Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Thursday, January 11th, 2024

If I ran Netflix...

Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Thursday, January 11th, 2024.

THE ANSWER TO A READER'S QUESTION
I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the range of industry people who read "TooMuchTV." There are multiple subscribers working at what seems to be every streamer, network and production company. Lots of folks at all levels of the creative side, below-the-line workers and every imaginable category in the industry.

What I like best about that is it gives me additional access to other opinions. I love learning new stuff and thankfully, many of you haven't been shy about sending me your feedback, questions and complaints.

Recently, I've been trading emails with a high-placed international executive at Netflix. We've talked off-the-record about the streaming business and specifically about Netflix's efforts.

But they just asked me a question that really gave me pause. The essence of the question was "Okay, smart guy. If you were consulting with Netflix and could recommend we do one thing, what would it be?"

Now a wiser man probably would have said, "Hey, you work for Netflix. Why don't you pay me a consulting fee and I'll tell you?" But as my bank account will attest, I frequently make decisions that aren't in my best financial interest. So after a bit of thought, this is what I answered. And I've been given permission to share it.

The trick in any business is to look at your strengths in the market and try and leverage those to both make money and grind away at your competitors. The challenge in the streaming industry is that it's often more of an incremental win business.

Netflix's advantages are that it's large and I think most observers would say they are currently the industry leader. Their size allows them to help dictate what the streaming business will look like in the future. And if they can come up with the right idea, the ability to impose it on its competitors.

Netflix is also facing a natural high water mark in mature markets. At some point, growth slows because you start to run out of easy-to-convince potential subscribers. Offering a cheaper, ad-supported tier helps, but at the end of the day, any company in that situation ends up devoting more effort to persuading the reluctant, low-value potential subscribers. That increases churn and customer acquisition costs. 

Netflix - more than any of its rivals - is also playing an international game. And a lot of those markets are filled with mobile-first customers who can't or won't pay much for the service. 

So given all of these parameters, what do you do? You can shift spending to try and fill regional holes in original content, but that only goes so far. But I have an idea.

Content discovery is arguably the biggest challenge in the streaming video industry. One of the biggest complaints from streaming subscribers is that they can't figure out where something is streaming.

But there are options, most notably JustWatch, which provides listings info and streaming recommendations, watch lists and curated viewing suggestions.

The challenge with JustWatch is that because it's not integrated directly with any of the major streaming services - although it does offer deep links into the streamer's pages - there is a limit to how useful it is going to be. They struggle to have the type of reach necessary to make it the leader and default content search tool for most streaming video subscribers.

If I were Netflix, I would acquire JustWatch or a similar service. Use Netflix's global presence to promote the new Netflix JustWatch mobile and smart TV app. Resist the temptation to promote Netflix's content over rivals, because users will sniff that marketing ploy out in a second. 

Instead, focus on making the app the default choice for viewers trying to decide what to watch. Sure, rivals will fuss about the idea and will be concerned they're giving up control of their business on some level. But all Netflix would be doing is proving the same service as the old-school TV Guide. Granted, it's as if that magazine had been named NBC's TV Guide. But if it's big enough, the ability to drive viewers will eventually persuade the critics.

This idea scales globally and while services such as JustWatch have done fairly well in the industry's mature markets, the landscape is much more wide-open in other regions. And those also happen to be regions in which the potential subscriber base is mobile-only.

Now, a separate app might not seem like much of a help with subscriber acquisition or churn at Netflix. Unless you make the app ad-free with a Netflix subscription. And Netflix subscribers would also have access to a version of the Netflix app that integrated the JustWatch data directly into Netflix. Making the app more of a first stop for streaming video subscribers.

Looking forward, there are all sorts of ways to grow the idea. Adding social tools. Remember that temporary addition of selected AMC titles on Max? Imagine being able to offer AMC the ability to offer potential subscribers the chance to watch selected episodes or seasons for free. But only through the JustWatch app. Viewers will then be offered a discounted subscription deal, with AMC handling the billing. At least initially.

The goal is to make Netflix and its JustWatch-style app the default for a growing number of TV fans, whether or not they are a Netflix subscriber. What's on TV? Better check Netflix.

I'm curious to hear what all of you think of this idea. Is it an idea that you think is useful? What are the downsides and pitfalls? I'll share some of your feedback in tomorrow's newsletter.

WHAT'S NEW TONIGHT AND TOMORROW

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11TH, 2024:
* Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix)
* Delusional Monthly Magazine Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* Detective Forst Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Gordon Ramsay's Road Trip: Spanish Vacation (Fox)
* Killer Soup Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Press Your Luck Season Premiere (ABC)
* SkyMed Season Two Premiere (Paramount+)
* Sonic Prime Season Three Premiere (Netflix)
* Southern Charm Season Nine Reunion (Bravo)
* Taking The Stand Season Premiere (A&E)
* Ted Series Premiere (Peacock)
* The Witch & The Beast Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* The Wrong Life Coach (LMN)
* This Is Not Financial Advice (Fuse)
* Undercover: Caught On Tape Season Premiere (A&E)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12TH, 2024:
* Destroy All Monsters (Shudder)
* For All Mankind Season Four Finale (Apple TV+)
* Lift (Netflix)
* Love Is Blind: Sweden Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Role Play (Prime Video)
* Self-Reliance (Hulu)
* The Traitors Season Two Premiere (Peacock)
* The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash Series Premiere (Crunchyroll)
* True Justice: Family Ties (Hallmark Movies And Mysteries)
* Uninterrupted's Top Class: The Life And Times Of The Sierra Canyon Trailblazers (Freevee)

SEE YOU FRIDAY!