BRotD - Entry 0259 The TV Bundle

Best Reading of the Day

One of the more interesting ongoing stories in the Age of the Customer is the ongoing revolution in "Television".

Can we call it TV if we watch a streaming video on our phone?

Anyway ...

This great read tell the history, the current situation, and where we are headed.  Well worth your time.

https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/2/18518666/bundle-tv-hbo-disney-netflix-apple-amazon-war

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Now you have more TV than you could possibly watch, for less than $50 a month, and we haven’t even gotten to the free stuff yet. The only people who will feel truly left out here — besides people who work in the Television Industrial Complex — are the ones who want to watch live major league sports or live news from traditional TV networks.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Comcast Teams with NBC to Battle Netflix

The online streaming wars are heating up.

Read more:

http://adage.com/article/media/comcast-plan-online-rival-netflix-nbc-shows/308616/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Comcast Corp. plans to introduce an online video service offering hit shows from its NBC Universal TV networks in the next 12 to 18 months, an effort to compete with rivals Netflix and CBS Corp., according to people familiar with the matter.

The new service will include programs from the NBC broadcast network, and could include shows from Comcast cable channels Bravo, Syfy and USA...

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Netflix is the Master of Streaming

... for now.

I have a Netflix account and enjoy some of the original content.  Especially 'Stranger Things'.

What about you?

http://fortune.com/2017/03/10/netflix-video-streaming-market/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

There's no question that Netflix is currently the king of the over-the-top streaming-video providers, with a service that reaches more than 80 million users in over 200 countries, and hit shows that drive millions of those users to "binge-watch" entire seasons in a matter of days.

All this has put Netflix in an enviable spot...

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

The Subscription Economy

Interesting read on the shift to steady revenue streams vs. one-time transactional revenue streams. Do you have a Netflix account?  Yeap.  Bet you used to rent from Blockbuster one movie at a time didn't you?

http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/subscription-economy-change-price-pay/307966/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Should a customer in New York pay a higher price than someone from Ohio for the same service? And should a doctor in Ohio pay a higher price than a New York taxi driver? Should a Mac user be steered to a pricier hotel when shopping online? Hint: It's already happening.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

BRotD - Entry 0218 Netflix Redesign

Best Reading of the Day

I've been sitting on this one for a few days since finding it over the weekend.  It is a great read though. Which digital video streaming service do you currently use?  Hulu?  Amazon?  Netflix?  HBO? YouTube?

Here is a great read on Netflix.

What do you do if you design a system that is used by 10 people?  Chat with them and see how it works, maybe make some minor adjustments, and plan on the next big update to help them out.  What about if you have 10 million people using that system, or many more like say 62 million?

That becomes a pretty big challenge right?  Sure is.  Read more here.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/22/8642359/the-science-behind-the-new-netflix-design

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Back in March, a developer named Renan Cakirerk wrote a small piece of code that made a big impact on Netflix. Cheekily named "god mode," it addressed one of the most annoying aspects of trying to use Netflix in your browser: scrolling through the company's ever-growing list of movies. Once enabled, it would simply give you one, big list. Instead of sitting there, holding your mouse in anticipation, you could simply find the title you wanted and get on with watching.

The web lit up with stories hailing it as a crowning achievement of little-guy ingenuity. TechCrunch called it a fix for a "wonderful problem." CNET dutifully noted that it "saves you from the slow monotonous horizontal scrolling." Mashable, meanwhile asked, "Are you listening, Netflix?"

Inside Netflix, though, god mode was old news. In fact, the company had already tried it out on thousands of unsuspecting users years earlier. And it was a total disaster.

Good stuff.  I like the A/B testing at play there.  Release it to a scientifically controlled sample size with a control group and analyze the results.  Is the impact significant?  If so, in what way?  Does it "help" or "hurt" the user experience?

I'm a user of Netflix after coming back in to the fold recently.  I hadn't used them for years since I previously received DVDs through the postal service.  I like the digital service and am blown away by the 4K presentation of shows like 'House of Cards' on my fancy new LG set.  Good stuff and a fun company to follow.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

TV is Dead, Long Live TV

The drumbeat towards internet TV appears to be accelerating this year.  We've seen news of Verizon offering a new bundle and ESPN suing Verizon for that move.  Now we get news on HULU with a huge signing.  TV as we know it is dying rapidly but its new form is taking a clear shape as well.

First up is a great piece on Bloomberg.com about the ESPN news:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-28/the-math-behind-espn-s-fear-of-verizon-s-skinny-bundles

Here is a snippet from that piece:

ESPN filed suit against Verizon Communications on Monday over the pay TV carrier's attempt to cut down the size of cable bundles. Verizon is offering its FiOS customers a "Custom TV" option with a $55 base package of channels that allows a choice of two small bundles from a menu of seven. ESPN and ESPN2 are lumped with 10 additional networks in a sports channel pack next to alternative packs for viewers who prefer pop culture or children's programming. The Disney-owned network says this breaks the terms of its contracts with Verizon. The carrier says it's giving the people what they want.

Next is the HULU news, signing the Seinfeld show exclusively:

http://adage.com/article/media/hulu-drop-hulu-brand-picks-seinfeld/298305/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Hulu's marquee content acquisition is "Seinfeld." The complete series will debut on Hulu in June, said Hulu's senior VP of content Craig Erwich, who added that "only Hulu will be streaming all nine seasons." Then Jerry Seinfeld took the stage and answered a few questions from the audience, like what would "Seinfeld" be like if it were made today.

Happy Viewing,

J.W. Gant

PS That AdAge article doesn't contain details on the deal.  $180M for the rights to Seinfeld.  Yeap.  Here is an article that covers that:
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/hulu-seinfeld-licensing-180-million-1201483537/