In between the global and the local: Mapping the geographies of Netflix as a multinational service

Abstract

The different technological affordances and revenue models of subscriber-funded, internet-distributed video streaming services have altered the competitive environments of audiovisual services. One category of these services, multinational SVODs (subscription video on demand), are changing the dynamics of transnational video distribution. Although having subscribers and offices, and commissioning content from many countries, are obvious measures of these services’ multinational status, the extent to which the distinct affordances of these services diminish the national lens through which all other international television trade occurs may be the most profound measure. The article explores how this too becomes a distinguishing competitive tool for Netflix that enables uncommon content strategies, such as the ability to program for tastes and sensibilities too small to effectively form a viable market for services limited by national reach.

More than a makeover: Discourses of masculinity, hyposexuality, and marriage in Queer Eye: We’re in Japan!

“…The growing expansion of streaming services such as Netflix and their advanced technological affordances has created new and exciting possibilities for envisioning the production, distribution, and consumption of television in ways that transcend national boundaries (Lotz, 2020). This new economic and industrial reality has also expanded the type of representations available, including featuring new forms of cross-cultural encounters.…”

From São Paulo to Seoul: Netflix’s strategies in peripheral markets

“…En cuanto a las producciones por encargo (commissions), Corea se diferencia de Brasil al priorizar las coproducciones (co-commissions) con productoras locales (Lotz, 2020). En 2019, la compañía firmó un contrato de tres años con la empresa local Studio Dragon para la producción de títulos inéditos y la licencia de obras ya establecidas.…”

“…La falta de claridad en los datos y prácticas de la empresa, especialmente en cuanto a su presencia en mercados de la periferia global, complica nuestro análisis. La carencia de divulgación de información relevante y la dificultad para acceder a datos confiables en Netflix (Lotz, 2020), nos ha llevado a combinar información de los balances financieros oficiales de la plataforma con estimaciones producidas por firmas de análisis de terceros. Al examinar la presencia de la empresa en Brasil y Corea, buscamos deconstruir la posición autoatribuida de Netflix como un mediador de narrativas hacia y desde el "resto del mundo".…”

Understanding the changing television market: A comparison of the macroeconomy of the United States, United Kingdom and Australia

“…Different characteristics of exclusive content developed by different types of services – culturally specific fare of national broadcasters versus the strategic pursuit of sensibilities that transcend national borders by Netflix – provide complementarity that encourages some viewers to use a multiplicity of services. Moreover, the different funding mechanisms have encouraged different program strategies (Lotz, 2020). Subscriber-funded services do not seek mass audiences with each program, but to offer value that encourages payment.…”