Julia Alexander, a streaming wars expert, joins Matt Belloni to discuss the most strategic streaming moves in 2023. They talk about Netflix's dominance, Disney's strategy, upfront payments in streaming, and changes at the Oscars.
Netflix attracts and retains subscribers by bringing popular shows like 'Suits' to their platform, decreasing churn rate and increasing global content investment.
Amazon demonstrates their ability to insert themselves into high-profile events by streaming an NFL game on Black Friday, setting the stage for future plans in bridging the gap between advertisement and streaming.
Deep dives
Netflix Takes Power Moves in the Streaming Wars
Netflix is making power moves in the streaming wars, taking old shows like 'Suits' and turning them into major hits. By bringing popular shows like 'Suits' to their platform, Netflix is attracting a wide audience and retaining subscribers. This strategy allows them to decrease churn rate, increase prices, and invest in content globally. The success of 'Suits' on Netflix also sets a precedent for licensing agreements with other networks, where Netflix gets a discount on content while boosting the value of older shows.
Amazon Makes a Power Move with Black Friday NFL Game
Amazon's power move of the year is their acquisition and streaming of an NFL game on Black Friday. Despite a seemingly low viewership of around 10 million people, the strategic move demonstrates Amazon's ability to insert themselves into high-profile events and promote their ecosystem. Additionally, the integration of live streaming events with exclusive deals creates a sense of urgency and an increased likelihood of conversions. This power move sets the stage for Amazon's future plans in bridging the gap between advertisement and streaming.
Disney Leverages Broadcasting with Streaming
Disney's power move in streaming is recognizing the value of cross-promotion between their broadcasting platform, ABC, and their streaming services. By airing shows like 'Only Murders in the Building' on ABC, Disney maximizes exposure for their streaming content and potentially converts broadcast viewers into streaming subscribers. This strategic move acknowledges the different audiences of linear TV and streaming while using the broadcasting platform as a marketing tool. Disney aims to leverage their entire content catalog and create seamless experiences for their audience.
Streaming Sports on the Rise
Sports streaming makes a power move with platforms like HBO Max airing live NBA and MLB games. Pluto TV also gains attention by streaming a messy MLS game. Netflix follows suit by experimenting with their first live sporting event, building anticipation for more live sports content in the future. These power moves in the sports streaming segment aim to capture the younger audience and provide easy access to sports content, ultimately expanding viewership and engagement.
Matt is joined by Julia Alexander—the director of strategy at Parrot Analytics and a streaming wars expert—to discuss the year's most strategic and powerful moves made by streamers to try to gain an advantage over their rivals, and which worked the best. Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the 2024 Oscars.
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