Learner Resource 2

Comprehension actitivites: The impact of digital technologies – Is Netflix changing TV?

YouTube VIDEO SOURCE A

Newsweek - How Netflix Changed TV (29/04/17) 2.56 mins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL6zNexyt8o

Task

• Watch the short video and answer the questions below.
• You will need to stop and start the video where necessary in order to answer all of the questions.

1. What happened to Netflix in April 2017

2. Which companies does Netflix now have more subscribers than?

3. How many countries is Netflix available in?

4. Which countries is Netflix not available in and why might this be?

5. Where do half of Netflix’s subscribers, 50 million, come from?

6. When was Netflix founded, who by and where?

7. What did Netflix begin as and how did it change the service?

8. When did Netflix expand into Internet video on demand (VOD)?

9. What was revolutionary about the way they offered viewing?

10. How did this new model of viewing (binge-watching) help shows that may have otherwise struggled to be aired?

11. What has helped Netflix’s growth?

12. What were some of the problems that Netflix had?

13. What was Netflix’s solutions to these problems?

14. What was Netflix’s first original show and when was it launched?

15. How did House of Cards make history?

16. What else did the drama show in terms of cast and crew?

17. By 2016, how many original programmes a year was Netflix producing?

18. How many awards have they won?

19. How are competitors trying to address Netflix’s place in the market?

20. How does Netflix plan to stand out from the crowd?

YouTube VIDEO SOURCE B

Business Insider - How Netflix is Killing traditional TV (06/01/15) 2.34 mins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBafi8PsaHo

Task: Watch the short video and answer the questions below.

1. What does DVR and VOD allow viewers?

2. What is ‘our future’ for watching TV?

3. Which company has been the most disruptive to the traditional TV model?

4. Is Netflix a perfect substitute for traditional TV?

5. Why do audiences have fewer reasons to be tied to their cable box or TV?

6. Pay per view (PPV) TV subscribers have fallen by how many since 2013?

7. How many subscribers have Netflix increased since 2013?

8. How many worldwide subscribers were Netflix predicted to reach in 2017?

9. What is the main reason given for the prediction that Netflix audiences will grow?

10. What will happen to linear and cable TV?

WRITTEN SOURCE 1

The Guardian

Steve Hewlett – Will Netflix really steal traditional TV’s crown? (12/06/16)

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/12/will-netflix-really-steal-traditional-tvs-crown

Task: Read the article and answer the questions below.

1. What 4 reasons are given to explain how Netflix can be seen to be an Internet era success story?

2. What is it about TV that Netflix suggests people don’t love?

3. How are the changes Netflix are making ‘revolutionary’?

4. Has Netflix had the same impact on traditional TV viewing in the UK as it has in the US?

5. What 4 reasons or statistics are given to show how UK viewing preferences for Netflix and traditional, linear TV compare?

6. How much have Netflix spent on content and original content respectively?

7. What is Netflix’s ‘strategic vulnerability’?

8. Which 2 factors are at play that, according to the writer of the article, do not go in Netflix’s favour?

WRITTEN SOURCE 2:

The Guardian

Dan Gilmore - Ways of watching: How technology is changing our TV habits (15/02/13)

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/feb/15/ways-watching-technology-television

Task: Read the article and answer the questions below.

1. What is ‘time-shifting’ and why might audiences like it?

2. How does ‘binge-watching’ help audiences catch up with popular dramas?

3. What does the writer prefer to call ‘binge-watching’?

4. In which 2 ways does ‘immersive viewing’ (time-shifting/binge-watching) affect traditional TV models?

5. What/who does the writer compare the ‘next general of professional motion picture storytellers’ to?

6. How does the long form TV series House of Cards fit into the format of ‘unlimited story cycles’?

7. What does this shift in the way we view TV bring for audiences?

8. What has new digital technology enabled with Video on Demand?

9. Why is the writer worried about issues of privacy and streaming?

WRITTEN SOURCE 3:

Netflix Media Centre

Erin Dwyer – Ready, Set, Binge (17/11/17)

https://media.netflix.com/en/press-releases/ready-set-binge-more-than-8-million-viewers-binge-race-their-favorite-series

Task: Read the article and answer the questions below.

1. How has Netflix changed the way the world engages with stories?

2. What kind of fan has this given rise to?

3. What characterises the ‘binge-racer’?

4. How many members have chosen to ‘binge-race’ on Netflix?

5. Which kinds of content do binge racers like to watch?

6. Are differences in consumption preferences dependent on where the viewer is globally? Give some examples in your answer.

7. Which country has the most binge-racers and what is the most ‘binged’ drama?

8. List 5 of the top 20 binge raced shows that you have seen.  Is your set product in the top 20 list?

9. What are the top 5 countries for binge racing?

10. Why has the concept of binge racing grown more than 20 times in the last 4 years? What reasons can you give for this?

The impact of digital technology – Is Netflix changing TV?

Feedback Grid

You have now considered a number of different ideas about the ways in which digital technologies, and Netflix as an example of an online streaming platform, can be seen to change how long form TV dramas are broadcast and viewed by audiences.

Use the grid below to record the 5 key points about technology, Netflix, TV viewing and some of the issues associated with this from each of the 5 sources we have studied.