to a show that many consider near perfect? I’m open to the possibility of Cowboy Bebop being (at the very least) amusing. However, I’m not hopeful a live-action version of Cowboy Bebop will change the narrative for these kinds of adaptations. They tend to be critical sticks in the mud. Why It’s So Hard to Adapt Anime Most successful are often based on manga...not anime. Live-Action Anime flicks The ‘Theater of the Mind’ has a bigger role when reading manga, meaning, the audience has to contribute to the experience. Imagining voice, while filling gaps for movement and style, etc., are roles that the reader gets to fill in the narrative. While this creates a sense of ownership over a particular character for the reader, I think it becomes easier to accept another interpretation because the source material is limited. Characters in an anime have a more fleshed-out persona. Distinct voices and style are attributed to characters that can be hard to emulate. Because it’s animated, features are often more exaggerated and caricatured in order to communicate life through a drawn character. When you attempt to emulate these unspoken qualities, they often become overwhelming and too on the nose. A great example of this is Shaggy from the live action film Scooby-doo (2002). Seeing the iconic Shaggy in the flesh reveals the cringeworthy side of our childhood cartoons. In the case of Spike Spiegel in Cowboy Bebop, there are simply qualities that are incapable of emulation...because it’s not real, it’s a cartoon. The graceful, yet lackadaisical nature of Spike’s movement and poise is unnatural for the human body, but makes sense in the realm of anime. There is a thin line between copying this style too much (coming across as disingenuous) and ignoring the source material. In either case, you lose the essence of the character. Voice Acting is Vital to Live Action Cowboy Bebop Another factor in anime-to-live-action crossover is the voice. The only feature in anime that crosses the uncanny valley from the cartoon to the viewer is the disembodied human voices attributed to the characters we love. This means, that while creative liberty can be taken by John Cho in the case of playing Spike Spiegel, the voice of the character is inseparable from the voice of Steve Blum--the American voice actor who was also significantly the voice of “TOM”, the host of Cartoon Network’s Toonami which helped popularize anime in the US. Not that the original Japanese voice actor Kôichi Yamadera is less significant. However, because Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop is undeniably targeted at American audiences, Blum becomes the focus. Similar to the character’s style, Spike’s original voice can’t be copied too closely or loosely, which would oversaturate or disservice the character. This is a unique problem in anime in that you can’t just, “go get the same actor to come back and play the same character again, but older!,” like Harrison Ford reprising roles in Indiana Jones or Star Wars. Steve Blum looks nothing like Spike Spiegel, so that option is never on the table for Anime to live-action remakes. The actors in Netflix’s reboot will just have to do what they can. The Timeless Charm of Cowboy Bebop When it comes down to it, the best part about Cowboy Bebop was the music and the art. The Cowboy Bebop anime was assuredly ahead of its time. The experimental nature of the intro art and music working has helped it age gracefully, . The show married the Noberu Bagu Japanese New Wave style of films like Tokyo Drifter (1966) and the Pop Art movement of the 90’s. The expressive quality of Jazz juxtaposes the melancholy tones of the Blues in the musical mash-up throughout the show. These qualities masterfully mirror the characters and happenings in the narrative. keeping its relevance as a piece of art still today The key to a new adaptation isn’t to carbon copy the same artistic flavor from the anime. Where Netflix can succeed is in putting a modern twist on the formula to push the fold of what makes Cowboy Bebop… Cowboy Bebop. Even the term Bebop implies changing things up. away from the popular dance music of Swing in the 40’s. There are ways to honor what Cowboy Bebop did while continuing to iterate for a modern audience. Bebop pushed the boundaries of Jazz This trailer gives me hope that this will be the case. Cowboy Bebop Live-Action Cast Hopes and Fears Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed and Ein are iconic. So iconic, in fact, that these characters are often instantly recognizable from a silhouette. John Cho and company have a lot to live up to. The question becomes: what will the actors add to these characters...what will detract?? I like that they are making some changes to the casting, particularly with Shakir Mustafa as Jett. John Cho and Daniella Pineda also aren’t trying to be exactly like Spike and Faye. However, it remains to be seen whether the changes will be entertaining or if they will feel forced in their performances. Oh yeah...and there’s still the case of Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusky IV. You HAVE to nail Ed or it won’t work. Which is concerning because the trailers haven’t shown Ed, and the actor playing Ed has been kept tightly under wraps… Is this because they’re confident? Or should I be worried? Showrunner and reassured that regarding Ed, “People will be ... very delighted when they watch the season.” André Nemec was pressed recently in an interview For all of our sakes, I hope Nemec is right. Laissez-Faire Storytelling and Slice of Life The selling point of Cowboy Bebop wasn’t necessarily the story. It was the style, music, and tone. Ask any fan what the overall plot of Cowboy Bebop’s 26 episodes was, you probably won’t get a solid answer. Yet, get a conversation going around their favorite episode, and you’ll see them light up… like the one about VT the interstellar space trucker in episode 7 Heavy Metal Queen, or the year old mutated food Spike forgot in the fridge in Toys in the Attic that terrorizes the ship. What connects many of these episodes is that they are simply slices of life anthologies surrounding these eclectic bounty hunters. The narrative starts and ends in a clean 25 minutes. This strategy plays into the jazzy, bebop theme of the show. Every episode has a different pacing, tone, and feel to it. Some are light-hearted, some are introspective, and a few of the episodes get dark and downright creepy. They can do this because there is so much mystery involving the vague backstory of Spike, Vicious and Julia. This allows the audience to focus more on the day-to-day happenings of these characters, and to be drawn into their unspoken qualities. At the same time, having a mysterious villain like Vicious and the vague memory of Julia give the audience a sense of intrigue that something bigger is happening behind the scenes. This will be vital for Netflix’s live-action remake of Cowboy Bebop. They can’t get wrapped up in the story, to the detriment of its characters and overall vibe. If they follow this general episode structure, telling individual stories that introduce interesting side characters while fleshing out our familiar crew, they can avoid the cardinal sin of overexplaining the story to the point where it loses its identity. Final Thoughts on a Live-Action Cowboy Bebop There is so much to love about the original Cowboy Bebop series. It holds a special place in the hearts of many and has aged gracefully well into the 21st century as a vital piece of Anime history. It created harmony out of contrasting art forms, styles, and narrative philosophies in a way that convincingly proves to a wider audience that, yes, anime is true “art.” With this in mind, do we need this show to be live-action? With so many risks involved and the odds of a lukewarm reception historically being the best-case scenario for live-action anime, we have to ask who this remake is really for. I want to believe it’s for the fans and that this remake is intended to celebrate the qualities that made the show great in the first place. But there is a very cynical voice in the back of my mind that tells me this is just another attempt for Hollywood to leverage our nostalgia to make a buck. Which would be a shame. Because that pop-culture mindset is exactly counter to what made Cowboy Bebop the phenomena that it is.

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