OTT platforms or Over-The-Top platforms have gained popularity across the globe, especially since the pandemic. OTT services allow access to all the contents including movies, TV shows and other forms of entertainment through the help of the internet.
The advent of OTT platforms has bypassed the requirement of cable and satellite systems for streaming. Today these services can be accessed through any electronic devices that are connected to the internet including computers, set-top boxes, smart TVs etc.
For a long period of time, content creation through OTT platforms has been largely out of the ambit of any form of censorship. Therefore these platforms have been able to showcase content that was controversial and groundbreaking.
As the popularity of these OTT platforms increased and the inflow of content in them increased, the government decided to step in. In February 2021, the government of India notified the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 so as to control the contents of these online platforms.
The regulations have a self-regulatory architecture with a three-tier grievance redressal system. In the first level, it is their self-regulation by their expected entities followed by the self-regulation that is exercised by the regulating bodies of these entities and then an oversight mechanism carried out by the central government.
One of the main reasons why the IT rules were introduced was because of the immense impact that various OTT platforms and social media had on the citizens of India. According to the government, these regulations are to keep an accountable control over the spread of dissent material, pornographic and other immoral and illegal activities as represented through these platforms. Moreover, it is also an attempt to reduce the menace of fake news.
As far as the OTT platforms in the light of the new IT rules are concerned, they were supposed to bring in a lot of changes including self-regulation into their ambit.
One of the changes that they ought to bring is the age verification mechanism that has to be done for content that is classified as ‘A’. These platforms have to follow a prescribed code of ethics, classify their content as universal, adult et cetera and develop an oversight mechanism that functions under the supervision of the information and broadcasting ministry.
One of the major reasons that OTT platforms and social media have got popular in the last few years is because of the fearless, safe space for the consumers. It has become a site for prolific content creation and self-expression. It cannot be denied that such freedom has had its own negative impact on the consumers of this content. However, blanket control over these mediums in itself cannot be healthy.
When there is government supervision over what is being done, it was only inevitable that there will be an ideological bias at different levels. It can have an adverse impact on the creative freedom of the respective creators directly and indirectly.
Subsequently, those daring contents that used to reflect the realities of society will have to take a back seat. One cannot ignore the extent of control that these regulations exercise the right to dissent.
Although the government has deemed these rules as progress and liberal, the rules also insist that the Significant Social Media (SSM) should remove the ‘unlawful’ contents within 36 hours of raising the issue. These rules are not only applicable to social media like WhatsApp and Twitter but also the OTT platforms.
Decreasing Charm of OTT Platforms
As far as the OTT platforms are concerned, one needs to look at the future of their USP. A thing that made these platforms stand apart was the variety and nature of the contents. They were not available through the general cable TV channels nor in theatres.
These platforms have become conduits of bringing quality content into the living rooms of interested audiences. They were developing as a democratic platform wherein people without a well-established fan base can pitch in their content in an efficient manner. However, with the imposition of ethical moral codes on the OTT platforms, these distinct features are going to be blurred.
A Popular Web series on Netflix – Sacred Games
There will be only one-sided, supervised and biased content that won’t have anything much to offer. Over time, we can witness the OTT platforms becoming just another replica of all the censored contents that were available before the advent of these platforms.
According to Sidharth Anand Kumar, the Vice President of Saregama Films and Events, “OTT is getting more popular and becoming a mass medium, there needs to be an onus placed upon makers and businesses to adhere to certain norms of civility but it is a slippery slope. Stories are a reflection of our life and times, and excessive censorship makes them seem fake and unreal, which drives audiences away due to a lack of authenticity. I’ve always felt that proper certification and even “trigger warnings” are a much better way to protect the interests of the business as well as the creative community and audiences”. However, these opinions become a feeble cry as long as the word ‘censorship’ is loosely defined.
Revenue generation is the most important part of a company’s sustenance, the OTT platforms will have to rely more on the advertisements than on content curation in itself.
Censorship v\s Quelling Dissent
The Information and Broadcasting ministry has made their rationale very clear to the citizens/ They believe that “All media must have the same justice system”.
It was when the idea of self-regulation by digital platforms failed that the government decided to step in to develop an institutional mechanism for the newly sprouted media. However, the ways in which the authenticity and freedom of content creation will be put in a tough spot is very evident with the extent of banned shows and series that had good viewership earlier.
One of the major examples is the pulling down of the popular series called ‘Bad Boy Billionaires’ from Netflix. The idea of censorship should be differentiated from the right to dissent. If not used categorically the OTT regulations can be misused as a way to water down opposing opinions in the name of censorship.
It is true that all media platforms should be under some control and oversight mechanism to prevent the spread of xenophobic and anti-national content. However, it should be clearly negotiated through very relevant aspects like freedom of expression and creative independence.
FAQs
What are OTT rules?
OTT rules are IT Rules introduced by the Indian government to regulate the content on ott platfomrs.
Is there any censorship on the OTT platform in India?
Yes, IT rules were introduced in 2021 to regulate OTT platforms.
Why should OTT not be censored?
OTT platfomrs should not be censored as it will end the creative freedom of ott platfomrs and will interfere with the content that viewers will consume.
The entertainment industry has evolved drastically over the last few years owing to the streaming websites, with growing choices for accessing content online. Digital media has made its way through a remarkable evolution over the last few decades. New platforms and streaming sites have emerged that allow movie/series lovers to watch video content over the Internet.
The growth of online streaming changed the multimedia and entertainment ecosystem. Several names come to mind when talking about online streaming but no one can beat Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. These are one of the widely used video streaming services and people’s favorite choice.
With online Streaming sites coming into a discussion, the inevitable question of which of them is the best also comes into the picture. There is a multitude of content to watch on the Internet depending on the taste of the viewers.
Netflix is an online streaming video-on-demand subscription service which provides its viewers to access to a massive list of movies and TV shows from around the world for a nominal monthly or annual fee.
It was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph, the entertainment company has grown from a DVD mail-order service to a global Internet TV sensation. Netflix has undergone several ups and downs since its inception in 1997 but evolved dramatically over the years to become the global leader of mainstream media. It’s the most common digital name today.
Amazon Prime Video is a digital subscription-based video-on-demand streaming service owned and operated by Amazon that offers a myriad of movies, TV shows, documentaries, comedy specials, and so on. It costs INR 999 a year which allows viewers to enjoy unlimited video streaming and ad-free music on the top of Amazon-exclusive deals plus free two-day shipping after a 30-day free trial.
Streaming sites in Indian Market Share
Netflix vs Amazon Prime
Netflix
Amazon Prime video
Netflix broadcasts 4k and HDR content and it excels in video and sound quality making it stand out
Amazon Prime Video fails to play high-resolution HD content on low-speed connection
You can only stream movies or TV series on it
You can get other benefits such as Amazon Prime Music and faster Amazon delivery
Netflix supports wide range of devices including gaming consoles
Amazon Prime does not support Gaming consoles
Netflix has extensive library of titles including several renowned in-house documentaries as well as series
The library and content of Amazon Prime isn’t as extensive as compared to Netflix
Netflix is more expensive. In India, Netflix’s mobile plan starts at INR 199 and goes upto INR 799 per month
Prime is cheaper than Netflix. Users are charged INR 999 annually and INR 129 monthly for Prime
Just 897 Netflix movies are not rated
31,066 of Amazon Prime’s movies are not Rated, which means the movies are too old for rating or are too small to go through the rating process
Netflix provides limited downloads to the user
Amazon Prime Vidoe does not limit the user for the video downloads
It’s always about good content. Both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have more than their fair share of amazing content. In Netflix’s case is House of Cards, Narcos, Orange Is the New Black, The Crown,BoJack Horseman, and Daredevil, to name just a few of its Originals.
