Netflix altered how we watch TV and films, now it wants to change how they’re made
The US streaming giant, following its global expansion, is focused on creating original content that doesn’t follow entertainment industry conventions
A decade ago, the idea that one could sit in front of a computer or small portable device and watch anything they wanted without inserting a physical disc or downloading a file seemed crazy. Fast forward to today, and “streaming” is one of the main methods through which people consume media content.
In January, American company Netflix, the prominent film and TV streaming service, announced it would be available in 190 countries, which would add 30 million new users to its 44 million US subscribers. Using a monthly membership model (which averages about US$8 a month, typically with a month’s free trial), a Netflix user in London can often access the same show or film as someone in Hong Kong, Delhi, Paris, Barcelona, Tokyo. In the mood for a romantic comedy, a documentary, or a hard-core action flick? Nostalgic for an episode of Friends or The Gilmore Girls? It’s all there. No annoying ads. No delays. Stop and start whenever you want. If you enjoyed one series or film, a dozen more just like it are automatically suggested. Being entertained has never been so easy.
But Netflix – like some of its streaming competitors such as Amazon or Hulu – is no longer just about its existing library. Increasingly, it is teaming up with creative teams around the world to create content that is only available through its service. There are six original shows being produced in Japan at the moment, while Angelina Jolie is working an adaptation of the Cambodian-American activist Loung Ung’s memoir First They Killed My Father. This month, Netflix premieres Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, with Michelle Yeoh and Donnie Yen, and wraps up a second season of Marco Polo.
Experts agree that the old model of watching TV, described as “linear television”, where you watch shows at certain times of the week, determined by the content provider, is on the way out. Now that television consumers are aware of the possibilities, on-demand viewing is a far more attractive option.
“Consumer behaviour is shifting from broadcast TV to on-demand content – especially video streaming around the globe,” says Evaristo Doria, a faculty member at the Institute of International Business – J Mack Robinson College of Business, at Georgia State University,
“It is expected that online content will dominate the world’s internet traffic by 2019.”