Jay Parini: How did you know, was it just like a random feature? Oh, let's make a cue because what if they have more than they want to rent more than we can give? Let's just put the rest of the key. Was it just by accident? And how did you realize that that was a key feature? You know, the fortunate thing about devising those features was that everybody, like 80 plus percent of people were videos for renters. So they thought of this cue.
Mitch Lowe has been a significant disruptor of Hollywood's distribution models over the past two decades, promoting all-you-can-eat subscription models on personal devices and at the box office. Netflix famously redefined consumer video distribution while Movie Pass infamously imploded in 2019. Today, Mitch speaks openly with James about why his companies ended up on their trajectories while describing the analytics that factor into their business plans.
For a deeper dive into the dramatic evolution of the entertainment business, read or listen to Mitch's new memoir: Watch and Learn: How I Turned Hollywood Upside Down with Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass―Lessons in Disruption
Other topics include:
- How Netflix's DVD queue saved the company (11:12)
- The genius of Netflix's auto-play feature (12:46)
- Content business models: ad sales vs. subscription (14:29)
- What led to Movie Pass' downfall? (17:46)
- Movie studios' stranglehold on movie theater pricing models (21:52)
- How Movie Pass used 'the float' in its business operations (29:22)
- The cost of acquiring digital distribution film rights (33:44)
- When does streaming become a commodity? (38:01)
- What will Netflix do to overcome the commoditization of the streaming market? (39:47)
- TikTok's algorithm vs streaming services (52:26)
(Editor’s note: Topic times don’t account for sponsor ads and may appear a few minutes later in the episode on your podcast player)
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