On Amazon Prime, you got Bosch, The Man in the High Castle, Transparent, Mr. Robot,Hand of God, American Gods, Sneaky Pete, and many more. A particular show in mind will push the viewer towards a particular site.
When it comes to movies, Netflix caters an evolving catalogue of classics, relatively new movies, and some exclusive indie films. Amazon Prime Video also offers up a similar catalogue but it’s more focused on TV shows than films. Note that Prime Video also requires you to pay to watch some films despite having a Prime membership.
The total amount of TV shows and films available on both services continuously gets updated and evolve from time to time.
For a college student with a valid .edu address, one can pay just INR 499 per year for Amazon Prime. Everyone else has to pay INR 129 per month for Amazon Prime. Prime customers can use up to 3 screens at a time.
Netflix charges INR 199 – INR 499 per month for one screen option, INR 649 month for two screens plus HD access, and INR 799 month for 4 screens plus Ultra HD access.
Amazon Prime is a bundled service. Apart from Prime Video, you also get a host of other benefits like free two-day shipping on Amazon India website, early access to Amazon sales and deals, and more. Netflix is a pure video-streaming platform.
Not just video streaming, Prime also offers music streaming services with its Prime Music. It has a music library across 12 languages – English, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Malayalam, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, and Rajasthani.
Amazon does not charge you extra for the 1080p Full HD and 4K Ultra HD resolutions on any of its plans, whereas on Netflix you have to pay for 1080p and 4K Ultra HD video quality for INR 499 monthly plan. Also, Amazon lets you stream videos on three different devices simultaneously. With Netflix, you have to pay INR 649 if you want to stream it on four devices simultaneously.
Since Prime Video also comes with free 2-day shipping for all Amazon products and sweet deals on subscription services, Amazon is the winner in this category.
Is Netflix better than Amazon Prime?
Shows offered by both the platforms offer very competitive content. Which makes it even harder to decide on which one is the best.
Over time, the meaning of the phrase “Netflix and chill” has evolved. It has gained popularity on the internet and users are actually using Netflix more to chill and enjoy the engaging content. What Netflix does is it premiers every episode of a season at once, tempting audiences to binge-watch a series upon release.
You might’ve seen everyone going crazy about shows they can’t get enough of (Black Mirror, 13 Reasons Why, Stranger Things, for starters), these are Netflix originals. The original movie selection includes 2020 Oscar nominees like The Two Popes, Marriage Story and The Irishman.
Netflix has become such a trusted source in the industry that content that shows in it are instantly boost in attention just from being on the service. So, the question is no longer whether someone wants Netflix, they already have it one way or the other.
You will find Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and similar more regional movies on Prime but not on Netflix. Netflix has a rich library of international content but regional content still needs to grow. But Netflix is also expanding in India and planning to tie-up with local production houses to produce regional content.
Last year, Netflix had mentioned its plans to launch 22 original movies and 11 series from India by 2020. Netflix’s entry into making movies and series in regional language might prove game-changing as a large part of India’s audience prefer to watch content in their native language.
However, Amazon evidently suggests that it is quantity more than quality. However, Netflix also has more titles in IMDb’s lists of the top 250 TV shows and movies, which combine user ratings and popularity to determine its rankings.
Annual Video Budget of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix
Conclusion
The cheaper plans get picked up all the time. Amazon Prime Video is an amazing service, and it saves users from buying expensive Netflix membership. On the other hand, people who do not want to compromise on the good content, they easily love Netflix.
Currently, Amazon Prime is not as entertaining as Netflix but some users are fine with it. Amazon Prime Video has more than enough content to keep the streaming habits going strong. The choice is subjective here.
Amazon Prime is cheaper compared to Netflix. Amazon Prime monthly subscription is available at INR 179 whereas for Netflix subscription price for basic plan ranges between INR 199 – INR 649.
How many subscribers does Amazon Prime Video and Netflix have?
Subscribers of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix are:
Amazon Prime Video subscriber: 21.8 million
Netflix subscribers: 5.5 million
Which country is the leading market of Netflix?
The United States is the leading market for Netflix followed by Brazil.
Which country is the leading market of Amazon Prime Video?
United Kingdom is the leading market of Amazon Prime Video.
How many shows are available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video?
Number of Movies & Shows on Netflix Vs Amazon Prime Video:
Netflix: 15,000 Movies and TV shows
Amazon Prime Video: 30,000 Prime Video Movies and TV shows
Entrepreneurs do not like to waste time at all. However, some people like watching video content to get break from their busy life. And documentaries are the gold mine for knowledge as well best for enjoying a weekend.
And luckily, there’s abundance of documentaries to stream on Netflix. As an associate enterpriser, despite what proportion you’re thinking that you recognize, there’s perpetually additional out there.
So, if you wish to remain impelled and enrich your business information, whereas obtaining your mind off coronavirus news, here are top Entrepreneur documentaries on Netflix. We suggest you some top-notch documentaries, because Netflix & Chill can obviously be changed to Netflix & Learn.
Online TV has an ample amount of business and tech documentaries and movies. The themes range from profiles of great leaders and innovators like Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Steve Jobs to the psychology behind human behavior. So, here’s a list of some of the business documentaries on Netflix.
Why entrepreneurs should watch Print That Legend? It turns your vision into reality.
This original Netflix documentary for entrepreneurs takes its viewers inside the 3-D Printing Industry. It tells about young emerging companies like MarkerBot and Formlabs as they are racing to switch 3D printing technology tour desktop and in an individuals’ life too. Building a dream from scratch and, innovative new ways of doing things in the world.
Why entrepreneurs should watch The Creative Brain? It taps into the innovative creative process of many innovators while exploring brain-bending, risk-taking ways to tap into creativity.
This Netflix business documentary is basically based on the book “The Runaway Species: How Human Creativity Remakes The World” by the author David Eagleman who himself is a neuroscientist and entrepreneur. Creativity is the basic instinct of business and this marketing documentary encourages entrepreneurship with a creative mind.
Why entrepreneurs should watch The Director: An Evolution in Three Acts? It pulls back the curtain on one of the world’s greatest fashion brand Gucci.
This Netflix documentary takes you behind the scenes of world-greatest fashion house GUCCI. It gives a glimpse of the career of Frida Giannini, the Italian fashion designer and creative director of Gucci.
The documentary follows, how a collection goes from concept to runway to closets and the infinite complexity of a process that most of us take for granted when we pick up a dress-up from the rack. Its a must watch documentary on Netflix for every entrepreneur who wants to get into fashion industry.
Why entrepreneurs should watch I Am Bolt? Inspiration to follow your dreams and aspire more.
This is considered one of the best business documentaries on Netflix, it is about Usain Bolt who is a pioneer of Athletics and a global sports legend. One of the renowned athletes of all time, Usain takes his place on the list through this documentary shot about him.
This documentary aims to provide an insight into how Jamaican sprinter, Usain Bolt managed to reach where he is now, his struggles, inspirations, and relationships. At his finest, Bolt rivaled football legend Pele and legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali, in terms of popularity and acclaim. It’s a very inspirational documentary every entrepreneur should watch.
Why entrepreneurs should watch She did that? Entrepreneurial women set the standard for excellence in business and taking care of yourself while running a business is just as important as closing deals.
It follows up inside the lives of four extraordinary Black female entrepreneurs as they discuss building legacies and pioneering a new future for the next generation. It addresses topics such as funding gaps for women because of color.
It talks about obstacles black women face while working corporate jobs, the implicit bias, and outright racism in business life, as well as when they forget the importance of self-care. A truly empowering documentary on Netflix about women who are building legacies and making history in entrepreneurship.
