Why linear programming will bring more viewers to Netflix’s content
What happens when an a la carte service delivers a set menu? Netflix’s foray into linear programming has Paykel Media managing director Sarah Keith intrigued.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the free to air TV industry should be feeling very flattered by a recent move by the streaming giant Netflix.
In November, Netflix France announced the launch of Netflix Direct, a subscriber-only linear channel that will show French, international and US feature films and TV series. It represents Netflix’s first foray into real-time, scheduled programming. It also prompts an obvious question: why has a company whose entire brand is built around reinventing television adopted a viewing experience that dates back to the 1950s?
Netflix is the antithesis of linear viewing. Its business model is built on giving people the ability to choose when and how they want to watch its content. It doesn’t “schedule” content in the way linear broadcasters do; it puts content on its platform and lets the viewer decide.
So why is the king of streaming stealing a strategy from an old, tradition-bound rival?
