A Case Study of How Netflix Adapts Its Development Strategy to the Media System in Canada

Zhengqing Yan

doi:10.54691/bcpssh.v19i.1624

Authors

Zhengqing Yan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/bcpssh.v19i.1624

Keywords:

Netflix, development strategy, media system, media policies, Canada

Abstract

In recent years, streaming media services such as Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube have been widely used. Netflix, as a representative platform, is a powerful cultural force rising with the emergence of streaming media technology. Streaming media platforms abandon the linear mode of traditional TV and adopt the new mode of multi-channel interaction and digital production, continuing to contribute its unique advantages to high TV ratings. Netflix, headquartered in the United States, has started its global expansion and entered Canada, France, and other countries. In the process of its expansion, Netflix designed its unique global expansion strategy and obtained high-quality target consumers in various streaming media markets. This study will critically explore how Netflix adapts its development strategy to fit into Canadian media systems and policies. This study argues that in order to meet the requirements of the Canadian government, Netflix has made two prominent changes in its development strategy at the content level. First, Netflix has increased the production of local content in Canada and presented some original content in French. Secondly, Netflix is striving to improve its degree of globalization and breaking geographical restrictions to achieve subscribers’ access to equivalent content around the world.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Barker, C., & Wiatrowski, M. (2017). The age of Netflix: critical essays on streaming media, digital delivery and instant access. McFarland. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id= 39g1DwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=netflix+streaming&ots=X9kiAxBkCA&sig=zhpXyiqbXKxfi9Kc2Z6GzgERlXU#v=onepage&q=netflix%20streaming&f=false.

Bröker, L. C. (2022). 30% European content–A study on policy discourses, news media frames and algorithmic awareness with regard to the EU quota at the case of the SVOD platform Netflix. [Master's thesis, Universitat Pompeu Fabra]. https://repositori.upf.edu/handle/10230/52283.

Burroughs, B. (2019). House of Netflix: Streaming media and digital lore. Popular Communication, 17(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/15405702.2017.1343948.

Canadian Heritage. (2017, September 28). “Launch of Netflix Canada: A Recognition of Canada’s Creative Track Record in Creating Films and Television.” Accessed September 28, 2017. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/news/2017/09/launch_of_netflixcanadaarecognitionofcanadascreativetalentandits.html.

Davis, S. (2021). What is Netflix imperialism? Interrogating the monopoly aspirations of the ‘World's largest television network’. Information, Communication & Society, 21, 1-16. https: // doi.org / 10.1080 / 1369118X.2021.1993955.

Davis, C., & Zboralska, E. (2017). Transnational over-the-top media distribution as a business and policy disruptor: The case of Netflix in Canada. The Journal of Media Innovations, 4(1), 4-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.5617/jmi.v4i1.2423.

Kwong, M. (2015, January 7). Netflix geoblocking in Canada ‘a game of whack-a-mole’. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/netflix-geoblocking-in-canada-a-game-of-whack-a-mole-1.2890915.

Lamkhede, S., & Das, S. (2019). Challenges in search on streaming services: Netflix case study. In Proceedings of the 42nd International ACM SIGIR Conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval, 1371-1374. https://doi.org/10.1145/3331184.3331440.

Liedtke, M. (2016, January 6). Netflix expands into 130 more countries. Toronto Star. http: // www.thestar.com/business / 2016 /01/06/netflix-goes-global.html.

Lotz, A. D. (2021). In between the global and the local: Mapping the geographies of Netflix as a multinational service. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 24(2), 195-215. https: // doi.org / 10.1177 /1367877920953166.

Onyusheva, I., & Baker, A. S. (2021). Netflix: A Case Study on International Business Strategy Development. Journal on Global Socio-economic Dynamics, 6(31), 40-52. https: // euraseans.com / index.php / journal/article/view/288/327.

Rataul, P., Tisch, D., & Zámborský, P. (2018). Netflix: Dynamic capabilities for global success. SAGE Publications, Ltd. https://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781526439871.

Schnitzer, B. (2019). Netflix: Canadian (dis)content. Competing sovereignties and the cultural politics of cultural policy. American Review of Canadian Studies, 49(1), 85-104. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 02722011.2019.1572205.

Schweizer, C., Puppis, M., Künzler, M., & Studer, S. (2014). Blast from the past? A comparative analysis of broadcast licensing in the digital era. Journal of Information Policy, 4(1), 507-528. https://doi.org/10.5325/jinfopoli.4.2014.507.

Steel, E. (2015). Netflix accelerates ambitious global expansion as U.S. growth slows. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/21/business/media/netflix-earnings.html.

Walker, R., Jeffery, M., So, L., Sriram, S., Nathanson, J., Ferreira, J., & Feldmeier, J. (2017). Netflix leading with data: The emergence of data-driven video. Kellogg School of Management Cases. https://doi.org/10.1108/case.kellogg.2016.000232.

Wu, X., & Zhou, J. (2021). The influential factors of developing better in the global stream media market: An analysis of Netflix. Proceedings of the 2021 International Conference on Public Relations and Social Sciences, USA 586, 177-183. https://www.atlantis-press.com/article/125961774.pdf.