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru
IMDB Rating
Director
Initial Release
6.7/10
Joe Berlinger
2016
Why entrepreneurs should watch Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru? This is a must-watch for those who get anxious when they see a ton of workload on their way and will inspire you to deal with it. Basically, teaches the importance of time management and managing work accordingly.
It is a Netflix documentary about Tony Robbins who is a business strategist, an author, public speaker, coach, and philanthropist and talks of his internationally famous life. It exactly shows the behind story of organizing a workshop; he takes us deep into all the preparations going on and how much it takes to conduct a workshop with this amount of pressure on your back.
This business documentary is for the Entrepreneurs who are finding it tough to adjust with the constant struggle and workload while organizing a workshop, should consider this one.
Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things
IMDB Rating
Director
Initial Release
6.7/10
Matt D’Avella
2015
Why entrepreneurs should watch Minimalism? How you can survive with minimal material items in today’s world. By reducing the expenditure, you can increase profits.
A documentary about Minimalism is a must-watch for everyone, be it college students or entrepreneurs. It is aimed at modern-day consumers, where there is a mindset of the importance of material objects and how daily emotions of peace and happiness have taken a backseat. This is how it applies the principles of Minimalism to life and business. It also puts up the idea to give up the idea of using lavish offices and workspaces when the same work can be achieved in ordinary areas.
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
IMDB Rating
Director
Initial Release
7.2/10
Chris Smith
2019
Why entrepreneurs should watch Minimalism?
The documentary shows the significance of planning an event and how one should be aware of fraud.
The documentary shows how a con artist known as Billy McFarland founded The Fyre Festival, which was a fraudulent music festival. Many prominent celebrities promote the festival through their social media. At the opening of the festival, the people experience problems related to food, security and accommodation which led to the cancellation of the event. The organisers were subjected to lawsuits for the fraud.
Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates
IMDB Rating
Director
Initial Release
7.9/10
Davis Guggenheim
2019
Why entrepreneurs should watch Minimalism?
The documentary shows how one of the greatest business leaders gets his motivation from and how his mind works.
This documentary portrays the life story of Bill Gates and how he looks for the solution to complex problems. It focuses on his childhood, the creation of Microsoft and his present state of life. This documentary is a three-part television series.
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
IMDB Rating
Director
Initial Release
6.9/10
Alex Gibney
2015
Why entrepreneurs should watch Minimalism?
The documentary is extremely through-provoking and showed the life of Steve Jobs. It shows that through hard work mone can achieve anything.
This documentary followed the life of Steve Jobs and gives insight into their personal and private life of his. The struggles and his achievements are shown here, although the film only covers 14 years of his life but it has shown three important parts, and how his success has affected his family life. The sacrifices that he made, to reach the level of success are also shown here.
Netflix is not only about Binge-watching and just about movies. Or for that case, using the Internet, Social Media, Watching on OTT platforms is not solely about entertainment. We have to make all these channels for our own benefit. Of Course, Entertainment gives us relaxation and can make us a better person. But it can also be used to get skilled, create a vision, motivate oneself.
These are all top documentaries every entrepreneur should watch on Netflix to get motivated, work hard, and give a lot of dedication to your work. That is all, which is required to achieve your goals and aspire for more always. I hope this article is helpful to you.
So, NETFLIX & LEARN!
FAQ
Who are the Founders of Netflix?
Netflix was founded by two serial entrepreneurs, Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings.
What is the revenue of Netflix?
As of 2020, the net worth of Netflix is over 194 billion USD.
Who are the competitors of Netflix?
Amazon Prime Video, HULU, YouTube are the top 3 competitors of Netflix.
What is a Netflix mini-series?
A mini–series is much more than just a “10-hour movie.” It’s a self-contained story, one that expands over the course of just a handful of episodes. And Netflix is host to more than its fair share of compelling limited series in every genre.
Today, almost every next application uses a subscription model for its digital streaming. Although the subscription model doesn’t need any specific introduction, basically you pay some amount of money and unlock premium content on various applications.
From TV shows to music, you can have a subscription to anything you want. In fact, many companies even offer household products and food under their subscription packages. Here, a question arises! How has this subscription model become this successful and popular?
The subscription business model is entirely based on customers’ preferences and services. If the services for the customers are good, they stick to the company and become loyal customers by buying the subscription package. That’s why keeping the customers happy and satisfied is a necessity in a subscription model.
The subscription models are very effective and bring great advantages for the service provider. And it is expected for the upcoming years, companies with subscription-based business models would experience more success and fame. And that’s what we are discussing through this article! In this article, we will cover the history, present, and future prospects of the subscription model. Let’s get started!
Subscription-based business models work on investing in the compounding price of customers’ connection and loyalty. Therefore, an immense and continuous source of revenue is formed. As long as the customers will buy the subscription package, the company will continue generating more money.
The subscription business model has come a long way from Western European cities, used for clean drinking water delivery, grains delivery, and even exotic vegetables and fruits. This model has emerged as one of the most significant and famous business models for various retailers and companies in the global market. It is a business model that is bound to change depending upon the market and demand.
In the early 17th century, the subscription business model first came in public appearances and came well-documented. After that, the Subscription business model grew on a larger scale and diversified into broad categories of services and goods.
Then, by the time of the 20th century, subscription packages were available in every sector like newspapers and magazines, and with time, they evolved more promptly and gained importance in the market.
Today, the subscription service business model works by utilizing advanced technology and offering great services to the customers through it.
Today, the subscription model has made a very successful image in the market. Many prominent companies have opted for the subscription-based business model which resulted in great success.
When it comes to market share, the business model is attaining acceptance at the global level, day by day. As the financial acumen of people is increasing widely, managing them into smart decisions is very essential. And that’s where subscriptions jump in! It convinces people to choose subscriptions instead of purchasing them wholly.
Suppose you decide to buy a car, so instead of purchasing it for long term usage or renting, you can choose a subscription package from the company where you’ll get a car within a certain duration of time, and you also have multiple options to change your car model later on. You can upgrade your car model periodically rather than being stuck with an old one. And that’s what sells these substitution package deals.
The world is working towards upgrading people’s convenience above everything. The subscription business model provides such convenient services to its customers. That’s why it is gaining more relevance in the market.
The subscription model has been around since the 17th century and in such a long period, this model has gained great attention and been co-opted by many top successful companies like Netflix, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Adobe. In the last five years, the subscription business model has received a 100% increase in its revenue, i.e., from $57 million in 2011 to $2.6 billion in 2016.
Formerly, this business model was only used by technology-based companies because of its Software as a service (SaaS). But, today it is associated with every other company. And it is estimated that in the coming future, the Subscription business model will grow even more promptly.
People across the globe are preferring renting or subscribing over owning any goods and services. And this gives a great advantage for companies with the Subscription business model.
From food to heavy equipment, the Subscription business model works everywhere. And this is considered to be the next major shift after the industrial revolution.
It is estimated that in the coming 22nd century, subscribing to goods and services would be more common rather than being the exception.
Conclusion
The subscription model has come a long way ever since its first public display in the 17th century. Market, as well as the customers, have given great attention to the strategies of the Subscription business model.
This has numerous advantages for companies as well as the customers. In the upcoming years, this business model would grow even more widely and bring great results for the companies.
FAQ
When was the subscription model invented?
The subscription business model was started by publishers of books and periodicals in the 17th century.
What are some of the subscription business model examples?
Amazon Prime, Kindle Direct, Netflix, and $1 Shave Club are some of the famous examples of subscription business models.
What is the subscription revenue model?
The subscription revenue model generates revenue by charging customers a recurring fee that is processed at regular intervals.
Why are subscription services so popular?
The subscription services are getting popular day by day as you can provide your customers high-quality products at affordable prices. Also, it is a great source of recurring revenue.
