Content That Engages By Being Devoured Or Savored
Cord-cutting and binge watching were created primarily due to one company. Netflix. And as an agency we LOVE Netflix for their original content opportunities for our product placement clients. The Streaming Video On Demand (SVOD) giant is the #1 game player – and changer – in the world of television.
Unlike broadcast and cable TV networks there is no ‘ad sales’ standards and practices department that nullifies the logo opportunities of brands to appear in the content because they haven’t paid the pleasure of millions of $$$’s to do so. So brands can live and appear in all their glorified state for the reasons why product placement successfully works for the brand, the TV producers and even the audience. In this blog post we look at the shows most devoured and savored by fans – and provide some background to why Netflix is such a phenomenal platform to partner with for a brand.
The History
Netflix started out just over 15 years ago as a primary competitor to BlockBuster, as a DVD subscription service. And boy did they reinvent themselves. Based on new technologies including fast streaming internet speeds, Netflix harnessed the power of immediate satisfaction and delivery, and in the years since – original – and powerful - content.
Stats & Facts
DMR Stats and Gadgets culled together some interesting facts about Netflix (and they even offer you the ability to purchase the full report of 70 stats if you have interest.) ….
- Year of Netflix founding: 1997
- Year of digital distribution launch: 1999
- Year of Netflix IPO: 2002
- Total number of Netflix subscribers: 81 million subscribers as of April 2016
- Number of Netflix international subscribers: 34 million as of April 2016
- Percentage of Netflix users that come from outside the US: 42%
- Number of Netflix subscribers in U.S.: 47 million
- Number of hours Netflix users watched in 2015: 5 billion streaming hours
- Number of hours per month that users spend watching Netflix: 10 billion hours
- Number of hours per day that users spend watching Netflix: 100 million hours
- Percentage of Netflix users that binge-watch shows: 70%
Why So Much Original Programming
In 2015 Netflix created over 450 hours of original shows and movies. What’s driving this? Quite simply, something we can all relate to. Money.
Netflix launched as a platform to stream movies – an alternative to BlockBuster or RedBox. But licensing movies costs A LOT of money. And it’s non recoupable. Once spent, you don’t own anything other than having access to the tangible for a short period of time. It’s like buying a car versus leasing. At the end of the lease term, you don’t get to keep that car.
Their shows have been SO successful, that they’ve clearly seen that original content is the golden ticket. They pay for the content once, and have rights to it for perpetuity. Or whatever they negotiated with the content creators – that is a totally different story regarding production houses to hire.
So Who Are The Viewers?
The only issue is – Netflix is really good at keeping secrets, and they don’t share WHO is watching WHAT. So as an agency we turn to social media and word of mouth to help figure out what truly is being watched in high numbers. NBC tried to prove that their most popular broadcast shows were still more highly viewed than Netflix series by hiring Symphony Advanced Media analytics company that stated:
- Marvel’sJessica Jones averaged 4.8 million viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 during the first 35 days after its November debut
- Master of Nonegained 3.9 million viewers during a similar time window
- Narcosattracted 3.2 million viewers in that demographic
But Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos responded that they derived were “remarkably outdated data”.
So who knows. But we do know those shows get a lot of talk. And now more and more so Emmy nominations.
Binge Viewing
Traditionally TV has been consumed by viewers one individual episode at a time, with a 7 day gap in between viewing the next episode. Turns out that isn’t really how we favor watching TV, and Netflix along with Amazon Prime has rode that craze all the way to the bank. The appropriately named term “binge watching” was born from Netflix’s releasing of an entire season (up to 13 episodes traditionally) ALL ON THE SAME DAY. Unheard of until just a few years ago, the ability to control WHEN you watch has become a much favored viewing habit by millions.
This means that many people now finish viewing an entire season in a single week.
However – not all series are madly consumed in the same fashion. This week the notoriously reclusive and secretive Netflix unveiled The Bing Scale, and revealed which shows are Savored, and which are truly Devoured by fans.
The Bing Scale And What It Means
Over 100 TV series were compared by Netflix on a global scale – across more than 190 countries. And what they found was that there were two consumption patterns that they nicknamed Savor and Devoured. Shows that fit within either of these patterns are IDEAL for brands to partner with for product placement – because you have a rabidly engaged fan viewer.
And there was one clear pattern to all of this. If the series was a high energy narrative, it is typically devoured. And when it is something that is thought-provoking, then it is savored. We guess high octane fuel truly does gets you there faster in this case… while sensual and brain-provoking is something you want to linger on just a little longer.
What The Scale Means
Series viewed less than two hours per day were identified as 'savored.' Savoured shows are typically completed in four days and viewed roughly two hours, 30 minutes per sitting, like: House of Cards, Narcos, Bloodline, Love, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, Occupied, Marvel's Daredevil, Marvel's Jessica Jones, and The Killing.
This includes TV genres including:
- Irreverent Comedies
- Political Dramas
- Historical Dramas
- Super Hero Dramas
- Crime Dramas
Series viewed more than two hours per day were identified as 'devoured.' Devoured shows are typically completed in six days and viewed roughly one hour and 45 minutes per sitting, like: Sense8, Orange is the New Black, Grace and Frankie, Hemlock Grove, The Fall
This includes TV genres including:
- Dramatic Comedies
- Action & Adventure
- Sci-Fi
- Horror
- Thrillers
So What's Stopping You?
We truly can't say it enough. We think SVOD product placement opportunities are pure gold for brand marketers to reach truly targeted and engaged audiences.
So if you are ready to give it a go... and start engaging those consumers, we can help you out.
If you have ever wondered how a comprehensive product placement program works, this video will answer all of your questions as it shows the steps and processes taken by Hollywood Branded that lead to your brand increasing both consumer engagement and sales!
