Learner Resource 2

Comprehension actitivites: The impact of digital

technologies – Is Netflix changing TV?

YouTube VIDEO SOURCE A

Newsweek - How Netflix Changed TV (29/04/17) 2.56 mins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL6zNexyt8o

Task
 Watch the short video and answer the questions below.
 You will need to stop and start the video where necessary in order to answer all of the
questions.

What happened to Netflix in April 2017

It hit a milestone by reaching 100 000 000 subscribers

Which companies does Netflix now have more subscribers than?

Amazon and Hulu

How many countries is Netflix available in?

Over 190

Which countries is Netflix not available in and why might this be?

Crimea, China, North Korea and Syria

Where do half of Netflix’s subscribers, 50 million, come from?

USA

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 When was Netflix founded, who by and where?

1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California

What did Netflix begin as and how did it change the service?

Began as a mail-order DVD service. Ten years later, Netflix expanded into an internet video-
on-demand

When did Netflix expand into Internet video on demand (VOD)?

2007

What was revolutionary about the way they offered viewing?

Instead of airing episodes weekly, viewers could watch an entire season in one go- what is
now known as ‘binge watching’.

How did this new model of viewing (binge-watching) help shows that may have
otherwise struggled to be aired?

Creator Vince Gilligan once said, “I think Netflix kept us on the air.”

What has helped Netflix’s growth?

Improvements in streaming technology and a rise in the use of handheld devices helped
Netflix’s growth, as did the platform’s vast library of films and TV shows.

What were some of the problems that Netflix had?

None of the content belonged to Netflix

What was Netflix’s solutions to these problems?

To go from streaming TV, to creating it.

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 What was Netflix’s first original show and when was it launched?

House of Cards- February 2013

How did House of Cards make history?

Becoming the first online only television series to receive an Emmy Nomination

What else did the drama show in terms of cast and crew?

With Kevin Spacey starring and David Fincher directing, it also showed that Netflix could
attract top Hollywood talent to work on a web TV series.

By 2016, how many original programmes a year was Netflix producing?

126 original programs a year.

How many awards have they won?

147 awards 1 Oscar, 55 Emmy’s and 2 Golden Globes

How are competitors trying to address Netflix’s place in the market?

Creating own online streaming services and developed original programming.

How does Netflix plan to stand out from the crowd?

Double original programming, foreign TV Shows

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 YouTube VIDEO SOURCE B
Business Insider - How Netflix is Killing traditional TV (06/01/15) 2.34 mins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBafi8PsaHo

Task: Watch the short video and answer the questions below.

1. What does DVR and VOD allow viewers?

You have more freedom to watch outside of the regularly scheduled times

2. What is ‘our future’ for watching TV?

Streaming videos

3. Which company has been the most disruptive to the traditional TV model?

Netflix

4. Is Netflix a perfect substitute for traditional TV?

No

5. Why do audiences have fewer reasons to be tied to their cable box or TV?

More streaming options

6. Pay per view (PPV) TV subscribers have fallen by how many since 2013?

389,000

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7. How many subscribers have Netflix increased since 2013?

11 000 000

8. How many worldwide subscribers were Netflix predicted to reach in 2017?

100 000 000

9. What is the main reason given for the prediction that Netflix audiences will grow?

Cable TV subscribers are much older, whereas Netflix subscribers are younger and will be
around to consume video for a long time.

10. What will happen to linear and cable TV?

It will die

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 WRITTEN SOURCE 1
The Guardian
Steve Hewlett – Will Netflix really steal traditional TV’s crown? (12/06/16)
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/12/will-netflix-really-steal-traditional-tvs-crown

Task: Read the article and answer the questions below.

1. What 4 reasons are given to explain how Netflix can be seen to be an Internet era
success story?

79 million subscribers, 192 countries, billions of dollars in revenues and here in Britain
from zero to five million subscribing households in just four years

2. What is it about TV that Netflix suggests people don’t love?

People love TV content but they don’t love the linear TV experience

3. How are the changes Netflix are making ‘revolutionary’?

People are able to watch a full series in one sitting

4. Has Netflix had the same impact on traditional TV viewing in the UK as it has in the US?

No, because people in the UK have both Netflix subscription and TV Cable subscription

5. What 4 reasons or statistics are given to show how UK viewing preferences for Netflix
and traditional, linear TV compare?

Netflix generates on average about 38 minutes of viewing per day in households, linear TV
generates 3.5 hours of viewing, on average well over 2 hours a day even amongst the
younger, so called Netflix generates. 1 billion hours streamed by Netflix generations. 1
billion hours streamed by Netflix compared to 65 billion hours by linear TV

6. How much have Netflix spent on content and original content respectively?

Around $10 billion

7. What is Netflix’s ‘strategic vulnerability’?

It is still hugely dependent on movies and TV series that have it be licensed from the big
players in traditional TV

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8. Which 2 factors are at play that, according to the writer of the article, do not go in
Netflix’s favour?
1.) TV channels have internet based on demand services of their own
2.) Sky have deals already with other streaming services

WRITTEN SOURCE 2:

The Guardian
Dan Gilmore - Ways of watching: How technology is changing our TV habits (15/02/13)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/15/ways-watching-technology-
television

Task: Read the article and answer the questions below.

