Not Everyone Likes the Same Video Content and Tastes Change

Not Everyone Likes the Same Video Content and Tastes Change

Andy Marken March 13, 2024

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Hero image source - Dream Scenario, A24

Maybe you should take a minute and think before you do anything drastic. - Janet Matthews, Dream Scenario, A24, 2023

When Netflix first decided to release viewership data, we thought they were being really ambiguous.

After all, who cares about how many two-minute chunks of a show you watched or, for that matter, that a whole bunch of their global subscribes watched 20-30M minutes of a new movie/show release?

When we finally make our view now decision - usually based on their algorithm's recommendation that are based on past viewing - we stick with the show/movie till the end unless it's a really sucky piece of content.

Heck, they didn't have to let us know at all since they weren't pedaling ads so, the only reason to tell others if the project was liked was to attract more subscribers (was to say folks watched a gazillion minutes rather than 10+ M viewers).

Then the lightbulb lit.

They were giving us a real insight into the beauty and value of digital streaming content that was never possible with old-fashioned linear shows.

Back then, studios/networks (and advertisers) could get an idea of gross numbers but didn't know - could probably care less - if folks actually really stuck with the video story.

But with ultra-detailed viewership data (and powerful analytics) they could learn so much more. They could not only determine what genre (horror, documentary, action, sci-fi, fantasy, anime or ) appealed most to their subscribers but also what actors, directors, storylines and plot twists/turns kept viewers viewing.

The more they learned, the more they could work with their show/movie partners to create not just better creative pieces but also stuff that more folks actually wanted to see and stuff they wanted to recommend/brag about to friends and people at work.

Source - NBC

Yes, we know, everyone in the creative content industry has a pet video story she/he wants to produce, be in/be a part of but they also want to do more than bring the project to life; they want people to like it really like it.

The entire conceptualization, creation, production process is the difficult part of the video content industry.

Sure, there are ample doses of timing and luck, but that's more a leap of faith than talent because all of the work has been done.

Source - Giffy

Well, that's not exactly true because after the film/show is done, the real work begins convincing folks to put their seat in a theater seat or catch it on the studios/streamers streaming service.

Oh sure, Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-boss, has been widely quoted as saying, Driving folks to a theater is not our business, which really rubbed theater owners and the folks at AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) the wrong way - actually, it really P****d them off.

However, he was also savvy enough to know that showing a project in some theaters for a period of time was also good marketing to attract more subscribers.

And if they were nominated for a statue and just happened to win one, even better.

The Academy doesn't want to admit that even though 2023 was a good year for theater attendance, the number of folks going to the movies has dropped steadily since 2012; and if it weren't for pumping up the cost of tickets and their popcorn/junk food, theater chains would be underwater.

Volume Down But The total number of people going to the movie theater has decreased steadily but theaters have continued to make a modest profit by increasing ticket and concession costs.

Gower Street theater analysts said that Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Oppenheimer pushed the global box office to $33.9B, up 31 percent from 2022 but still well below the good ol days.

WBD's David Zaslav and Disney's Bob Iger know that except for budget busters like those mentioned above, their future profits will be with streaming and theatrical windows will be used to recover as much of their investments as possible while whetting the appetites for streaming viewers.

But Netflix, along with Amazon and Apple, also realizes that putting the very best they produce in movie theaters around the world for an exclusive period of time is also a smart marketing investment.

Netflix will invest about $17B this year to create content for their 230M plus subscribers and some of them, like Oscar winners All Quiet on the Western Front and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, will appear in theaters to encourage folks to sign up to see them. The other films/shows will be added to their library.

Source - Parrot Analytics

Global Content - Consumer interest in films/shows that were created by crews in other countries are finding a welcoming audience in the US when they are in the right genre categories.

Staying focused on their global markets is probably why Netflix, Amazon and Apple have produced solid demand with their subscribers.

The three are also less intent on delivering a huge box office hit - nice, but not necessary - since they put into practice what Stephen Follows, noted film industry researcher, has emphasized for years the film industry is ruled by many losses and a few big hits.

Source - StephenFollows

Streaming Lift - Movies have a tough time making a profit for studios - the majority lose money but fortunately, the creators now have other avenues to get their content in front of a paying audience.

In fact, Follows research showed that over half of the film releases don't even make enough money to cover their marketing costs - 78 percent made a profit equal to or less than their budget.

Okay, don't worry; producers, directors, actors, crew and post-production folks get paid, and the movie house takes 50 percent (on avera

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