Dubai is the wealthiest of seven emirates that form the United Arab Emirates. It is the land of the rich, luxurious restaurants, ports, and beaches. By these beaches, skyscrapers stand tall where businesses are conducted. Huge affluence creates a big market for startups to spread their wings. From deluxe shopping apps to brilliant waste management systems, startups have been taking this city to new heights.
Below are the top 20 emerging startups in Dubai that have acquired a significant space in the Dubai startup environment in a few years:
The Luxury Closet brings you all luxurious brands at your fingertips. It includes brands like Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Tiffany & co., and Cartier. It is one of the top startups in Dubai that offers a one-stop-shop for all things fancy for both men and women. The company also offers home décor and kitchen essentials from high-end brands.
2. Souqalmal
Founder: Ambareen Musa
Founding year: 2012
Souqalmal Homepage
Souqalmal is a comparison website startup in Dubai that lets you compare insurance and financial products before you make the final decision. It aims to help customers save money by choosing wisely and not giving in to the first deal they see. They provide car insurance, banking, and financial solutions that lead to saving money.
3. Seez
Founder: Andrew Kabrit
Founding year: 2015
Seez Homepage
Seez is an auto marketplace startup in Dubai. Users can choose from a wide variety of used or new cars. It allows users to buy or lease cars by comparing prices. The Car Valuation feature provides the latest market prices, options for negotiation, and depreciation of any car.
4. Bekia
Founder: Alaa Kamal, Mohamed Zohdy
Founding year: 2017
Bekia Homepage
Bekia is a brilliant Egpyt-based waste management startup. It lets users exchange waste materials such as plastics, paper, electronics or even cooking oil with points. These points can be used to buy groceries, metro tickets, mobile credits, or school supplies. This concept promotes people to voluntarily dispose of waste sustainably. Bekia is counted among the top startups in Dubai.
5. Arabia Starzplay
Founder: Maaz Sheikh
Founding year: 2015
Starzplay Homepage
Starzplay is just like Netflix but for Dubai. It streams movies and shows in Arabic as well as other languages. Animes and Hollywood movies are also available.
6. Noon
Founder: Mohamed Alabbar
Founding year: 2016
Noon Homepage
Noon is another online shopping platform that delivers in UAE, Egypt, and KSA. It is a generic e-commerce site that delivers all kinds of products from clothes to electronics to skincare. Even groceries are available on this platform with affordable deals.
7. Avidbeam
Founder: Dr Hani El Gebaly
Founding year: 2014
AvidBeam Homepage
Avidbeam is a Dubai based startup that offers advanced solutions for Smart Spaces, Smart buildings, and cities. Their main aim is to build an affordable video analytics platform that enhances business performance. They offer Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision to scale the growth of businesses. They also address public security and safety among other services.
8. Ziwo
Founder: Eric Ouisse, Renaud de Gonfreville
Founding year: 2010
Ziwo bridges the gap between customers and clients by providing call centre services. They connect customers with companies and solve their problems in real-time. Customers can clear all their doubts via a hotline that links them to company executives and solve all their queries right on the call.
9. Almentor
Founder: Husni Khuffash, Ibrahim Kamel, Hesham Heikal, Abdelrahman Fahmy
Founding year: 2016
Almentor provides courses that are required presently in the market. These courses include Stress Management, English Pronunciation, Radio Presenting and HR Analysis. They have mentors and teachers that help users develop in-demand skills for jobs and personal growth. These self-development courses make users ready to face the challenges of today’s world.
10. Unifonic
Founder: Hassan Hamdan, Ahmed Hamdan
Founding year: 2006
AvidBeam Homepage
Unifonic is one of the top startups in Dubai that offers SMS, voice, and messaging apps to enhance customers’ experience. They work on converting text to speech, send notifications with text to speech, and chatbox. Their SMS services can be used for Automatic Notification, Authentication and Marketing.
11. Beehive
Founder: Craig Moore
Founding year: 2017
Beehive Homepage
Beehive connects businesses to lenders who are willing to lend against their invoices. They are leading fintech pioneers who use innovative technology that leads to affordable finance. They work through a sophisticated process where approved businesses are listed in the marketplace and investors fund them on the platform.
12. Renty
Founder: Yevhen Parokhod
Founding year: 2018
Renty Homepage
Renty is a basic car renting platform that rents luxurious cars too. They also provide Chauffeur services that appeal to the top rich businessmen. Some of their rentals include high-end names such as Bentley Continental GT, Lamborghini Evo- SPYDER, Porsche Taycan Turbo, and Rolls Royce Wraith.
Sprii is an online marketplace for all kinds of pregnancy and baby products. They aim to connect expectant mothers to their favourite global brands. Sprii has clothes for moms and kids, baby essentials, and kits for prenatal yoga. During the Covid-19 Sprii was shut down.
14. YallaParking
Founder: Craig MacDonald
Founding year: 2016
YallaParking Website
Anybody who lives in a big city knows that parking can be a huge hassle. That’s why YallaParking provides a platform where you can look for a parking spot, book it and park your car. This realizes the true spirit of startups which is simplifying day-to-day tasks through advanced technology.
15. Nabbesh
Founder: Rima El Sheikh, Loulou Khazen
Founding year: 2012
Nabbesh provides job opportunities through its online platform. It connects job seekers with employers, who can hire them. They employ many fields such as tech, finance, education, and other art fields where talented people can get a job and earn for themselves.
16. Matic Services
Founder: Mohamed Semad
Founding year: 2015
Matic Homepage
Matic Services is making household chores easy for everyone. They bring together several house helpers who can work at the customer’s convenience to keep your home clean. These are trained and certified cleaners whom people can trust. Users can also choose their preferred cleaner by pre-booking as per their schedule.
17. Pi Slice
Founder: Genny Ghanimeh
Founding year: 2012
Pi Slice Homepage
Pi Slice is a Dubai based startup with a great initiative to provide small funds to those who need it. Everybody does not require big investments and many businesses are small scales. Pi Slice connects these small businesses with people in the Middle East and North America who want to invest in them. This works well both ways as the young businesses get their money and investors get opportunities.
Jamalon is the Middle East’s largest online bookstore that offers a variety of books in one place. They have books in Arabic as well as the English language. These books include architecture, graphic novels, and comics, computers, self-help, and design.
19. Careem
Founders: Mudassir Sheikha, Abdulla Elyas, Wael Nafee, Magnus Olsson
Founding year: 2016
Careem Homepage
Careem allows users to enjoy multiple services in one place. They provide a taxi service and you can book a car for your personal use too. It offers food delivery services and prides on hassle-free payments that can be made through Careem payment mode. It has spread its wings in more than 100 cities in 13 countries from Morocco to Pakistan.
20. The List
Founder: Andreas Skorski
Founding year: 2016
The List Homepage
The list is another luxuries marketplace that signifies the posh lifestyle of people in Dubai. It provides fancy brands like Burberry, Gucci, Valentino and Chanel. It is your basic online clothes and accessories shopping platform but the twist is it’s not basic at all. With its collection of top-class brands, it is one of the leading startups in Dubai and a heaven for the rich to splurge.
Conclusion
These startups symbolize the lifestyle in Dubai. People are open to advanced tech making changes in traditional practices. These startups in Dubai are doing great for themselves while contributing to the boosting economy. As young businesses are the backbone of an economy, Dubai is bound to flourish.
FAQ
Is Dubai good for startups?
UAE is ranked 11th in ease of doing business and 25th in starting a business on World Bank’s 2019 ease of doing business report.
What are some of the top startups in Dubai?
The Luxury Closet, Souqalmal, and Seez are some of the top Startups in Dubai.
Is Dubai a good place for entrepreneurs?