1. What is ‘time-shifting’ and why might audiences like it?

Where you can fast forward through adverts. Audiences may like this because it saves
time and audiences can enjoy binge watching their favourite shows, rather than waiting
weekly

2. How does ‘binge-watching’ help audiences catch up with popular dramas?

As this allows audiences to catch up on shows that have been out for a while

3. What does the writer prefer to call ‘binge-watching’?

Immersive Viewing

4. In which 2 ways does ‘immersive viewing’ (time-shifting/binge-watching) affect

traditional TV models?

This affects traditional TV models as you do not have to sit through ads and wait for the
next episode to air a week later

5. What/who does the writer compare the ‘next general of professional motion picture
storytellers’ to?

It compares them to a blogger, journalist

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6. How does the long form TV series House of Cards fit into the format of ‘unlimited story
cycles’?

It allows for exploration of characters and subplots

7. What does this shift in the way we view TV bring for audiences?

It is bringing in a golden age of storytelling in a serial format

8. What has new digital technology enabled with Video on Demand?

It allows recording hours of programs, i.e. watching something from yesterday

9. Why is the writer worried about issues of privacy and streaming?

Because we are letting big companies and governments know what we read and see in an
online world

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 WRITTEN SOURCE 3:
Netflix Media Centre
Erin Dwyer – Ready, Set, Binge (17/11/17)
https://media.netflix.com/en/press-releases/ready-set-binge-more-than-8-million-viewers-
binge-race-their-favorite-series

Task: Read the article and answer the questions below.

1. How has Netflix changed the way the world engages with stories?

Because viewers watch when, where and how they want, at whatever place

2. What kind of fan has this given rise to?

The Binge Racer

3. What characterises the ‘binge-racer’?

Spending through an entire season within 24 hours of its release

4. How many members have chosen to ‘binge-race’ on Netflix?

Around 8.4 million members

5. Which kinds of content do binge racers like to watch?

TV shows/drama, with multiple episodes

6. Are differences in consumption preferences dependent on where the viewer is globally?

Give some examples in your answer.

Consumption is not preferences dependent on where the viewer is globally, this is

because you could be anywhere in the world and still sit through an entire series in one
sitting and still be able to watch other shows

7. Which country has the most binge-racers and what is the most ‘binged’ drama?

Canada as they have the highest % of 24 hours finishers. This means Canadians are
watching more shows in one sitting

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8. List 5 of the top 20 binge raced shows that you have seen. Is your set product in the
top 20 list?

N/A

9. What are the top 5 countries for binge racing?

1.) Canada
2.) USA
3.) Denmark
4.) Finland
5.) Norway

10. Why has the concept of binge racing grown more than 20 times in the last 4 years?
What reasons can you give for this?

This is because it’s easy access to watch shows on a phone to a computer to your TV,
also it is easy to watch an entire series in one sitting, and also due to the rise of popular
shows such as orange is the new black, audiences are becoming dawned into Netflix.
Furthermore, the price of the subscription is less expensive than TV cable which make the
option to choose Netflix easier

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The impact of digital technology – Is Netflix
changing TV?
Feedback Grid
You have now considered a number of different ideas about the ways in which digital
technologies, and Netflix as an example of an online streaming platform, can be seen to
change how long form TV dramas are broadcast and viewed by audiences.
Use the grid below to record the 5 key points about technology, Netflix, TV viewing and some
of the issues associated with this from each of the 5 sources we have studied.

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 Newsweek - How Netflix Changed TV (29/04/17)
Began as a mail-order DVD service. Ten years later, Netflix expanded into an internet
video-on-demand

Business Insider - How Netflix is Killing traditional TV (06/01/15)

Because streaming online is hugely popular nowadays, it’s killing off traditional TV. Anyone
can binge watch their favourite shows online and fast forward or go back, rather than
having to wait weekly.

Steve Hewlett – Will Netflix really steal traditional TV’s crown? (12/06/16)
Netflix generates on average about 38 minutes of viewing per day in households, linear TV
generates 3.5 hours of viewing, on average well over 2 hours a day even amongst the
younger, so called Netflix generates. 1 billion hours streamed by Netflix generations. 1
billion hours streamed by Netflix compared to 65 billion hours by linear TV

Dan Gilmore - Ways of watching: How technology is changing our TV habits

(15/02/13)
Fast forwarding through adverts, movies, TV shows. No audience has to wait weekly for the
next episode to air

Erin Dwyer – Ready, Set, Binge (17/11/17)

It’s easy access to watch shows on a phone to a computer to your TV, also it is easy to
watch an entire series in one sitting, and also due to the rise of popular shows such as
orange is the new black, audiences are becoming dawned into Netflix. Furthermore, the
price of the subscription is less expensive than TV cable which make the option to choose
Netflix easier

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