“Suits” was the most-streamed title of 2023 — an indication that licensed content material is right here to remain.
According to third-party score service Nielsen, the USA Network sequence was considered for almost 58 billion minutes final yr after it spent 12 consecutive weeks on the prime of Nielsen’s viewership charts.
Netflix (NFLX) acquired the drama in July. It’s additionally available to stream on Comcast’s Peacock (CMCSA).
The resurgence of licensed content material appears to have introduced the streaming wars full circle after firms spent billions to create unique IP in a bid to edge out opponents and entice subscribers.
Although Netflix has definitely led that cost — the corporate lately revealed 45% of all viewing on Netflix stemmed from licensed titles from January to June 2023 — it is actively shut down licensing out its personal content material.
“Our massive subscriber base and our suggestion system [knew] to place ‘Suits’ in entrance of people that had been going adore it probably the most,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos stated on a name with reporters late final yr. “I don’t suppose that that essentially would occur in reverse. I do suppose that we are able to add worth after we license content material. I’m not constructive that that is reciprocal.”
Disney (DIS) has been one competitor embracing the change.
ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” has been extremely profitable on Netflix whereas Disney acquired the worldwide broadcasting rights to “Bluey,” the No. 2 most-viewed acquired title, from BBC Studios in 2019.
However, just like Netflix’s refusal to license out its unique sequence, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated throughout the firm’s latest earnings name that core manufacturers like Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars and all doubtless off-limits as they provide “actual aggressive benefits” and are “differentiators” for the corporate.
But analysts have described that considering as a double-edged sword, citing excessive debt masses and streaming profitability challenges.
Read extra right here.
