If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you’ll know immediately where this post is headed.
Because with House of Cards now a Golden Globe winning series, Netflix has officially changed the game for TV viewing.
In yesterday’s post, the question about whether Pandora is in fact “radio” was at the center point of the discussion. The same could be said for House of Cards, the Netflix produced show that is at the epicenter of how we’re now watching TV. The series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright is not broadcast, it is not cable. So can it really be “TV?”
But once again, let’s get out of her media maven shoes for a moment, and let’s don the loafers of the consumer who is very likely saying “Who cares?”
The female lead of House of Cards, Robin Wright, was asked this already tired question – is it TV? And her reply? “Apparently not. TV is the new future. And we are not even TV, by the way; we are live stream – different.”
Maybe, but it comes down to this – we’re sitting on our couch, that big TV is showing content, and we’re entertained. It’s TV.
And interestingly, the ability to binge on a TV series as so many have done with House of Cards – and not just wait until a show airs or ends up in On Demand – may be saving many shows that Netflix didn’t produce, but carry.
Say you somehow missed Homeland. Or you never got around to watching Game of Thrones. Or you want to catch up on Mad Men. With Netflix (or even your public library), you can take that deep TV dive and get right up to speed on a show or series over a long weekend watching them “chapter after chapter,” as you would with a great book.
What Netflix is doing is changing the distribution system and the consumption paradigm. And in the process, they have altered the way we watch TV. The fact they release an entire season all at once is revolutionary, and has to be in the heads of network executives from both the broadcast and cable sides of the street.
For radio, it’s a reminder that while millions listen every week in the real-time mode – something they’ve done since they encountered that first Top 40 station growing up – many others are now consuming audio in different ways.
Podcasts have allowed consumers to enjoy shows they missed – whenever and wherever they like. This model works for both shows like WMMR’s Preston & Steve who are icons on broadcast radio five days a week, or for Tom Leykis, who left the medium and never looked back.
The same is true for streaming and the algorithms and curators that lead to great content. Broadcast radio continues to schedule its music the same old way – with architectures like Selector and MusicMaster. It programs its news the same way – one story after another. NPR has talked about creating “the Pandora of news,” a different way of consuming stories of interest to you.
And crowd-based radio and algorithms are creating different audio experiences, too. Whether LDR or Jelly, consumers now have a greater say in what gets played. And you have to wonder why broadcasters haven’t experimented with algorithmic radio, heightening a “what’s next?” sense that might keep listeners tuned in longer.
To better understand how the model is changing Kevin Spacey in an eloquent speech delivered in Scotland last year made the case for Netflix – from the elimination of pilots to the growth of audience control.
>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO WATCH KEVIN SPACEY VIDEO<
There are lots of great sound bites in this speech, but for me, it was this observation that stood out because it applies directly to our radio conversation:
“In the next decade or two, any differentiation between these platforms will fall away. Is 13 hours watched as one cinematic whole any different than a film? Do we define film as being something two hours or less? Surely it goes deeper than that. If you’re watching a film on your television, is it no longer a film because you’re not watching it in a theater? If you’re watching a TV show on your iPad, is it no longer a TV show? The device and the length are irrelevant.
The labels are useless, except perhaps to agents, managers, and lawyers who use these labels to conduct business deals. But for kids growing up now, there is no difference – watching Avatar on an iPad or watching YouTube on a TV or watching Game of Thrones on a computer – it’s all content. It’s just a story.”
The platforms are changing. The distribution model is changing. The labels are eroding. And consumers are in control. TV is TV. And radio is radio.
But as Spacey notes, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the need for great content, great stories, great personalities, and great experiences.
This is where the radio industry ultimately holds the power and the ability to make decisions about what matters most – wise decisions that can redeem a great industry, or short-term ones that will continue to mortgage the medium’s future. The ball’s in our court.
As Netflix did its homework on House of Cards, broadcasters need to go to school on the changing consumer to help decide what matters – above and beyond the weekly ratings and monthly Miller Kaplan rankings.
Our upcoming Techsurvey10 is but one study that attempts to shed the light on what radio listeners are really thinking and doing. And I promise you after looking at the first 10,000 respondents, there will be findings that will be game changers when it comes to new models that our own core listeners are adopting.
Hopefully, the industry will be listening.
Thanks to Lori Lewis for the heads up on Netflix & House of Cards.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
- Radio + Thanksgiving = Gratitude - November 27, 2024
- Is It Quittin’ Time For SiriusXM? - November 26, 2024
- Radio, It Oughta Be A Crime - November 25, 2024
You’re right. When the moving picture is coming out of that big box on the wall – it’s TV. It doesn’t matter which wire was used to deliver the content. Same for audio. Over the air – or online. The consumer doesn’t differentiate based on the technology anymore – they are just in search of content.
Perhaps more immediately challenging to the broadcast radio business is that advertisers have largely stopped differentiating as well. If it plays music – and has commercials in between the songs – it’s pretty much “radio” to most advertisers.
John, thanks for the perspective about TV & the advertising community. Radio is going to have to keep up with these changes or be left behind.