July 23, 2024, 6:14 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Major streaming providers like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Wow have long divided the market among themselves. The choice of service for customers primarily depends on the content offered. But how does a streaming service decide what to include in its lineup?
Greater flexibility is one reason many people no longer use traditional TV and prefer streaming services. The second important aspect is the content, which differs significantly from linear TV. However, as subscription costs soar, the overall package must be right. It’s no longer enough for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and others to simply offer as much content as possible. The selection of streaming providers is increasingly crucial for future subscribers.
Who streams what? Is it exclusive, or is it available on another platform? Which movies and series are must-sees? TECHBOOK asked streaming providers about the criteria they use to curate their offerings and what they prioritize. Amazon Prime Video, Joyn, RTL+, and Sky (or WOW) responded.
Overview
More Exclusive Originals
Most streaming services now rely on three pillars: original productions—known as Originals—exclusively acquired titles, and non-exclusive acquired titles. The Originals pillar is becoming increasingly important because this original content remains exclusively available on the respective platform and significantly contributes to brand identity. The processes for shaping these three pillars are quite similar across all services.
Joyn and RTL+ work closely with those responsible for TV programming, as the content often also airs on the linear TV channels of their own group. For license acquisition, they also collaborate with other broadcasters. There is significantly less pressure on streaming services compared to TV programming. In TV, there is a rivalry built over years for target audiences; Joyn and RTL+ are much freer in this regard.
This opens up entirely new creative possibilities for Originals. They can specifically fill the free sections with new, sometimes experimental content for a younger audience and also incorporate other media like social networks.
More Market-Specific Content
At Sky and Amazon, which generally operate more internationally, there are national creative teams. The streaming providers emphasize developing more German formats for the German market. This trend has been observed in recent years with series like “Dark” on Netflix or recently with “Maxton Hall” on Amazon Prime Video. The highest quality standards apply; German productions should be on par with major American ones. The international success of “Maxton Hall” certainly confirms this ambition.
Sky and Amazon also highlighted sports, both live and in their media libraries, as another important pillar. The fact that Joyn and RTL+ now also show individual sports events demonstrates interest in this approach. Here, too, they closely monitor market demand and target audiences, so in Germany, for example, a lot of soccer, the number one popular sport, is broadcast.
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The Audience Is King
All streaming services surveyed by TECHBOOK emphasized that customer feedback is taken very seriously when selecting new series and movies for their lineup. There are various systems in place. At Amazon, for example, user star ratings determine whether a series is continued or not. While other surveyed services do not offer a comparable rating system, Joyn has established interactive formats like “Knossis Kingdom.” In this game show, viewers can influence the show’s design through voting. On Netflix, titles can be rated with thumbs up or down.
In general, streaming providers focus significantly on a younger audience. This is inherent to the medium, as primarily 14- to 34-year-olds use video streaming services. Young viewers can also directly establish a brand connection.
Series Are Valued More Than Movies
In line with the medium and the younger audience, the general emphasis of streaming providers in program selection leans more toward series. These have a longer shelf life than movies and are usually less complex to produce per episode than a film. Additionally, movies typically last two hours, while a series, even with just one season, runs significantly longer. Users return to the streaming service more frequently to watch individual episodes of a season. Netflix has already announced plans to produce fewer movies in the future. Overall, all surveyed streaming providers place a strong emphasis on serial storytelling in their most important Originals.
For instance, Amazon Prime Video began producing its own series in 2013, but its first film followed only in 2015. The first German film original, “One Night Off,” was released as late as 2021. The situation is similar with other streaming providers. Joyn has so far focused exclusively on series, shows, and multi-part documentaries for its Originals. At Sky, too, the list of self-produced series is significantly longer than that of films. However, series Originals also entail high production costs for streaming providers, and the success of expensive series is not always guaranteed.