Happy Friday!
This week, Netflix announced that it is launching a new business model - it will be rolling out a freemium version of its product to viewers in Kenya, as a way to let them sample its premium library before making a purchase decision. Could this experiment foretell the introduction of freemium for all, or even a foray into AVOD at some point?
Last month, we speculated that if Netflix was going to make a move into live content, it would start with sport. This week, in an interview with Der Spiegel Reed Hastings dropped another hint that this may come to pass. The popular Netflix series F1: Drive to Survive has been largely credited with significantly growing the F1 fan base in the US. ESPN currently airs live F1 in the US, but with ESPN's rights to the live sport expiring at the end of 2022, will Netflix be among the bidders for this lucrative property? If so, Netflix will need to embrace a form of content over which it has no control - the recent Belgian Grand Prix for example, was delayed for over three hours due to unsafe weather conditions, and when it eventually got underway, only lasted for a couple of laps.
At Rerun, we are fascinated to see how Netflix would change the game when it comes to the production of live events, just as they did with drama, by dropping entire seasons of original content on the same day, something that we now take for granted. If it were up to us it would (of course) be through the introduction of interactive graphics. 😁
In other news this week, congratulations go to our customer WaterBear which has released its first Original feature length film Youth Unstoppable which documents the struggles and events of the Global Youth Climate Movement. Through the WaterBear Connect interactive layer, viewers can get involved and take action to support the movement.
Until next week!
Here’s the tech behind the Carolina Panthers’ giant AR cat
And finally...
It's not every day you get to see a giant virtual panther leaping around Bank of America Stadium!
During the first Sunday of the 2021 NFL season, the mascot (a virtual cat) of the NFL's Carolina Panthers made its debut by jumping into the stadium, shredding its opponent flag and then leaving with a roar. The Verge explains the technology behind the giant AR cat and it is an interesting one!