Dubai is ranked among the world’s best cities for entrepreneurs moving abroad to start a business, more specifically in import/export sector.
Marketing is the most important aspect of any business. It not only helps to publicize the business but also contributes to its growth, profit, and success.
With the advent of digitization and the whole world shifting online, even marketing is going online. Online marketing and advertising are like the basis of a businesses’ success.
Nowadays, we have various kinds of online marketing. These include email marketing, influencer marketing, social media marketing, etc. Another important kind that is gaining rapid popularity is meme marketing.
Meme marketing is the latest trend these days. Promoting a product or service while making people smile and laugh, what is better than that? So, keeping this in view, various top brands are now indulging in meme marketing.
A meme can be described as an image or video which is often amusing. These media circulates all over the internet at a rapid rate. Such images or videos have huge popularity over all the social media platforms.
The media may contain expressions, dialogues, or famous personalities. When these get presented in an amusing way, it then becomes a meme.
What is Meme Marketing?
Explaining Meme Marketing
In simple words, when a brand’s marketing strategy includes the use of memes, it’s called meme marketing. Meme marketing is no less than an art.
It is an art by which the brands display their discounts, deals, and their promotions in a meme. Then they implant these memes in the meme community.
The meme community consists of the people who create and share memes. This source can be standup comedians, influencers, YouTubers, etc. Brands approach them for their marketing through memes.
Netflix Meme
Importance of Meme Marketing
Meme marketing is one of the latest trends in the field of marketing. It is now used by various brands and businesses to promote themselves. The following points show the importance of meme marketing in today’s time:
Meme marketing helps a brand connect with its customers. It offers a connection that is more casual and interesting. It offers a humorous way for the brands to market their product and services.
Gone are the days when marketing was done only through tv ads and newspapers. People spend more time on social media. Meme attracts a huge audience, which makes it the most important marketing method. It helps a brand earn more engagement towards itself.
The best part is it is a cost-effective method for the brands. Meme marketing is a creative way of marketing. It helps a brand to develop a close relationship with its customers and helps the brand to reach a wide audience by leveraging the meme community.
Brands That Employ Meme Marketing in their Marketing Strategy
Nowadays, most brands understand the importance of keeping up with the trends. One such trend is meme marketing. Looking at its importance and power of virality, various brands now indulge in meme marketing. Some of the brands are as follows:
Zomato
The moment we think of ordering food, Zomato is probably the first name that pops up in our heads. This brand is a huge success and there is no doubt about it.
Zomato Meme Marketing
Recently, the brand is gaining huge popularity with its meme marketing. When you open Instagram, you will find various memes by Zomato. They use super creative and relatable memes for their advertising. Be it a new series, old dialogues, or anything else, Zomato seems to have a meme for all.
Zomato Meme Marketing
Brand Factory
Brand Factory offers a variety of brands under one roof. They even give great discounts making it the smartest price seller. Keeping up with the trend, the brand has also inculcated meme marketing in its strategy.
Brand Factory Meme Marketing
They share various relatable memes for promotions. Sometime back, it made use of a viral Indian meme- “Hello Fraands, Chai Peelo”. They used it with a change “Hello Fraands, Shopping Karlo”. This meme by the brand went viral and gained huge popularity.
Disney+ Hotstar
The OTT platform is a source of various latest and old movies and shows. This Indian brand likes to gain and retain its audience. So, it has taken a dip in the sea of meme marketing.
Disneyplushotstar Meme Marketing
Hotstar combines dialogues from various shows and movies to create a meme. The brand even makes Instagram reels to keep up with its meme marketing strategy. They recently used a scene from the movie ‘Kali’ to depict the Monday mood. This way, the brand can create a bond with the audience.
Netflix
The OTT platform has a great fan following for itself. Netflix is like an added best friend for today’s generation. It engages in a super creative and effective meme marketing strategy.
Netflix Meme Marketing
Netflix has reached another level of this strategy. They have created an Instagram page called ‘Netflix is a joke/ Netflix Comedy’. This page is wholly denoted to sharing the meme content. The brand even asks its customers to create shareable memes. This makes the customers more active and in turn, helps Netflix to gain more audience.
Netflixisajoke Instagram Page
Tinder India
The super popular dating app has also included the dose of meme marketing. The brand makes use of memes in various creative ways. They make memes related to zodiacs, movies, festivals, and more.
Tinder Billboard Advertising
Tinder also includes meme marketing through influencers. The influencers in the meme community help the brand to gain popularity. It also helps the brand to leverage the influencers’ audience as well.
The younger generation possesses more buying power. Most of this generation is dependent on online sources rather than offline sources. They spend a lot of their time on social media.
To gain this huge customer base online, the brands must make shifts in their marketing strategies. One of the most lucrative and effective ways is to inculcate meme marketing.
Memes are now a means of communication for the youth. Picking up a meme context and adding a promotional aspect to it is the creativity every brand must follow these days.
It helps a brand to deliver its message in a fun way. Memes are something that goes viral so quickly. This means more audience. Thus, this strategy is too good to be missed by the brands.
Conclusion
Meme marketing is the latest trend in today’s world. This marketing strategy must not be missed by any brand. Creating memes for a brand not only helps to gain trust and popularity but also attracts more customers to the brand.
A meme that has some fun, quirky, and witty elements is perfect. This marketing strategy is super effective that has a knack for creating a place in the audience’s hearts.
FAQ
What are the top brands that use meme marketing?
Netflix, Zomato, Brand Factory and Tinder are some of the top brands that actively use meme marketing.
Is meme marketing an effective marketing strategy?
Meme marketing is a great way to market your brand as it increases your brand visibility and engagement.
Entertainment is probably as old as the era of humans itself. We have found out different ways of getting entertained. Some of the sources include dance, singing, playing but some of the most famous and widely accepted ways of entertainment are films, theatrics and movies.
In this 21st century, as the internet penetrates every domain, it has not left the entertainment sector per se. It has boosted the domain to such heights that it is probably hard to go back to square one. The topmost entertainment provider in the world is Netflix. It uses technology to scale great heights and great revenues.
There was an old film with dialogue where the protagonist says “A film works only when it has three elements to it, Entertainment, Entertainment and Entertainment”. Well, we as viewers might be tempted to say yes it is true but is it still the same in the twenty-first century? The answer may be a little more than just entertainment. It might include promotions, marketing and more. What more you ask? Big data, Artificial intelligence, machine learning.
Netflix, the prime entertainment host, do it all to cater to your entertainment needs. We will dive deep to understand how Netflix uses its recommendation engine and how it has incorporated this super-tech to reach new heights.
Netflix is a streaming service that offers a wide variety of movies, TV series, shows, anime, documentaries, and more. As mentioned, it is a streaming service, so it can be accessed on every possible device. You can stream Netflix via the official website, or its android or IOS app.
You can tune into it instantly on the web at netflix.com from your personal computer or on any internet-connected device that offers the Netflix app, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, streaming media players and game consoles. It is a monthly subscribed service, which you have to redeem monthly.
There is always something to watch on Netflix. So much so that it has a full library of entertainment. It is extensively built for the best experience in entertainment to its subscribers. That is why Netflix is the most famous streaming platform in the world.
You might wonder that entertainment is top-notch on Netflix but there is one more thing that it pays huge attention to. The thing is not hideous but is often not much talked about. That one aspect is the library and the whole management of this extensively built personalised library of content.
Netflix, for years, is able to provide personalised content recommendations to its each and every subscriber. How does it do that? What is the magic behind it? let us uncover that.
