In recent times, streaming content platforms (Netflix, HBO, Apple TV, etc.) are producing really interesting documentary series on sports and athletes. One of the most successful is from HBO about the Lakers dynasty. In it, it comes out how In the 1970s, in the US, Basque pelota had audiences similar to or slightly above the NBA. Surely you are familiar with the tradition that some states (such as Florida) have for it. But a few decades ago it extended further.
In fact, I remember how one of my first video games was a Jai Alai game on my first computer: a 486. However, later on, the history of sports could not have been more different. The Basque ball began to decline. And, the NBA was lucky to find a visionary leader of the sport (David Stern) and stars like Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley or John Stockton appeared. Marrying a sport with the trend of the times through culture is important, as you can see.
This phenomenon seems to be happening now with Formula 1. The US will be the first country to have three races in a single year starting in 2023, which will add Las Vegas. The rise of F-1 in the US is largely explained by the premiere of Drive to Survive, a Netflix series that broke audience records. Apple, Netflix and Amazon are fighting with ESPN and NBC for broadcasting rights in the US Tech companies (Zoom, Salesforce, Oracle, etc.) do not stop investing in sponsorships. The generation of audiences is not a spontaneous phenomenon.
In this context, the netflix effect describe the boom in popularity that some games, sports or regions of the world are experiencing, when there is a series or movie that gets a lot of popularity on Netflix. He has happened with chess for example with the success of Queen’s Gambit. But beyond that, Netflix’s impact on our society makes me think about the relevance that these broadcast platforms have taken on in our cultures and societies. What responsibility do they play? If it is true that they are capable of predicting our tastes and what is going to succeed, do we want to leave culture in the hands of self-trained algorithms? In other words, will we let a company only produce what it knows we will end up liking?
Let’s see another case. Netflix has bought the rights to the Roald Dahl catalog. This acquisition is the largest made by the streaming platform to date. The rights to classic works such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda or The Witches, pass to Netflix. A new operation that is part of the war that it maintains with Amazon Prime and Disney + for exclusive content. In 2021 alone, Netflix managed a budget of 17,000 million dollars to buy content. And what are you going to do with those rights? Games, series, theaters, animations and much more. Of course, digital content and the era of animation and digital entertainment are going to experience a golden age. But also that cultural productions pass into the hands of a company that can then frame the cultural context of an entire generation, as we have been commenting with the examples presented above.
As basic as the comment may seem, it is worth remembering that when you make a digital strategy, in the end you have to capture the attention of your target audience. That is why I usually say in my lectures that Instagram or YouTube compete with Netflix or traditional entertainment plans: they are competing for the person’s attention. If a person’s attention ends up being captured by an offer directed by technology companies that know what we are going to like, the next few years will not be the best for our personal discovery. And they won’t be the best for cultural innovation either, will they?
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