From BC New Media
Jump to: navigation, search

Netflix

Netflix logo.png


Netflix's success as a streaming service has not only been instrumental to the television industry, but has also contributed to a new media as a whole, and its progression(regardless of the medium) to become multi platform accessible, in order to reach an “always on the go” audience.

With more than 30 million streaming members in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, The Nordics, Ireland, Japan, Benelux and Latin America, Netflix has become the leading internet streaming service provider in the world. Netflix initially began as an internet DVD rental and selling service in 1997 and it actually wasn’t until 2008, eleven years later, that Netflix began to offer users who were on an unlimited plan online streaming of television shows and movies. Since then Netflix has grown exponentially offering subscribers a vast and extensive variety of programming as well as original content. Netflix has become a force to be reckoned with because the service provided is unlike anything we’ve experienced.

Netflix has set such a high standard for providing content that many networks are now trying to replicate their success with a similar multi platform strategy. What has set Netflix apart from all other streaming companies is the fact that there is no commercials or ads that interrupt content while it is being watched. Hulu is an example of a competitor which has multiple commercial breaks throughout each episode play through. Netflix in some cases grants the viewer the ability to watch every single episode of a television show by releasing them all at once. Hulu on the other hand requires the viewer to wait when the show airs live, before it can be viewed on their platform.

Netflix provides a second life for shows that people may have initially missed out on when it was originally being broadcast. They also brought back programs that were cancelled with new original content like Arrested Development. A drawback of Netflix is that it could take a while before new shows from television will appear on its service.

Despite starting out as a rental by mail company, Netflix has evolved into a streaming service that has transcended the television landscape. What’s even more astonishing is the fact that an unknown number of accounts are being shared amongst numerous people. Imagine it’s not too crazy to consider that if Netflix offered only one user per account, their subscription numbers could possibly be doubled. When it comes to having choices for what to watch, do or if you should even go out to the movies, the growing consensus seems to be there is no place better to go than right in front of your television (as evidenced by the recognition shows like House of Cards and Orange is the new Black have earn from the Emmy's). The options for programming doesn’t change regardless of the day or time (unless new content is added or licenses expire within their current selection). We as viewers are given the power to create our own television or ime-time schedule on any given day.


Network Exclusives


Stranger Things (2016)- A recent sci-fi hit, providing a unique story of young kids, who end up reenacting their nights of "dungeons and dragons" through real life ordeals involving saving their best friend from the grasp of an extraterrestrial being from another dimension.

Orange is The New Black (2013- )- Critically acclaimed tales of inmates within a woman's prison. The diverse cast provides deep character interaction and growth as they progress their relationships with fellow inmates and the realities that resulted in their imprisonment.

Bojack Horseman (2014- )- An animated dark-comedy where the lead role is given to a washed up ex-sitcom star, voiced by Will Arnett. The world is an odd mixture of animal and human characters experiencing challenges and ridiculous scenarios in Hollywood, California.

Black Mirror (2011- )- Originally aired on BBC, this sci-fi thriller is a critically acclaimed modern day Twilight Zone, featuring the modern and futuristic application of technology, showing the immense possibilities of great achievements in technology, and the haunting possibilities that accompany them.

Narcos (2015- ) - A hit series based on the infamous Pablo Escobar, a Columbian drug cartel leader involved in immense violence, politics, and drugs.

Daredevil (2015- ) - Netflix's first Marvel exclusive title, following the comic book anti-hero Daredevil, a blind vigilante crime fighter who uses his remaining senses to keep Hell's Kitchen safe.

House of Cards (2013- )- Award winning Netflix Original, staring Kevin Spacey as the lead role of Frank Underwood. The story follows a surreal politician who often speaks to the audience while scheming his way through the ranks of modern day Washington D.C.