Personalised Entertainment/Content on Netflix
“If the Starbucks secret is a smile when you get your latte… ours is that the Web site adapts to the individual’s taste.” – Reed Hastings (CEO of Netflix)
Over the course of the last few years, Netflix has become the favourite destination of people who want to binge on some entertainment films and shows. Netflix started as a humble DVD rental business and it later turned into something totally different as technology kicked in.
DVD rental business
We can see the huge subscriber base of Netflix as proof of work and growth. One of the most crucial elements of this growth is personalised content. That crucial element is the underlying asset of the presence of Big Data and artificial intelligence.
Netflix doesn’t just work in managing content, movies, TV shows and entertainment but it has a lot of other data to handle as well. It has user insights, their data and usage patterns and everything connected to them and of course ‘us’.
The data management part is not easy at all, especially when you have to constantly change to adapt to your surroundings. Netflix does it so well, no wonder it uses Big data to manage and make sense of huge piles of useful data.
“Where there is data smoke, there is business fire.” — Thomas Redman
If we see the graph of Netflix’s memberships and subscriptions, we can see a beautiful upward direction to the moon. The reason is its personalised services and the best user interface that is available out in the whole world.
Number of Subscribers of Netflix
The revenue of this streaming giant is also similar to that of its subscriber base. It has grown steeply and steadily. The reason is the efficiency undoubtedly.
When it first started as a DVD rental service, it was a quite simple video provider. It used to use mails to provide DVD copies of the content. It was in 2010 when Netflix thought of rebranding and using more sophisticated technology as an aid. They began streaming online and the data that they were collecting grew many folds. This marks many years of anniversary for Netflix as a data-driven company. It has been data-driven even from its very inception.
Their “Data Analytics’ team work very closely with decision-makers of the company. The data team has useful insights, metrics, predictions and analytics so that everyone can work efficiently. They have to work super closely with the product teams, content teams, studio and marketing teams and altogether with the business operations.
With the data they collect, they have to perform context-rich analysis to provide insight into their business, partners and of course their subscribers or members. This also enriches the experience for Netflix.
When you are dealing with huge amounts of data then efficient data management becomes the reason and a necessary condition for your success. At Netflix, data analytics is the backbone of every work that they do. It is the metric at which they measure their location. It is the basis to know where they are and essentially where they are going. This is where Netflix finds and experiments, it is also the place where they solve existing problems.
Even from the DVD days, they are a data-driven company first and then anything else. From its inception, they have grown their data department to new heights every now and then.
As Netflix grew, the need to manage data effectively and efficiently grew too. Every decision is fueled by the data behind it. If you are into any business in the world, you need data to do your best possible job. Netflix does it and it does it quite efficiently.
Data Science and Engineering at Netflix is primarily and supremely is directed at improving various aspects of the streaming business. Among all the other roles, research applications span many areas including Netflix’s personalization algorithms, content valuation, and optimization for future streaming.
To maximise the already big impact of Netflix’s research, they do not centralise research into a separate organisation. Instead, they do it within altogether other departments. They have many teams that pursue research in collaboration with business teams, engineering teams, and other researchers. This enables closer partnerships between researchers and the business and engineering in each and every area.
When we think about big data and Netflix, what comes to mind? More than often you would think that it has something to do with the content recommendation algorithm or the streaming to your personal device. Yes, you are right in most senses, these two topics are the main contributors for data research and analytics but there is more.
They both are an integral part but there is more to the whole picture. So, further data is used to “make the experience even better than before”. Data has to do a lot with questions like “Which piece of content makes our customers or members most joyous” or “What are some of the areas in which Netflix can collaborate to provide 360-degree entertainment”.
Data solves the problem of finding the right market fit for the product in any sort of market. Which in turn enhances the user experience of Netflix as a whole.
The Recommendation Engine of Netflix
As we discussed previously, data is fuel for Netflix’s smoothness and convenience. The motive is to constantly improve the predictions on how someone is going to react after watching a certain type of movie, genre and another basis. This helps in knowing about the customer preferences, which can be used in future for making better predictions.
This is when their recommendation algorithm comes into the picture. Netflix has, over the years, designed an algorithm that can suggest recommendations to its users. It is called the Netflix recommendation Engine or NRE. it has been reported that 80% of Netflix viewer activity is driven by personalised recommendations from the engine. Which is a pretty good number for a streaming platform like Netflix. It also saves marketing costs for the streaming giant.
In Netflix’s case, the NRE or the Netflix recommendation engine has some different factors of inputs. It collects data that will be the most relevant in the prediction of user behaviours. Some of the most commonly tracked inputs are as follows,
The device used to stream on.
The number of searches.
If the show was paused or fast-forwarded.
Whether the entire show/movie was completed watching.
Whether the viewer gave the show or movie a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Scenes that the user replayed.
Time and date at user watched a show/movie.
Profile information such as age, gender, location.
These are some most used inputs that Netflix recommendation engines use. Moreover, of all the websites that use big data and other predicting technologies, Netflix does it the smoothest. It has been reported that 47% of North Americans prefer to use Netflix with an exclamatory 93 % retention basis. This marks proof of the efficient working of the Netflix model.
Nevertheless, Netflix is not just winning because of its near-perfect prediction and recommendation technology but also good management. Let us know a little about the business verticals at the heart of this streaming giant.
What you see is the content and recommendations, well stacked on Netflix, what you do not see is the work that goes behind curtains. There are business verticals/segments that work as a team to improve how we binge-watch content online. Let us read about them in brief words.
Product
Netflix Homepage
Product is the actual product that the streaming giant is providing. It is the segment that deals with the Netflix app. The motive of this department or business segment is to deliver high-quality streaming, smooth user interface, best customer service. The product segment also has to ensure that the members get the right content recommendations at the right time.
Content
The content segment is the cream for the cake. At the heart of Netflix, it also is a content producing company. The content vertical is accountable and responsible for licensing and enabling shows and movies for Netflix. This department also works on all things that can be joyous to the public. Buying decisions at this and all other levels are done by this area of the business vertical.
Membership
Netflix Membership Pricing
Memberships are the very fuel with which Netflix works. Anything that can increase memberships or subscriptions are managed and promoted by this business vertical. This includes marketing, sign up prompts, pricing and even partnering with other companies for promotions. They manage and handle all the incomings and welcomings at the Netflix website and app.
Studio
Netflix Studio
A studio is a place where a piece of content is shot. Many of the content that Netflix produces is done in already set up studios. This is also a cost-saving or cutting method. This department works at planning, development, and all the pre and post-production activities for the content. Thus, they work closely with content verticals.
Marketing
Netflix Instagram Marketing
This vertical is focused to spread awareness and promotions about the content that Netflix is producing. This is done through new or traditional media or a combination of both. You must have seen advertisements for Netflix exclusive movies and tv shows, this is the department behind those.
Platform
This is the team that ensures the efficient, secure and state of art use of technology tools to manage the whole working of the platform. The data analytics and engineering tools are managed here to provide personalised content to each and every member/subscriber.
Some Facts about Netflix that might Interest you
Despite more competition, Netflix still has the largest subscriber count in 2020.
60 million US adults have a Netflix subscription.
Netflix was originally called “Kibble”.
Netflix staffers think that you decide on a movie in two minutes.
The company is older than most users realise.
Netflix at its IPO sold its shares about 15 dollars, as its market grew, the share price went up to 350 dollars.
41% of Netflix users are watching without paying thanks to password and account sharing.
Nearly two-thirds of US households now have Netflix.
Netflix was one of the first streaming services available as an app on different devices.
Data analytics is the fuel that powers Netflix. Netflix doesn’t just work in managing content, movies, TV shows and entertainment but it has a lot of other data to handle as well. There is no efficient way other than “Big data” to handle such enormous amounts of data efficiently.
