Well, this week's newsletter is mainly links to news I am reading, because I got swamped between getting back from Sundance and leaving for vacation. I'll be away for the next week, and the newsletter will return around Feb 20th.
But I was interested in this recent article - Netflix Doesn’t Buy Movies at Sundance — It Buys Voices That Can Become Brands - Indiewire reports on (their theory of) a new trend they noticed at Sundance - that Netflix’s acquisitions are now focused more on how they will help them build the overall Netflix brand more than the quality of any individual project. The idea being that if they support great talent, those artists build their brand and people come back to Netflix to find more of their work.
As Chris Lindahl reports, “Though it was lost in the deluge of Sundance headlines last week, news circulated that Netflix laid off 15 people in its marketing division, including some publicists working on titles at Sundance. As the company reported fourth-quarter earnings that rose above expectations, the layoffs apparently stemmed from a broader effort to direct resources toward promoting the platform as a whole over individual projects. That suggests additional pressure on acquisitions that serve its long-term goals.”
It’s a subtle distinction to be sure, and I’m not sure I buy his argument that Netflix needed to acquire Radha Blank’s The Forty-Year-Old-Version because they couldn’t produce it themselves, but I do believe they feel they can support Blank as she becomes a bigger phenomenon, and a brand within Netflix.
It’s an interesting way to think about Netflix’s strategy, for sure. Friends is a brand, and so is House of Cards. But Netflix can (and will) lose Friends, so why not build your own auteur brands just like you’ve built original content. As Lindahl points out, that’s why they spent so much for Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes, and why they are making deals with “brands” like the Obamas, as well.
Which gives FastCompany’s recent article - Netflix’s ‘The Goop Lab’ is branded content—and maybe the future of media- an interesting twist as well. FastCo argues that The Goop Lab (disclosure, I have clients doing business with this prodco) is not just good content to watch, but is also an advertisement for the brand (Goop) at the same time. While that’s true and well for Goop, it’s also good for Netflix, as one brand (Goop) promotes the other (Netflix) in a virtuous cycle. I would imagine this might also lead to more smart branded content deals – with trusted, or cult, brands that have a following.
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Secret Cinema is coming for America, in a big way - The Drum reports on how Secret Cinema is ramping up its amazing live events in the US. They will keep doing their trademark events based on classic/cult films, but through an investment, and a partnership from Disney, they will also become an experiential agency for launches of new films and products. Their plan is not to become just a Disney marketer, but to keep doing multiple studios, and keep it "Secret" and interesting, as their crowds go from 20k to over 120K. I bet they pull it off.
Disney is giving Bambi a CGI makeover. It’s time for the ‘live action’ trend to die - FastCompany sums up all of our sentiments when it comes to remaking Bambi - no, never!
Criterion Collection to release 4 Netflix movies you could totally just watch on your phone right now - AVClub reports on a few new Criterion titles. They seem to think it's odd to make the DVDs, but with licensing changes, and possible future M&A activity, you'd better own anything you want to watch in the future. Not to mention if you want to see it as it should be seen.
The Oscars’ international film category is broken - With all the things wrong with the Academy that need fixing, perhaps the most glaring is the way they award the International Best Film category. Vox has the story on what's wrong, and how to fix it.
Want to learn how film festivals work? Check out the new Film Festival Alliance podcast, Film Festival Flix, which just launched. While this is for film professionals, I bet it will have some great tips for anyone interested in festivals as a filmmaker, brand, producer, etc.
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Streaming
NBCUniversal Peacock ARPU of $6 to $7 shows streaming conundrum - namely that streaming revenue is not replacing ad revenue and licensing fees. BTW, ARPU means average revenue per user - and that average is less than the overall costs, or what they make currently from other fees. But we've seen dollars traded for pennies that become millions of dollars before...
AT&T tried to buy out the streaming wars — and customers are paying for it - once again, legacy media fails at new ventures, while raising your prices as a result. Money quote: “They bought legacy assets and then tried to spin a story about how it positioned them to disrupt the status quo,” (Craig, an analyst) Moffett said. “It should have been obvious that that was never going to work out well.”
Apple TV Plus could have more subscribers than Disney Plus - Does Apple have more subscribers than Disney-Plus? FastCompany, and the WSJ originally, report on the subscriber numbers.
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VR/AR/AI
Sundance VR Tackled Climate Change With Groundbreaking New Projects - IndieWire and MIT's Samuel Mendez have the report on what worked best at Sundance's New Frontier. In sum: "This year’s New Frontier selection was filled with moving moments around issues of climate change and the environment. The creative VR projects highlight the new opportunities of playful, immersive environmental media to reach new audiences and inspire new emotions around the future of our planet."
Will AR Sneaker Apps Change The Way You Buy Nikes? - My bet is yes, and other retail brands should follow this trend, especially if you have a devoted/crazed following, anything akin to sneakerheadz.
5 Reasons Why AI May Dazzle Only To Disappoint - Forbes takes a look at five reasons why AI projects often disappoint - and how to fix the situation. Number 3- solutions in search of a problem - is one of the main reasons most tech projects fail, and worth considering in other arenas.
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Branded Content
Netflix’s ‘The Goop Lab’ is branded content—and maybe the future of media- I mentioned this above but am also linking it here, because the article is a must read for anyone in the media or branded content space - pointing out the different ways that brands can approach the space, and how it can also go wrong.
Inside BudX Hotel, Karaoke and Hopefully 1 Billion Impressions - Budweiser took over a hotel for the Super Bowl, and filled it with influencers. Mix that with beer that tastes like shit, and you pretty much have my nightmare.But it is one way to do experiential.
With Disney Plus, Advertisers Look To Go Beyond Co-Marketing - Disney Plus is clearly open for business with branded content and advertising. AdExchanger reports on their product placement, branded content and co-marketing efforts.
Will Smith is Lyft’s latest celebrity driver in ‘Bad Boys’ marketing stunt - how long can Lyft keep this stunt going? As long as it remains fun.
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Misc.
Canterbury Tales is first major literary work developed as an app - Smart idea department: ""We want the public, not just academics, to see the manuscript as Chaucer would have likely thought of it—as a performance that mixed drama and humor," said University of Saskatchewan (USask) English professor Peter Robinson, leader of the project." and they also got the late Monty Python star Terry Jones, "who was a medievalist with two influential books on Chaucer," to help develop the app. And who said the old can't be new again? But I bet that Nike shoe app will win the download wars.
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