In a surprising move, Netflix released a trove of data this week. The numbers include viewing patterns between January and June 2023. This is a first for the streaming service. Now, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos says the streamer plans to share new reports every six months.
Why does it matter? Because Netflix has never made this data public before. “This was an issue in the recent strikes, [and] Ted Sarandos, in announcing this, said that the lack of transparency was creating an atmosphere of mistrust with their creative partners,” explains Kim Masters.
What does the data reveal? Netflix subscribers like to watch new things. “[The data] tells you that originals are very popular on Netflix,” says Matt Belloni. “It was about 45% originals on the list, compared to 55% licensed content and movies and TV shows.”
That also means there are literally thousands of things that nobody seems to be watching. But that’s not exactly shocking when you consider, as Masters puts it, “the amount of spaghetti that Netflix throws against the wall.”
Why is Netflix doing this now? Because it’s a nice flex — if you’ve got nothing to hide. “It's a way for Netflix to say ‘Okay, we kind of won the streaming wars, it's us and everyone else, and we're just gonna lay it all out there,’” Belloni explains. “And now they're encouraging others to do the same.”
What are the implications for the industry? Your move, Hollywood. Belloni, for his part, thinks it’s a “fascinating experiment” in terms of how it might impact negotiations and how creators will react.
“We now have Netflix willing to lay it all out there. If your show is a hit, everyone's gonna know it's a hit,” he says. “The other side of the argument is, some creators may not like that… So maybe Netflix might lose some projects because of that.”