Fuller House (2016-)- Revival of ABC Family's 'Full House', D.J., now widow and a mother to three sons, finds herself back in her childhood home alongside her sister Stephanie, an aspiring musician, and her lifelong friend Kimmy Gibbler, who is also a single mother. All under one roof, the women experience moments big and small together, including budding romances, holidays, parenting and life's surprises.

Hater's Back Off! (2016-) This comedy series, exclusive to Netflix, follows the oddball family life of a fictional YouTube star named Miranda Sings, a character created and portrayed by Colleen Ballinger, who also serves as an executive producer. Miranda is an incredibly confident, self-absorbed teenage singer/dancer/actor/model who is on the rise -- despite a complete and utter lack of talent. Miranda continues to luck into failing upward, fueled by her belief that she was born to be famous, even if no one else knows it yet.

13 Reasons Why (2017-) Newcomer Katherine Langford plays the role of Hannah, a young woman who takes her own life. Two weeks after her tragic death, a classmate named Clay finds a mysterious box on his porch. Inside the box are recordings made by Hannah -- on whom Clay had a crush -- in which she explains the 13 reasons why she chose to commit suicide. If Clay decides to listen to the recordings, he will find out if and how he made the list. This intricate and heart-wrenching tale is told through Clay and Hannah's dual narratives.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-) Rescued after 15 years in a cult, Kimmy Schmidt decides to reclaim her life by venturing to New York, where she experiences everyday life with wide-eyed enthusiasm. On a whim, she rents a room from Titus, a gay wannabe Broadway actor, who makes ends meet as a street performer in Times Square. The unlikely pair find they're well-suited to help each other out, with Titus reintroducing Kimmy to modern life, and her providing him with the inspiration that you should never give up. Together they'll make it through whatever life throws at them.

Grace and Frankie (2015-) For as long as they can recall, Grace and Frankie have been rivals. Their one-upmanship comes crashing to a halt, however, when they learn that their husbands have fallen in love with each other and want to get married. As everything around the ladies is coming apart, the only thing they can really rely on is each other. This Netflix original re-teams Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin ("9 to 5") as Grace and Frankie, respectively, bringing their chemistry to the small screen. It's a casting reunion on a grand scale, as Tomlin is reunited with her co-star from "The West Wing," Martin Sheen, who plays Grace's husband, Robert. And Fonda is back with Sam Waterston, her co-star from "The Newsroom," who plays Frankie's husband, Sol.



Amazon Instant Video

Amazon.png

Launching in February 2011, Amazon had launched their own exclusive streaming service. The service provides a limited array of free streaming exclusively for subscribed Amazon Prime members. Though Amazon provides the means to now rent out nearly all released titles of series and movies, the Prime exclusive library is separate and a much more limited quantity provided for Prime members. Amazon Prime provides many benefits, and this had simply been further incentive to subscribe to their membership program, as it had originally been purposed to provide a flat rate on most Amazon sponsored sales providing a free, faster option of shipping. [1]

Amazon Prime has continued to add features and further benefits for their service subscription. Amazon provides Prime services for free, or at a much lesser rate for enrolled college students [2] providing even further reason to take advantage of their streaming services, as it may provide free entertainment of a large library for students.



Network Exclusives

The Man In The High Castle (2015- )- An exclusive series based on the alternate reality of World War II. The story follows United States citizens as freedom fighters, working to regain control of the country, now occupied by the victorious Axis Powers, in this thrilling Drama.

The Grand Tour (2016- )- A spiritual successor series to the ever popular BBC original "Top Gear'. The series follows a team of Englishmen bent on testing and building vehicles of all shapes, speeds, and sizes.

Red Oaks (2014- )- A coming of age, romantic comedy story revolving around the perspective of golf course workers set in the 80's.

