The Problem: Netflix has too much choice and doesn’t raise enough money for charity.
The Solution: Netflix should create channels in addition to its on-demand choice, and should offer the option of adverts where revenue is donated to charity.
After a long day at work, I sat down to watch some Netflix with dinner to relax. My problem, which seems to be shared by many, was knowing what to choose. It took twenty minutes to decide and the choice ended up disappointing.
Yes, it was great there were no adverts, but actually an advert would have been worth the sacrifice to be offered up something to watch there and then, just like with terrestrial TV. And I’d have happily watched one at the start if it helped to raise money for charity.
My solution is therefore a two-for-one. To make Netflix better, by making it easier to simply turn on and watch something already set out, Netflix should create channels, just like normal TV, that people can watch live. When they tune into a programme, they can press a button to start again from the beginning, or just keep watching. This uses the BBC EastEnders formula, that people like not to bother too much choosing, and will just follow what they are given, hence whichever show was after EastEnders would usually get very good viewing figures as people would not switch.
By having shows running live, it helps reduce the vast array of choice for people, and they can tune into something and have a watch. It also helps to find something that otherwise they might not come across: for example, choosing the documentary channel and coming across an interesting show about dinosaurs.
Having a live showing of programmes also helps with social media chatter, as people can be sharing comments on something they watch simultaneously. Films could therefore be released at specific times of day, on the film channel, helping to drive publicity and leverage social media chatter, and offering more of a cinema experience, while people would still not miss out as they could watch at a later time.
While no adverts is a major advantage of Netflix, it also misses an opportunity for revenue and, interestingly, for charitable donations. When someone has committed to spending time watching Netflix, their time is not that valuable – having a 30 second advert at the start of a show for many would be a mild inconvenience, or could even be useful information if the advert was relevant.
Given that people struggle to donate to charities, giving a bit extra of their time to watch an advert in exchange for the revenue going to charity could be a great way to solve that problem. For every advert someone watched on Netflix they would receive a coin, and could then choose which charity to donate those coins to, much like the Amazon Smile programme does. It would probably only be a few pounds a year per person, but for zero effort and across the millions of worldwide viewers, it could create a massive impact. It also offers a positive role for advertisers, to be seen not only to sell products but also support good causes.
Comments