Netflix does it so well that we do not even notice that change. It cleverly posts content recommendations that are exactly matched with our likes. The data analytics at Netflix brings tailor-made and personalised content to each and every subscriber.
This makes Netflix best not only on the content basis but also on the overall user experience. That is the sole reason why we see steep spikes in Netflix viewerships over the years.
FAQ
How accurate is the Netflix recommendation system?
Netflix’s Recommendation Engine is so accurate that 80% of Netflix viewer activity is driven by personalised recommendations from the engine.
How do I get better recommendations on Netflix?
Whenever you watch a show on Netflix, you can give a thumbs up or thumbs down. Each time you give a show or film a thumbs up, Netflix will likely recommend similar content.
Is Netflix recommendation supervised or unsupervised?
Netflix recommendation engine is a supervised quality control algorithm.
You would be living under a rock if you don’t know what Netflix is. It is the world’s most popular subscription based video streaming service. Founded in 1977 and was originally a DVD rental service. In 2007 it began streaming cinema online (OTT Service) and became the Netflix that we know today.
Streaming services such as Netflix have changed the way we consume media in the world today. With the emergence of “binge watching” we now have access to and can consume more entertainment than ever before. But how are these new opportunities affecting our culture as a whole? As of July 2021, Netflix has 209 million subscribers. That is a huge number and It grows around ten percent every year. With this number of viewers watching everything that Netflix produces, there are some “after effects” too. Effects that continue even when your favourite movie or series come to end. So what are these Effects and how are they relevant to us and the Environment/Economy around?
We are talking about the Netflix Effect. This term can be used to describe several events that are the consequences of the culture that borns out of Netflix’s shows and movies. For instance Actors that became a sensation overnight or certain products after being used in a film or show getting huge demand from everywhere. With a huge audience waiting eagerly for the next season of shows or sequels, this effect is obvious and inevitable in all senses. To get more clear let us take an example.
The Queen’s Gambit is a TV series, released on Netflix in October last year. The plot was about an orphan chess prodigy who dreams of becoming a chess grandmaster someday. The show soon became one of the most popular shows on Netflix. Before its release, if you’d asked the general public whether a show about chess could bring in millions of viewers and break Netflix records, chances are most wouldn’t have believed you. YES, A record-setting 62 million households chose to watch The Queen’s Gambit in its first 28 day.
With this rising viewership, the show created a cult, a culture that interested a lot of people. The after effects of this huge Fandom were many. To count a few, the show soared sales of chess boards, people all of a sudden began learning how to play chess, The original novel became a bestseller and Chess-dot-com (Online Chess platform) saw huge sign ups, Chess apps downloads went up by many folds. This is what happens when a show becomes immensely popular, People start copying and imitating their favourite characters in the show.
Google Trends showing splurge in “Chess” term in UK
Squid Games in Real
The most recent Netflix blockbuster “Squid Games” has become a pop culture phenomenon. Released in September, It is a Korean Horror-Survival series. Striking a chord with the audience, The show has produced massive ripple effects in trends. From Squid games themed fashion lines to viral challenges on Tik-Tok.
Squid Game Costume
All of a sudden everyone is mentioning a reference from the show. People are cosplaying the characters, Learning korean, Not to mention Dalgona candy sales are at an all time high, and oh my gosh !! White sneakers are generating 7800 percent more sales than before. Vans(Shoe store) is having a good boom after this. Duolingo’s Korean learners increased by around 40% and everyone just wants to jump into the fashion.
A character from the show “HoYeon Jung” became an overnight sensation when her IG followers jumped to the sky, was roped in by Louis Vuitton and was made the face of the luxury brand.
HoYeon Jung Instagram
Squid Game is still producing viral benefits for brands.
The show was viewed by over 142M households worldwide and generated an estimated $900M in value for Netflix. (The series cost Netflix only a little over $21M.)
As google is synonymous and an official “Verb” for searching, Netflixing has become a synonym to “binge watching”. Ask for binge recommendations and most and all you get is Netflix produced stuff. It has changed how we consume media for entertainment. Online streaming is not killing cinephilia, but rather it is changing the way we view movies and interact with that particular medium. I would also say that cinephilia is not dying and, in some ways, I would say it is stronger than ever.
The reason why I have named this para as ‘Imitation Game’ is that people imitate what they find superior or heroic or just greater-than-life. There is a quote that goes here very smoothly
– “Whoever controls the media, controls the mind” – Jim Morrison.
When people watch their favourite characters doing something, they seek to imitate them. Like the prodigy that plays chess in “Queen’s Gambit”, Made people like chess, play it more and speak about it more. “Squid games” made people hop into themed jumpsuits and play challenges and imitate the show. The behaviour of liking and copying people’s favourite, can or maybe has already become a business marketing technique. How far it can go and how dynamic it can be, we will witness.
The Future of Advertising
The instances of Netflix’s rocketing sales of on screen products proves the point that it can be a marvellous advertising powerhouse. Brands can take note of these effects and market their products as a story, or woven as a story, a series, show or any piece of cinema to lure cinephiles.
Netflix Is Ad Free, but It Isn’t Brand Free – A Tribune Article
In another recent cross-promotion, Netflix charged the clothing company Diesel a license fee to make outfits inspired by “La Casa de Papel,” one of Netflix’s most popular shows. Online ads from Diesel hammered home the connection by showing the Netflix name, mentioning “La Casa de Papel” and featuring characters in the distinctive red jumpsuits worn by the show’s protagonists.
Netflix Effect on Diesel Clothing Company ad
Conclusion
Netflix doesn’t run ads on its platform but has somehow magically has become a coveted marketing platform in the world. The top streaming service provider restrains commercials but is trying to figure out a way on how it can work with brands to direct the crowd. Netflix is highly cautious about his brand image too and even continues to refute the idea of introducing an advertising model similar to the majority of other streaming services have adopted.
Nevertheless as per studies and reports and as per viewers’ own discretion we can discuss and establish that sooner or later Netflix can approach brand advertising and product placement in maybe a different manner than the rest. This expansion in this scope is going to give a strong back support to the company, providing them with more options and more stability. If this happens then the world of advertising will surely see a splurge. The advertising will be more specific and widespread, the characters more colourful and the Fandom more wholesome. In the meantime, marketers should pay attention to what’s taking the streaming world by storm – it may help them to boost sales.
FAQs
How many customers does Netflix have?
Netflix has about 209 million paying customers globally.
Which country uses Netflix the most?
Netflix is most watched in South America.
How much money does Netflix make?
Netflix generated total revenue of over 7.3 billion U.S. dollars in the second quarter of 2021.
Which Netflix series has the most views?
Netflix top 5 series by total view in 1st month of release are:
Surviving in the market with so many competitors around is pretty tough. Many companies don’t even run a month before they shut down! And among these, one of the biggest failures was Quibi. You may not even hear about this company. But this is of a very recent time- 2020.
In early 2020, the co-founder of Quibi- Jeffrey Katzenberg, one of the directors of DreamWorks Animation studios announced that Quibi company is shutting down, within 7 months of its launch! Sounds scary, right?
Quibi was basically a video streaming service platform with its original environmental content of environmental, developed by Meg Whitman and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Meg Whitman, a former CEO of Hewlett Packard raised over $1.75 billion for the company- Quibi.
Similar to the original content created by Netflix and Amazon Prime, Quibi also took a step forward and produced its own category of shows and movies. Although Quibi made only five to ten minutes of episodes, it charged $4.99 per month.
With such a great mindset and planning, you might be wondering what went wrong with Quibi? Well, to clear this we have presented this article. Let’s get started!
Katzenberg and Whitman are incredibly successful businessmen but when it comes to streaming services, they don’t have the right instincts. This became clear with their ultimate creation- Quibi.
