Despite competition from pretty much everyone, Netflix is still the reigning champ of streaming. So what are they worried about now? Everything you do in your day that isn’t streaming, according to this article:
But for Netflix, the bigger picture is that if people are spending hours a week on “Call of Duty,” scrolling TikTok or even (God forbid) going outside, that’s time they’re not spending on Netflix.
Yes, all that precious time looking at Instagram with the TV off, using that TV to play video games or venturing to a park where there is no TV at all is where Netflix sees its biggest opportunities.
And a couple ideas they have, according to that same article, include the mildly interesting on-screen surveys to up the interactivity, and the much riskier and fascinating idea to create video games that will go toe-to-toe with what the younger generation are playing instead of watching movies or TV.
But will it work? The article and a lot of people who know these worlds are pretty skeptical, but Netflix has shown many times their ambitions can be accomplished. Though, if they hope to gain a foothold in a market that is maybe even more competitive than streaming, they should probably start relying more on AI.
There is no obvious connection between what people watch on TV and what games they would like to play, but that doesn’t mean AI wouldn’t be able to steer them in the right direction.
By analyzing the elements of the content people are most interested in with TV and movies, Netflix may get a better handle on what people are most interested in, and that may help shape the kinds of games that would initially attract the most attention.
Also, by breaking down the tastes and preferences of certain demos, they would be able to appeal more broadly to the exact kind of viewers who are most likely to play video games instead of watch regular content.
Netflix is clearly seeing the path forward as owning a greater share of what is known as the “Attention Economy.” And with video games and AI, they may just do it.