20 April, 2016 - 07:01
Netflix flexed its original programming muscle at a press event in Paris last week, bringing stars like Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Spacey and Ricky Gervais on stage to talk up its programming for the next few months. The company will spend around US$5bn on content in 2016 and plans to launch 600 hours of original programming during the course of the year. by Lance Harris
As it positions itself to compete with the premium cable channels in the US and to conquer the international market, Netflix's approach to TV programming is changing what sort of shows get made as well as how the content is structured. CEO Reed Hastings said that the goal is to return content to the original binge experience - reading a novel. Like a book, a show on Netflix should be able to go with you to the beach, your living room, or on an aeroplane.
Netflix has come a long way in a short time, focusing much of its original content on the long tail of television fans rather than on mass viewership. Though Netflix hasn't yet produced a show with quite the prestige of, say, FX's Fargo, AMC's Breaking Bad, or HBO's True Detective and The Wire, productions like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards have become pop culture staples.
Less interesting than the quality of the shows is the impact the shift to Internet TV has on how television is packaged and consumed. The fact that shows are streamed on demand means that writers, directors and producers have more flexibility than broadcast TV allows them. With House of Cards, for example, Netflix ordered two series from Spacey and his collaborators David Fincher and Beau Willimon without first commissioning a pilot.
The new watercooler moment
We pitched the idea to all the networks. Every network thought it was an interesting idea and every network was engaged but every network insisted we do a pilot except one, said Spacey. Netflix gave us as creators a really long runway to tell the complex story we wanted to tell. And even more radically, Netflix released the entire series at once for binge-viewing. The watercooler moment is the entire series, Spacey said.
kevin-spacey-280
Kevin Spacey takes creative control
Suddenly, shows don't to be written with contrived cliff-hangers to bring you back next week in prime advertising time to find out what happens next. There are no recaps in case you missed last week's episode. And if an episode is 10 minutes longer or five minutes shorter than usual, it doesn't matter because there aren't advertisements or a programming grid dictating the length of the show. Shows also need to be deeper and more re-watchable, because they'll live on the online platform for a long time.
For Netflix, the question isn't whether you'll watch House of Cards or Daredevil during primetime, but whether you like the show enough to buy a subscription. It's about having something in the line-up for everyone, rather than one or two things everyone will like. They are servicing consumers rather than advertisers, said Kutcher during a panel discussion. They're not just putting [a show] in a slot and crossing their fingers.
Netflix doesn't disclose viewership numbers for its shows, a choice it says protects the integrity of its content and spares content creators from anxiety. Benchmarking shows against each other by the number of people who watch them is a horse race that deteriorates the quality of programming, said Ted Sarandos, Netflix's chief content officer. Without advertising sales, shows don't need to resort to excess and sensationalism to drive spikes in viewership.
Niche audiences
In addition to the crowd-pleasing hits, most which have a slightly soapy scent or a faint reek of TV movie of the week, Netflix is investing large amounts of money in shows that are fairly niche. It picks up series orphaned by mainstream TV networks - the zany Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and revives old favourites with cult followings like Arrested Development and the Gilmore Girls.
Netflix also doesn't shy away from difficult or esoteric content - it shops for content at festivals like the US indie showcase, Sundance, and put its full backing behind Beasts of No Nation, a child soldier drama that had a strong showing at most of the global awards. Later this year, it will stream the cheery sounding Khmer Rouge true-life drama, First They Killed My Father, directed by Angelina Jolie.
Behind the scenes, it's the growing global subscriber base and the focus on data and personalisation that makes it financially feasible for Netflix to invest in content that has a relatively narrow appeal. Its algorithms try to match viewers with content they'll like - each subscriber sees a different profile gate suggesting content he or she might enjoy. Eventually, it hopes that you won't see any recommendations that don't match your tastes.
ashton-kutcher-280
Ashton Kutcher says Netflix services consumers, not advertisers
These suggestions often target micro-genres such as political dramas set in Washington, DC or films with a strong female lead. There's a human side to the big data - Netflix employs around 30 part-time taggers around the world to break films down by their genre, lead actors, setting, tone and other elements so that they can be categorised into highly specific subgenres.
Ricky Gervais, whose feature, Special Correspondents, debuts on Netflix on 29 April, said that the company's rise signals the return of the auteur and the end of content-by-committee. The comedian said Netflix's reach into a global audience of 75m subscribers allows him to get a large audience, but with no compromise to his content.
A lot of comedies now are gross-out, lowest common denominator, and that's because [film studios] want to everyone to go to
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
15/07/2025
Independent media outlets in Brazil and Colombia are invited to apply for a new programme aimed at strengthening the long-term resilience of journalism in the f...
15/07/2025
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival...
15/07/2025
Spotify une fuerzas con DiDi, la app l der en servicios de movilidad, delivery y...
15/07/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
15/07/2025
L3Harris put its CORVUS-RAVEN counter-small UAS capability into the hands of soldiers at VANAHEIM, showcasing its ability to provide passive signal detect, enha...
