Branding in Paid Video Streaming, Amazon 4Q22 Earnings (Daily Update)
Hello everyone. We will begin today's update with one topic from yesterday that deserves more attention: branding in video streaming. Branding will gain importance as competition intensifies. The discussion will then turn to Amazon earnings. We go over Neil’s thoughts on the company’s 4Q22 earnings release and conference call.
Let's jump right in.
Branding in Paid Video Streaming
One of the more controversial debates in paid video streaming has been found with branding.
A few years ago, Bob Greenblatt, formerly of WarnerMedia, claimed Netflix lacked a brand:
“It's just a place you go to get anything -- it's like Encyclopedia Britannica. That's a great business model when you're trying to reach as many people on the planet as you can."
At the time, his comments lit a firestorm in various streaming circles. Some people thought he was right while others thought he was clueless. My view was that he was more right than wrong. Greenblatt was referring to Netflix not having any discernible content branding. While Netflix has had hit shows, the service was known more as a destination for consuming general video entertainment. “Watch Netflix” was used by some to simply mean watch TV.
HBO wrapped its brand around marquee shows. Say HBO and “Game of Thrones” or “Succession” probably comes to mind.
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