HBO GO

Hbo.png

Launching in February of 2010, HBO GO is thought to be a direct comparison to Netflix, but held exclusively for HBO titles, or titles produced by Time Warner Cable. The service is complimentary to already subscribed users who have paid a subscription to the use of HBO in most cable access packages. The service provides all exclusive titles produced through the network, from a range of work and many years between them. This streaming service is seen as a great convenience and alternative to Netflix[3], as even though the library is substantially smaller, holds a very wide array of critically acclaimed titles and exclusives to the network, that are often not available on any other streaming service. Though there are a few titles that are available on both Amazon Prime, and HBO GO, access may be limited and eventually be lost due to contracts of streaming rights.

HBO had later launched a service in April of 2015 called "HBO Now."[4] The service is a similar branch of the HBO network, that acts as a standalone service that provides the same exclusive streaming library, although services include immediate simultaneous streaming of premiering shows.





Network Exclusives


Band of Brothers (2015) - A dramatic, award winning miniseries retelling of World War II veterans and their experiences within their company during their fight in Europe until the end of the war.

West World (2016-) - A Western Sci-fi providing visitors of a synthetic western community the opportunity to role play as themselves and fulfill a fantasy, which leads to thrilling experiences from guests and animatronic characters.

Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014) - East coast perspective of the prohibition era, involving gangs, politics, and intense violence.

Game of Thrones (2011- ) - An intense and extremely popular series based in middle ages era of fantasy, magic, and war.

True Detective (2014- )- A dramatic look into the personalities of Detectives and the personal challenges they encounter alongside the many they wish to solve in the crimes they discover.

The Sopranos (1999-2007) Tony Soprano juggles the problems of his fractious family with those of a "Family" of a different sort - the mob. He sees a therapist to deal with his professional and personal problems, which bring on panic attacks. He deals with personal and professional power struggles, affairs, violence, the threat of exposure and betrayal, and a whole bunch of people being whacked.

Six Feet Under (2001-2005) Laced with irony and dark situational humor, the show approaches the subject of death through the eyes of the Fisher family, who owns and operates a funeral home in Los Angeles. Peter Krause stars as Nate, who reluctantly becomes a partner in the funeral home after his father's death.

Hulu

Photo-4.jpg

Hulu another popular streaming service was launched in 2008 and offers hundreds of thousands of hours of the best of current season programming, premium original content, films and full seasons of hit series to subscribers. [5] There are currently nearly 12 million subscribers to Hulu and over 700 million hours of streamed content. Unlike other streaming services Hulu's standard subscription price doesn't rid the viewer of seeing ads. They do however, offer another subscription where you can pay more to watch Hulu ad free.








Network Exclusives

Difficult People (2015- ) -Follows two best friends who live in New York City, where their typical, irreverent behavior land them in some very awkward situations.

The Mindy Project (2015- ) -Tells the story of a skilled OB/GYN navigating the tricky waters of both her personal and professional life.

The Path (2016- ) - Follows a family at the center of a controversial cult movement as they struggle with relationships, faith and power.


Streaming Devices

There are a variety of devices that you can stream all the aforementioned services on:


Roku

Roku.jpg

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon-fire-tv-stick-header.jpg

Apple TV

Appletv.jpg
The Apple TV costs a mere $100 and allows you to play Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and Amazon Content along with any content purchased from Apple or iTunes. In an Apple world, The Apple TV also allows streaming from screen to screen from any iPhone, iPad, or Mac Computer. Games like 'Song Pop Party' can be played on the Apple TV when synchronized with Apple iPhones. In an Apple world, THIS is a MUST HAVE!


Many gaming systems such as the Playstation 4, Xbox, and Nintendo Wii can be used as streaming devices as well.

References

1. http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/11/media/nielsen-report-netflix-amazon-hulu/ 2. http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/netflix_statistics-facts/>

3. http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Internet-Streaming-Service-Offer-Top-Cable-Channels-Cheap-69307.html

4. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/netflix-inc-history

5. https://www.engadget.com/2011/02/22/amazon-launches-prime-instant-videos-unlimited-streaming-for-pr/

6. https://www.cnet.com/news/hbo-launches-netflix-rival/

7. https://www.hulu.com/press/about