Netflix remains mum on its ratings, instead basking in its flood of content
The biggest disrupter in the TV sphere is not the smartphone or YouTube. It’s Netflix, that $9-per-month streaming service that makes TV grids irrelevant, redefines how we think about “spoilers” and hands over control of timing to the consumer.
The speed of Netflix’s rise has been as remarkable as the quality of its output.
The company still refuses to disclose audience data, a sore point with critics. Really, absent any hard evidence, it’s difficult to buy into the claims of audience growth or the popularity of “Orange Is the New Black” and “House of Cards.” The buzz in the culture is one thing, yes. And the references to the political stylings of Francis Underwood are there. But it would be a relief to grapple with some hard numbers.
The stated mission of Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos in 2013, before the debut of “House of Cards,” sounded like hype: “The goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us,” he said.
Great line, but how could he accomplish that?
HBO has gone on to offer its own version of a streaming service, HBO Now. But Netflix has risen to become the biggest producer of original fare in the business. They’ve each matched the other. Talk about disruption. From a tentative start with two series in 2013, Netflix has grown to offer 16 scripted dramas and comedies, nine original documentaries, three documentary series, 12 comedy specials and 17 kids’ shows.
“In total, we’ll be releasing about 475 hours of original programming in the U.S. this year,” Sarandos told critics in Los Angeles recently.
And while HBO still has bragging rights to the biggest haul of 2015 Emmy nominations of any network, Netflix this year counts 34 Emmy nominations. (HBO has 126, of which “Game of Thrones” alone has 24.)
From the beginning in 2012 — recall “Lilyhammer”? — Netflix has built a stunning slate of original products, serving a range of tastes and demographics.
The experiment that was original series on the streaming service has been a success. For now, Netflix remains a relative bargain. According to one analysis, HBO costs nearly twice as much and is watched only half as much as Netflix.
The service has changed the way viewers think about awards as well as schedules. “House of Cards” was the first Netflix series to win a primetime Emmy, “having never aired on linear television in primetime or anytime,” Sarandos said. And binge-watching, whether that means multiple episodes or entire seasons, has become a national pastime.
“What, just two years ago, felt like a pretty radical move, releasing all episodes at once, is now becoming commonplace. Hashtag “Aquarius,” Sarandos joked, referring to the NBC attempt to launch all 13 episodes of that David Duchovny drama, Netflix-style.
Due next from Netflix are “Fuller House,” with the Olsen twins possibly doing guest spots; perhaps another season of “Arrested Development,” pending legal wrangling; and Marvel’s “Jessica Jones.” Not in the near future from Netflix: live sports.
Sarandos offered an explanation of the Netflix secret sauce, how it went from being a DVDby-mail company to a dominant network in record time: “Netflix was really a better mousetrap for marketing and merchandising than it was for content creation. And then, as time went along, we had a subscriber base big enough and working knowledge of what they liked to watch good enough, that we could then commission shows for ourselves.”
Owning the international rights is part of the plan, which is why “Lilyhammer,” a Norweigan co-production, won’t be picked up beyond its three seasons. It’s also about picking the right shows, and the right creative people, and then “getting out of the way,” Sarandos said.
The emphasis is on control, as well as exclusivity (content only available on Netflix, unlike Hulu’s rich deal for “Seinfeld” reruns) and “personalization” (not just studying the subscriber’s viewing habits and recommending what they’ll like next, but figuring out which mobile device and what length clip a user prefers).
They offer consumers control, and they maintain tight control on their end.
Whatever the secret, it seems to be working.
Now if we could just get the numbers to confirm that.