Tag: netflix

Reversing Decisions

Netflix recently announced
they planned to force subscribers
to log in from their home location
once a month.
This was an effort
to reduce password sharing.

It backfired horrendously.
And Netflix hastily
reversed that decision.

Because THAT is what
leaders often have to do.

We make hundreds, thousands
of decisions.

Some of them will be wrong decisions.

We have to reverse those bad decisions
or risk destroying our businesses.

We can blame it
on a tech blooper,
as Netflix did,
or on an imaginary intern
or something else
to save a bit of our pride.

But those decisions
have to be reversed.

Embrace that prospect.

Accept that it WILL happen.

While building our businesses,
we WILL have to
reverse decisions.

Markets Talk To Each Other

I posted yesterday
about how Netflix
is still enforcing their bizarre
password sharing rules
in Canada
after having backed down
from doing so
in the US
due to backlash.

The thing is…
markets talk
to each other.

Canadians KNOW
Netflix
is treating them
differently
than American subscribers.

The Canadians
on my social media timelines
are pissed.
And rightly so.

In this super connected
social media dominated world,
we should assume
our different markets
will talk to each other.

Prepare for that.

Fixating On A Non-Existent Problem

Netflix Canada
is cracking down
on password sharing
(they backed down
on this idiotic move
in the US).

The people using
the account
have to all reside
at the same address.

Which sounds
reasonable
except…

Netflix Canada subscribers
already pay higher rates
for more devices.

They pay per device.

Why the f*ck
does Netflix care
if those devices
are used in different households?

Their leaders are fixating
on a problem
they’ve already solved.

And they are severely damaging,
if not killing,
their company
because of this fixation.

Ask yourself
if the problem
you’re intent on solving
is truly a problem.

Focus on the TRUE problems
your business
is facing.

New Vs The Established

A friend lamented to me
that most streaming apps were terrible.
He admired Netflix more
having experienced these other apps.

The issue is…
my friend would think
Netflix was garbage
if it continued to offer
the same version
it first launched.

Netflix has been finetuning
their streaming app
for years.
They tweak and test constantly
and years of doing that
should create a great product.

New streaming apps
will never replicate Netflix.
They will always be
X years behind on the tweaks.

What they CAN do
is provide a DIFFERENT experience.
They can bring something unique
to the industry.

Me too products
will never be as good
as a constantly refined original.
Consider providing a different product.