15/07/2025
Netflix Viewing Up 13.5% vs. May, Represents 42% of Monthly Gain for Streaming
...
15/07/2025
SAN FRANCISCO and BENGALARU, India Sangeeta Chakraborty has been named chief revenue officer at Amagi, a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology pro...
15/07/2025
As part of its mandate, the Advanced Television Systems Committee the U.S. organization tasked with developing advanced broadcast TV standards promotes ATSC 3.0...
15/07/2025
QuickLink, the leading global provider of multi-camera video productions and remote contributions, announces the launch of two innovative control panels Studi...
15/07/2025
Chris Kontopanos has joined leading high-quality microphone solutions manufacturer, DPA Microphones, as the company's new Regional Sales Manager for the Mid...
15/07/2025
Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-powered video automation, has launched a major platform upgrade built to simplify live and archival video editing f...
15/07/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will preview its latest innovations at IBC2025, Stand 7.B21. This year's showcase highlights how...
15/07/2025
IBC2025 is set to transform the onsite experience for its global attendees with the launch of a pioneering new feature: full integration of Amsterdam's GVB ...
15/07/2025
Music, sport and technology collided in spectacular fashion as ASB GlassFloor powered the debut of Beats N Buckets, Germany's first Basketball meets Hip-Ho...
15/07/2025
The Collectv, the Emmy award-winning broadcast solutions and workflows consultancy - and winner of Broadcast Tech's Team of the Year is delighted to announc...
15/07/2025
SipRadius, the expert in secure, low latency media transport, will showcase how broadcasters and media companies can take control of fragmented IP workflows at ...
15/07/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, today announced its strategic partnership with beIN ASIA PACIFIC, a leading multi-platform sports media...
15/07/2025
Company marks 15 years of innovation at the show
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and monetization at scale, will return to IBC (Hall 1, Stand F83. RAI, Amster...
15/07/2025
New software solutions extend trusted timing measurement across broadcast, venue, and professional AV applications
Hitomi Broadcast, the market leader in audi...
15/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
15/07/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron said its Chyron LIVE cloud-native live production solution has successfully completed the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Foundational Technical...
15/07/2025
PHILADELPHIA The Xumo streaming platform joint venture between Comcast and Charter has announced the nationwide launch of a new line of Xumo TVs from Westinghou...
15/07/2025
LONGMONT, Colo. DPA Microphones said Chris Kontopanos has joined the microphone solutions provider as its new regional sales manager, Mid-Atlantic....
15/07/2025
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNIT...
15/07/2025
Audiences and ad dollars are moving to streaming - media organizations are evolving to meet them there....
15/07/2025
U&GOLD has acquired the broadcast rights for Fawlty Towers: The Play (1x120'). Recorded during the show's run at the West End with its original cast, Fa...
15/07/2025
Live From MLB All-Star 2025: FOX Sports Aims To Capture Chatty Players on the Fi...
15/07/2025
Live From MLB All-Star 2025: From Live Event Coverage to Studio Shows, MLB Netwo...
15/07/2025
Live From MLB All-Star 2025: FOX Sports' Francisco Contreras and Tom Lynch o...
15/07/2025
Live From MLB All-Star: FOX Sports' Production Is Bigger Than Ever in Steamy...
15/07/2025
Live From MLB All-Star: FOX Sports Director Matt Gangl and Producer Pete Machesk...
15/07/2025
TV SIM builds for the future with high efficiency transmitter from Rohde & Schwa...
15/07/2025
News Corp Authorizes New $1 Billion Stock Repurchase Program and Intends to Acce...
15/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Announces the Start of Production of Los secretos de l...
15/07/2025
Harmonic's Hybrid, AI-Powered and Live Sports Streaming Innovations are Key ...
15/07/2025
The well-known and well-loved 4099 has been completely revamped. It features amazing CORE+ technology, which eliminates distortion and extends dynamic range, a ...
15/07/2025
Comscore Partners with HyphaMetrics to Launch Advanced Person-Level Audience Mea...
15/07/2025
Peak audiences of over half a million tune into both Kerry v Tyrone and Donegal ...
15/07/2025
PROTON Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025 posted: 15/07/2025
Proton Announces Production Facility Expansion Ahead of IBC2025
Alongs...
15/07/2025
Submissions for NVIDIA's Plug and Play: Project G-Assist Plug-In Hackathon a...
14/07/2025
The Royal Moroccan Air Force hosted a C-130 award ceremony with L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert a...
14/07/2025
UK launch set for September, following on from recent US and Germany releases
London - UK, July 14, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, da...
14/07/2025
SHENZHEN, China Telycam has added control options for its portfolio of pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras with a new plug-in for Elgato's Stream Deck family of con...
14/07/2025
The awards are open to IBC2025 show exhibitors and offer a valuable platform for companies to raise awareness for the new products and solutions they will be la...
14/07/2025
Clear-Com is excited to announce a significant expansion of the award-winning Arcadia Central Station with new software updates. Together, these releases dram...
20 April, 2016 - 07:01 
