Here's everything you need to know about the world of television for Wednesday, December 13th, 2023.
A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT NETFLIX ENGAGEMENT REPORT
A shout out to Netflix, which dropped its new Netflix Engagement Report (complete with presentation to the press) on the day that I was offline. I appreciate it.
I read a number of attempts from reporters trying to parse the information yesterday, and there's no point for me to rehash any of that. So instead, here are a few thoughts about the numbers and how it helps people get a clearer indication of how Netflix does business:
1) The reason why you thought Netflix wasn't sharing more specific viewing numbers probably isn't correct
In recent years I have heard all sorts of theories about why Netflix continued to keep most viewing data private. Some people speculated that releasing total viewing numbers would show that many of the Netflix originals were overhyped and viewed a lot less than the industry conventional wisdom. Others argued that releasing the numbers would show Netflix has canceled some heavily-viewed shows for reasons that they couldn't express. It was generally some variation of the streamer not having faith in diverse casts or LGBTQ storylines.
But when you look at the just-released data, one of the things that becomes clear is that while about 45% of the viewing in the first six months of 2023 came from licensed titles, nine of the top ten most-watched seasons of television were Netflix originals. Which I suspect is a fact that likely surprises a lot of streaming industry analysts. I haven't seen any smoking guns in the Netflix data that would verify any of the various theories about why the company has kept so much data private. As much as anything, Netflix appears to have waited until it had the numbers that allowed it to tell the story they wanted told. Both to the industry and to investors.
2) Pure viewing numbers aren't the only metric for deciding whether or not a show is renewed. Often, it's not even the primary one
During the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, I had some heated conversations with members who argued for more data transparency. "Without more data, we can't be properly compensated for our success!"
And while there is some truth to that, I responded by suggesting that simple viewing numbers was only of limited help when it came to trying to determine why one show lived and another one did not.
About 18 months ago, Netflix canceled the YA series The Baby-Sitters Club and at the there were complaints about the decision from the series showrunner, fans and just observers of the streaming space. But as I wrote at the time, Netflix's renewal decision making process takes a number of factors into consideration and the number of viewers is only part of the equation:
A primary Netflix metric is called the "adjusted view share," which is a combination of more than 30 factors that attempt to assign an overall "value" for any piece of content. An example I was given was that it's possible to track which content was most watched by brand new subscribers last month. That content would be considered more valuable because it presumably was one of the reasons why viewers subscribed. But if those viewers exit after a month or two, that lessens the value of the content. The assumption being that some percentage of the canceled subscriptions came from people who subscribed primarily for a specific show.
It depends on where people are watching. A show that is more popular in a region such as the U.S., where the ARPU (average revenue per user) is higher has a greater value than one that tracks more in regions where the ARPU is lower. Although that indicator is weighted less than some others and whether the content is attracting subscribers in a territory where subscriber retention costs are high also factors into the equation. Netflix also tracks how many people complete a TV show within a week, the percentage of people who rewatch a series (although if the number is too high, it's discounted as possible fan manipulation). And there are many more. Each of the factors is weighted differently and the weighting can apparently change as the company's strategy evolves.
I'm seeing a lot of people trying to use the Netflix Engagement Report as a way to determine whether a show deserved to be renewed or canceled. And while that viewer data is helpful, using it to determine value to Netflix is a bit like trying to determine how much money someone has in their pocket by tracking how fast they're walking.
3) Here's the reason why I think Netflix is using 'hours viewed' as their Engagement Report metric
I've read a number of different theories as to why Netflix is ranking programs by the hours viewed, as opposed to the "views" metric they use for their "Top Ten" and "Most Popular" lists. Netflix define views for a title as the total hours viewed divided by the total runtime. And as it the case with the hours viewed metric, values in the views totals are rounded to 100,000.
After hearing from a couple of people inside Netflix today, I suspect it's in part because using hours viewed is a way to best way to parse viewer data if the company want to highlight the strength of its Originals slate - which seems to be a primary driver releasing this Engagement Report.
The average Netflix original episode of a scripted drama runs somewhere between 15-18 minutes longer than the average episode of a typical licensed broadcast series. That views calculation offsets that difference but by listing hours viewed, the list essentially treats all episodes of all programs as if they had the same length. Which is a huge advantage for Netflix in this case.
It's also part of the reason to separate the shows by season, instead of lumping the entire series run into one line. Licensed shows tend to have longer seasons and more episodes in general. Listing programs by series run would put Netflix's originals at a real disadvantage.
One perfect example of this is the licensed series Suits, which currently has nine seasons streaming on Netflix. If you look at individual seasons, season one was the most-watched on Netflix during the timeframe, and it hit #67 on the list, with 129,100,00 hours viewed. But combining all nine seasons into one listing gives the show 599,100,000 hours viewed, landing it #4 on the list.
The strategy behind releasing the new Engagement Report was that Netflix wanted to remind Hollywood about the strength of it originals lineup. And one of the best ways to do that is by releasing data that frames the narrative the way you want it to be told.
ODDS AND SODS
* The 2023 Emmys have been moved from its customary September date to January 15th, 2024.
* The documentary series Alexander: The Making Of A God premieres Wednesday, January 31st, 2024 on Netflix.
* Season nine of MasterChef Junior premieres Monday, March 4th, 2023 on Fox.
* Hulu continues its cross-promotion of Disney+ content with the new series Percy Jackson And The Olympians.
WHAT'S NEW TODAY AND TOMORROW:
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13TH, 2023:
* Car Masters: From Rust To Riches Season Five Premiere (Netflix)
* If I Were Luísa Sonza (Netflix)
* In The Kitchen With Harry Hamlin: A Holiday Special (IFC)
* 1670 (Netflix)
* The Influencer Series Premiere (Netflix)
* Tierra Incognita (Disney+)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14TH:
* An Ice Palace Romance (Hallmark Movies Now)
* As The Crow Flies Season Two Premiere (Netflix)
* CMA Christmas Show (ABC)
* Dragons: The Nine Realms Season Premiere (Hulu/Peacock)
* Heaven Down Here (Hallmark Movies And Mysteries)
* My Killer Reunion (LMN)
* That Clip Show: Holiday Edition (NBC)
* The Crown Series Finale (Netflix)
* The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Season Premiere (Peacock)
* Yu Yu Hakusho Series Premiere (Netflix)
Click Here to see the list of all of the upcoming premiere dates for the next few months.
SEE YOU THURSDAY!
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Too Much TV: Your TV Talking Points For Wednesday, December 13th, 2023
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- By Rick Ellis
