Netflix’s latest back to the future move could be live TV channels that run 24/7
Netflix is looking for ways to increase sagging engagement and the 'left the telly on' vibe might do it.
Netflix continues to find ways to replicate the era of television it once-upon-a-time set about ushering out. After integrating ads, live broadcasts, linear week-by-week episodes it looks like the company is about to adopt live streaming channels with rolling content.
The Wall Street Journal reports the latest engagement-boosting manoeuvre might be 24/7 live channels. That would enable viewers to pop on a channel revolving around a type of content and then just leave it running in the background. What a bold and groundbreaking move that would be!
Netflix would be following a well established model deployed by some of the other streaming services. Peacock has channels dedicated to showing The Office and Law and Order SVU around the clock. My Samsung projector has loads of live channels, including one showing all of the old TNA Impact Wrestling shows from yesteryear which I delve into from time to time too.
The Journal also points out that another attraction of live channels is commercials! By god, more commercials. Even if you pay for the ad-free service you probably won’t be able to skip the breaks that inherently accompany a live channel.
It comes as Netflix looks to boost the amount of time Netflix viewers spend with the service. It has recently embraced short form video, video podcasts and gaming in efforts to keep people within the big red N. However, there seems to be a pervading view that if you’re not moving forwards (or in this case going backwards) you’re standing still and stagnation is possible.
The WSJ writes: “Profits were rising, customer defections remained at industry lows and it had hit franchises including “Bridgerton” and “Stranger Things.”
“But one metric was pointing in the wrong direction: Subscriber engagement was showing signs of decline, according to attendees. At the time, it was a small part of a conversation about the company’s goals, but it has since become a frequent topic of discussion at meetings, people familiar with the matter said.”
The WSJ reports Netflix is also considering bundling, where subscribers could save a few quid by bringing rival services together. Again, not a novel idea.
Chris Smith
