Levelling up: why Netflix and TikTok are turning to gaming to secure their future
In this cross-posting from The Conversation, Bond University’s James Birt and Darren Paul Fisher writes that Netflix and TikTok were both first-movers, but unlike larger businesses they haven’t diversified their services very much. It seems they’re starting with gaming.
The streaming wars are heating up. In March, Disney delayed the release date of Obi-Wan Kenobi to May 27 to coincide with the launch of Netflix’s top show, Stranger Things. This on the back of Google’s announcement YouTube Shorts had matched TikTok’s 1.5 billion subscribers in the short-form video market.
Facing increased competition, falling subscriber numbers and loss of content, Netflix and TikTok are having to diversify. And for this they’re turning to games. With more than three billion players worldwide, and an estimated market share of US$200 billion, the gaming industry is both popular and lucrative.
Netflix introduced mobile gaming last year for all its subscribers. This included two notable Stranger Things tie-ins. Meanwhile, TikTok has offered games to select users since 2019 and seems very likely to expand these offerings.
