IS NETFLIX THE NEW BLACK..? By Diane Gordon - Studio System News As Friday’s premiere of the new Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, Netflix is on our mind: the pros, the cons and questions that come to mind about their business model. While the service does not release ratings information, we know they monitor user ratings vigilantly and Ted Sarandos, the company’s chief content officer, has stated in past interviews that they believe they can service a lot of specific tastes. So far, Netflix has offered up political thriller House of Cards, the Eli Roth-branded horror drama Hemlock Grove and resurrected the cult comedy favorite Arrested Development. With Orange Is the New Black, Jenji Kohan (creator of Weeds) returns to TV with a drama set in a women’s prison. But, as Netflix ramps up its original content, questions about its strategy in the long run abound. Let’s consider a few of these in a game of devil’s advocate. How many brilliant shows can Netflix sustain? Just as in television, not every Netflix show will prove a hit. Netflix bolted out of the original series gate very strong with big stars in front of and behind the cameras for House of Cards, which made the buzz surrounding the show logical and deserved. Arrested Development had an established fan base going in so there were guaranteed viewers for it. Hemlock Grove had less buzz but horror fans love anything Eli Roth touches so that helped bump up the show’s profile. We’ve noticed less chatter about Orange Is the New Black, but after watching the first three episodes, we think that will change as the show is about something we haven’t seen much of on TV: what happens when an upper middle-class white woman has to do time. Has Netflix created more pressure for viewers to binge-watch series? The viewer is king, and there’s no reason to burn through an entire show in one sitting, especially if you truly want to enjoy a show. We also concur with viewers who realize shows like Arrested Development pack a lot into each episode, so it’s best to parse them out slowly and savor the funny. Does Netflix weaken viewer anticipation by releasing a season’s worth of episodes at once? Does it kill fans’ ability to discuss a series on social media because everyone doesn’t watch at the same time? There’s been a shift in the water cooler effect for some time now. That shift is directly related to the ongoing fear of spoilers. That is, how long should one have to wait before discussing or revealing ashow’s story details on social media platforms? There are two schools of thought: avoid social media until you watch the show in question or get used to the fact that you’ll encounter spoilers before you watch because all bets are off when it comes to exercising restraint in online discussions. Our tip: Avoiding Twitter is key to avoiding immediate spoilers. Has Netflix reached the point of oversaturation? Not yet. The service is offering a diverse mix of shows, which is key to creating more interest in the service. We hope to see more original comedy orders. How much creative freedom does Netflix really give showrunners? Jenji Kohan commented in a recent press call, “Netflix has balls,” She stated that, once they bought the show, they were committed to it and she wrote the show the way she wanted to write it. Netflix is a business as much as any other outlet, so we know it’s not Christmas everyday where they just hand showrunners a wad of cash and say, “go crazy.” What we admire is that Netflix puts its money where its mouth is: They get into business with creatives who have vision, talent and original voices and then trust that talent to deliver what they paid for. It’s a smart work ethic. Please note that FX has been doing this for some time now, resulting in an impressive winning streak of shows for that cable network. We like the unpredictability of Netflix. We’re not sure where they’ll go next, but for the bargain price of $7.99 a month, we’re happy to expand our TV universe.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 20:05:15 +0000
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