On Netflix a mix of games and series to look for new forms of interaction

Netflix continues to grow: in the second quarter of 2021, subscribers globally increased by more than 1.5 million, including two thirds in Asia, surpassing the previous quarter’s target of 1 million. 209 million people in the world are registered on the streaming platform, but the first signs of market saturation are beginning to be seen: in recent months Netflix has lost 400 thousand subscribers in the United States and Canada. It is time to expand the offer, to attract new subscribers and retain old subscribers with some news, reducing the dropout rate. This is the purpose of the introduction, announced in these days, of video games to the platform, at no additional cost for users. But the benefits would not be limited to the hunt for subscriptions. Netflix is ​​known for its algorithm capable of analyzing the tastes of viewers, proposing shows and films in line with previous visions. Users can also rate the content viewed in order to refine the proposal. But Netflix is ​​also an original content producer. And the data on the choice of scripts, actors and topics always come from there: from the detailed and precise analysis of the tastes of the viewer. So much so that recently Barry Diller, former chairman of Paramount and 20th Century Fox, commented, dismissively: “These streaming services are doing something they call movies, but they’re not. They are rather strange algorithmic processes that give life to “things” that last around 100 minutes “. However, this doesn’t stop the content generated based on the data accumulated by the platform from having some success – the addition of the games is just another piece of this cross-referencing puzzle. Netflix COO Greg Peters explained this week in the press conference presenting the second quarter results, that “video games have a feature of intentionality that can help the company learn to grow by focusing investments on what works best.” Even if video games are not expected to become a source of revenue for Netflix, they will surely become a rich mine of data for the creative future of the streaming service.Games based on movies or series will allow you to analyze your favorite characters and situations, giving insights for new episodes or spin-offs. “And maybe one day we will see games that will generate movies or TV series. And it will be great to see the cross-interaction between these different forms of entertainment, ”commented Peters, who added:“ We know that fans of our stories want to deepen and interact more, and what we like about an interactive universe is the ability to provide more content and more time to spend in a certain world “. Time, in fact, is the key resource on which the battle between streaming services is played: more than the mere quality of the content, the ability to keep people within the ecosystem for as long as possible. It is no coincidence that Netflix is ​​the paternity of large-scale binge watching, thanks to the habit of releasing entire seasons of TV series at the same time, without having to wait days for the next episode. Back in 2017, Netflix founder Reed Hastings said: “Our first competitor is the hours of sleep. And we are winning ”.