Have you ever wondered why you pay hundreds of dollars per month for cable? For $11 a month, you could choose any show or movie from a massive, commercial free catalog, that you could watch any time you want on any internet connected device. Over $2 billion dollars is spent on streaming services such as Netflix every month.
Many people have begun cutting the cord in favor of an over the top streaming service, or OTT. OTTs are companies who distribute streaming media to consumers as a standalone product directly over the internet. Studies show that the younger the consumer is, the more likely it is that they stream media directly over the internet. 61% of Americans aged 18-29 say that most of their television consumption is through streaming services. Another notable reason for cutting the cord in favor of a streaming subscription is because of Netflix originals. According to a survey done by Deliotte, 54% of streaming video subscribers said that they had subscribed to watch original content that couldn’t be accessed anywhere else. This content is great for creating social currency. Once people begin talking about a show that may be a “Netflix Original”, those who aren’t subscribers may sign up in order to be able to join the conversation.
The term “A Netflix Original Series” varies in different ways. There are actual originals, which are shows created and driven by Netflix. These include series like House of Cards and Daredevil. There are also continuums, meaning Netflix picked shows that were already on cable TV and made additional seasons of that show. These series include Arrested Development and The Killing. Lastly there are exclusive shows which mean Netflix is the sole distributor within the United States, such as The Fall. In essence, if it is titled as Original, Netflix paid an abundance of money so that their viewers can only watch it using their provider (Petrakovits).
Cindy Holland is Netflix’s head of original content. Holland oversees 16 employees and a large portion of Netflix’s $3 billion programming budget. Holland is in charge of building the company’s original series business. A project which began in 2011 with a $100 million, 26-episode trial of the series, House of Cards (Weisman). When deciding which original content Netflix should publish on their provider, Holland looks at whether or not it is a well thought out idea and whether their creative team could implement the highest quality version of this idea (Ma). Holland said that data only plays an important role when it comes to contracting a new series: “We ask if there’s a sizeable enough audience to support the economics of the idea”. Once Holland’s team aids Netflix in choosing and purchasing a show, there is “a balancing act” trying to help guide production while allowing a sufficient amount of creative freedom (Weisman).
Any film can be good, but when the concept of selling it comes in play, is when it can get difficult. All movies and TV shows are created in order to send a particular message to the given audience. It is important that filmmakers do an appropriate job in sending the message to a specific group. This is when film “genre” meets “demographics.” These tend to help filmmakers determine the size and identity of who they wish their film to target. Similarly, the concept “audience profiling” deals with demographics and psychographics and is a method used by businesses that help narrow their audience into one specific group.
In total, it has been statistically proven that the Latino community are those most likely to go to a theater to see a movie, compared to the increasing population who prefer to stay at home and stream it (mostly commonly seen in the Asian population). Additionally, research has been done to study the types of film the common public tend to enjoy watching. The most noted genre of film: comedy, has proven itself most popular among general audiences, especially female parents under the age of 35. The next most popular genre is “adventure.” This particular film category is typically viewed by males above the age of 35. Lastly, research also proves the different preferences among older v. younger people when it comes to cable or streaming. Without doubt it makes sense that younger couples tend to stream shows and movies while it is easier and more comfortable for older people to watch through cable or satellite
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