Learner Resource 2

Comprehension actitivites: The impact of digital

technologies – Is Netflix changing TV?

YouTube VIDEO SOURCE A

Newsweek - How Netflix Changed TV (29/04/17) 2.56 mins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL6zNexyt8o

Task
 Watch the short video and answer the questions below.
 You will need to stop and start the video where necessary in order to answer all of the
questions.

1. What happened to Netflix in April 2017

It hit a milestone with 100 million subscribers

2. Which companies does Netflix now have more subscribers than?

Amazon prime and Hulu but other than that most streaming services

3. How many countries is Netflix available in?

190

4. Which countries is Netflix not available in and why might this be?

Crimea, china, north Korea and Syria this could be due to the countries problems with
censorship along with war.

5. Where do half of Netflix’s subscribers, 50 million, come from?

The united states

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6. When was Netflix founded, who by and where?

Reed Hastings and mark Randolph in 1997

7. What did Netflix begin as and how did it change the service?

It started as a DVD delivery service

8. When did Netflix expand into Internet video on demand (VOD)?

2007

9. What was revolutionary about the way they offered viewing?

Viewers could watch a whole tv show all in one go

10. How did this new model of viewing (binge-watching) help shows that may have
otherwise struggled to be aired?

Because viewing figures would go up if they are watching it one episode after another instead
of maybe weekly

11. What has helped Netflix’s growth?

Different platforms for Netflix such as I pads or phones

12. What were some of the problems that Netflix had?

They had no clue if they could keep the rights to any of their films

13. What was Netflix’s solutions to these problems?

They started creating their own shows

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14. What was Netflix’s first original show and when was it launched?

2013

15. How did House of Cards make history?

It was the first online tv show to win an Emmy

16. What else did the drama show in terms of cast and crew?

That an online series could attract top Hollywood talent

17. By 2016, how many original programmes a year was Netflix producing?

126

18. How many awards have they won?

147

19. How are competitors trying to address Netflix’s place in the market?

They are creating shows of their own

20. How does Netflix plan to stand out from the crowd?

1. They plan to double the programming and make more native language shows

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 YouTube VIDEO SOURCE B
Business Insider - How Netflix is Killing traditional TV (06/01/15) 2.34 mins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBafi8PsaHo

Task: Watch the short video and answer the questions below.

1. What does DVR and VOD allow viewers?

2. What is ‘our future’ for watching TV?

Streaming services such as Netflix

3. Which company has been the most disruptive to the traditional TV model?

Netflix

4. Is Netflix a perfect substitute for traditional TV?

5. Why do audiences have fewer reasons to be tied to their cable box or TV?

They are able to watch their shows all in one go whenever you want

6. Pay per view (PPV) TV subscribers have fallen by how many since 2013?

189 thousand

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7. How many subscribers have Netflix increased since 2013?

11 million

8. How many worldwide subscribers were Netflix predicted to reach in 2017?

100 million

9. What is the main reason given for the prediction that Netflix audiences will grow?

Linear tv is dying and Netflix is easier and more accessible

10. What will happen to linear and cable TV?

It will eventually die

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 WRITTEN SOURCE 1
The Guardian
Steve Hewlett – Will Netflix really steal traditional TV’s crown? (12/06/16)
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/12/will-netflix-really-steal-traditional-tvs-crown

Task: Read the article and answer the questions below.

1. What 4 reasons are given to explain how Netflix can be seen to be an Internet era
success story?

It wenty from a dvd rental service to a huge media platform in just 20 years with millions of
subscribers and went from America to Britain where five million households subscribed in
just 4 years

2. What is it about TV that Netflix suggests people don’t love?

They don’t like waiting for a show to be on and people would rather just watch something
when they want
3. How are the changes Netflix are making ‘revolutionary’?

Because people are able to watch what they want for however long they want whenever
they want which has never been seen before
4. Has Netflix had the same impact on traditional TV viewing in the UK as it has in the US?

British people are already subscribed to companies such as sky and so only get Netflix if
they see it as an upgrade
5. What 4 reasons or statistics are given to show how UK viewing preferences for Netflix
and traditional, linear TV compare?

Tv generates 3.4 hours of watch time for households whereas Netflix is only 38 minutes
per day in households that have it most people are simply adding Netflix to their day of
watching regular tv

6. How much have Netflix spent on content and original content respectively?

10 billion dollars

7. What is Netflix’s ‘strategic vulnerability’?

1. They rely on tv shows and movies that are owned by other companies so the rights
for those shows and films could be removed at any point

8. Which 2 factors are at play that, according to the writer of the article, do not go in
Netflix’s favour?

Other services such as BBC iPlayer or sky

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 WRITTEN SOURCE 2:
The Guardian
Dan Gilmore - Ways of watching: How technology is changing our TV habits (15/02/13)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/15/ways-watching-technology-
television

Task: Read the article and answer the questions below.

1. What is ‘time-shifting’ and why might audiences like it?

2. How does ‘binge-watching’ help audiences catch up with popular dramas?

Because they can watch as many episodes as they want and catch up to where they want
to be

3. What does the writer prefer to call ‘binge-watching’?

Immersive viewing

4. In which 2 ways does ‘immersive viewing’ (time-shifting/binge-watching) affect

traditional TV models?

Tv channels do not get enough viewing which is bad news for them as they make a huge
profit from advertising.

5. What/who does the writer compare the ‘next general of professional motion picture
storytellers’ to?

Bloggers and journalists

6. How does the long form TV series House of Cards fit into the format of ‘unlimited story
cycles’?

It has a lot of character development with subplots that can be explored

7. What does this shift in the way we view TV bring for audiences?

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 It means they can watch anything they want whenever they want

8. What has new digital technology enabled with Video on Demand?

Because companies such as Netflix take information from the audience which Netflix can
then pass on to whoever they want.

9. Why is the writer worried about issues of privacy and streaming?

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 WRITTEN SOURCE 3:
Netflix Media Centre
Erin Dwyer – Ready, Set, Binge (17/11/17)
https://media.netflix.com/en/press-releases/ready-set-binge-more-than-8-million-viewers-
binge-race-their-favorite-series

Task: Read the article and answer the questions below.

1. How has Netflix changed the way the world engages with stories?

10. What kind of fan has this given rise to?

11. What characterises the ‘binge-racer’?

12. How many members have chosen to ‘binge-race’ on Netflix?

13. Which kinds of content do binge racers like to watch?

14. Are differences in consumption preferences dependent on where the viewer is globally?
Give some examples in your answer.

15. Which country has the most binge-racers and what is the most ‘binged’ drama?

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16. List 5 of the top 20 binge raced shows that you have seen. Is your set product in the
top 20 list?

17. What are the top 5 countries for binge racing?

18. Why has the concept of binge racing grown more than 20 times in the last 4 years?
What reasons can you give for this?

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The impact of digital technology – Is Netflix
changing TV?
Feedback Grid
You have now considered a number of different ideas about the ways in which digital
technologies, and Netflix as an example of an online streaming platform, can be seen to
change how long form TV dramas are broadcast and viewed by audiences.
Use the grid below to record the 5 key points about technology, Netflix, TV viewing and some
of the issues associated with this from each of the 5 sources we have studied.

Newsweek - How Netflix Changed TV (29/04/17)

Business Insider - How Netflix is Killing traditional TV (06/01/15)

Steve Hewlett – Will Netflix really steal traditional TV’s crown? (12/06/16)

Dan Gilmore - Ways of watching: How technology is changing our TV habits

(15/02/13)

Erin Dwyer – Ready, Set, Binge (17/11/17)

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