Quibi was launched in times of pandemic, 2020, with the concept of giving people good content of merely 10 mins which they can watch anytime and anywhere like a doctor’s waiting hall, public transport, and others. But what they forgot was all these could not be possible in the pandemic.
Quibi
Quibi entirely targeted the youth as they always find new content. But as the pandemic struck, people considered watching long-term content which was available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others.
The biggest cause of failure of Quibi is considered the awfully smaller audience and very few numbers of downloads. Apart from this, Quibi made many more mistakes like low social media presence and others.
Any video streaming platform requires content that keeps the users interested. Especially when it comes to the title, as that is what is going to convince the audience to watch the show and to subscribe to the platform. But, Quibi created a whole set of mediocre content that was not given any brief thought upon.
Although the developers spent a lot of money and effort but still could not pull out the standardized content. The shows on Quibi’s were extremely ordinary and the audience did not find anything interesting.
High pricing
Being such a mediocre content provider, Quibi’s pricing was pretty expensive. Its price was around $5 for a normal subscription and $8 for a non-advertising subscription. These were very very high for a terrible content provider such as Quibi.
Failed to Attract Audience
In today’s time, there are tons of platforms that are incredibly interesting and user-friendly. People are spending great time at Netflix, scrolling TikTok and Instagram. That’s why for any other similar company to gain an audience needs to provide such services that the users cannot refuse.
Quibi failed in providing such service and grew the users’ count on platforms like YouTube and Twitch.
No-specific Goal
Competing with Netflix and other streaming platforms, Quibi did not have any specified goal. With such bad content in comparison with other streaming platforms, Quibi needed something to beat the opponents.
But unfortunately, Quibi failed in all aspects of a good video streaming platform and did not even provide any valid or reasonable reason to convince people to download it.
Internal Problems
Quibi had major internal problems between the two founders. According to The Wall Street Journal, Whitman even threatened to leave when found out that Katzenberg was dictatorial which weakened her authority and humiliated her.
Apart from this, Whitman and Katzenberg, both didn’t have any idea on how people use their phones for streaming purposes. They did not actually understand the concept of Netflix and TikTok. In such wide competition in the market, one needs the proper strong strategies and planning so that it could thrive in the market. But Quibi failed on all grounds!
The Pandemic
The biggest drawback of Quibi was it came out in a pandemic. All the planning and strategies of Quibi were based on public places and gatherings. And these were highly restricted in the times of the Covid-19 crisis.
Quibi failed to adapt to such major changes and formulated a low social media presence and bad content without any effective marketing. The main reason behind all these failures was poor management, low insights on consumer behavior, needs, and wants.
Quibi was meant to be shut down even without the pandemic. The company did not have any proper functioning of management.
The company with no proper planning and ideology, Quibi was implied to fail. And that’s what happened! Quibi failed, basically from all aspects. With no adequate leadership, poor content, no customers preferences and extremely disturbed management Quibi was nothing but a disaster.
Although the founders invested a great sum of money but with no idea how a video streaming platform runs, it all became worthless.
FAQ
Who is the founder of Quibi?
Jeffrey Katzenberg founded Quibi in 2020.
How much money did Quibi lost?
Quibi lost over $1.75 billion in less than 6 months.
Why did Quibi failed?
The reasons why Quibi failed were vast. They included burning through too much cash, poor content, high prices, missing features, personal issues between the founders, as well as legal troubles.
In the current day and age, most employees find it difficult to balance their work and wellbeing. This is why many companies are providing their employees with incentives and even coming up with unique wellness programs to keep their employees healthy. While wellness programs might not be a new thing, they have grown over the past years as the top MNC companies are coming up with unique programs that can benefit their employees.
According to the Health benefit survey done by the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2020, the average amount that is contributed by covered workers for health insurance in 2020 were $1,243 for single coverage and $5,588 for family coverage. Whereas there are some companies that provide their employees 100% of the health insurance costs, which will help employees save up a lot of money, stay productive and remain loyal to the company.
Despite the incentives, companies are now also coming up with programs to promote health, happiness and productivity by unique program ideas that are engaging, fun and promotes holistic approaches to wellness. Only 44% of the big companies are said to offer their employees incentives to participate or complete such a program. In a survey done by LinkedIn in 2018, 49% of employees prefer health-based incentives and wellness benefits over other perks.
Another study found that these benefits and incentives are responsible for over 75% of career decisions. The main goal of providing incentives and wellness programs to employees is that it will help employees adopt and maintain healthy behaviours. This is the list of companies that provide their employees with amazing health-based incentives and wellness programs.
On 29th August, Nithin Kamath the founder and CEO of Zerodha one of the top financial service companies in India announced that the company will be giving its employees one month of salary as a bonus and a lucky draw of Rs. 10 lakhs for staying fit. This was done because of how the recent work from home culture has had a negative impact on the employee’s mental and physical health during the Covid 1 Pandemic.
Covid 19 has had a major impact on work-life balance, this is why Nithin Kamath of Zerodha stepped up and made efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle. The aim of providing this incentive was to promote a healthy lifestyle and guide the company employees in the right direction. Nithin Kamath went on to Twitter to inform his employees to set a 12-month goal to get healthy and share their progress on the monthly basis.
On our internal forum(@discourse), we asked everyone to set a 12-month get-healthy goal & update the progress every month, to create accountability. To increase participation, we said everyone who reaches the goal will get a 1-month salary as bonus & 1 lucky draw for Rs 10lks 2/3
According to Nithin Kamath “Post the first lockdown, like everywhere, our team at Zerodha as a whole was probably the unhealthiest ever, due to the lack of physical activity, work-life imbalance, bad diet, & more. We thought of a way to nudge the team to get healthy and the results are phenomenal,” he quipped Nithin also added that, “The transformation stories are super inspiring & pushing others to take action as well.”
The tweets of Nithin Kamath went viral and the comment section was filled with netizens who appreciated the initiative. This inspired many on the social media platform and encouraged many other companies to take up innovative initiatives to help their employees stay fit. This proves how health can play a major role in improving the professional performance of employees. And because of this positive feedback, Nithin also went on to make this initiative a permanent affair and named it the ‘get healthy’ program.
Other companies that provide employees health-based incentives
Google
Google is already well known for its workplace wellness, as the company offers various incentives and programs such as on-site healthcare services, access to gyms and fitness centres, classes and community bikes. The healthcare services on the site can include physicians, chiropractors, including physical therapy, massage parlours etc. The Google employees can also take up classes for cooking, coding, guitar among the cool options.
The google campuses are popular as they have nap rooms, ping pong tables, cafes that offer colour-coded healthy meals and snacks. It also has good financial wellness resources such as financial advisors and even financial planning services that help employees in any way. Google has set a new standard with the office experience and health-based incentives that many companies are struggling to compete with.
Employees health benefits and perks
Accenture
Accenture’s is one of those companies that care about both the minds and bodies of their employees. The company offers its employees assistance programs for mental health problems like stress, substance abuse, depression and anxiety. When it comes to physical health Accenture provides its employees support with their choice of the medical sector like dental or vision coverage. The Accenture employees get specials incentives, offers and discounts for gyms and other fitness centres.
Besides that, it also gives its employees access to telemedicine, free second opinion services and programs for weight loss. These programs have an app for tracking fitness, nutrition and provides cash rewards based on its report. Accenture also has telemedicine services where an employee can ask physician’s health-related questions 24/7. Their unique wellness programs help their employees set health goals through their apps and even review rewards for completing those health activities.
Microsoft is known for the world-class benefits such as competitive pay, bonuses and stock awards based on their employee’s performance. The company is also one of the best when it comes to provides health-based incentives and wellness programs. Microsoft offers its employees resources for smoking cessation, weight management and even fitness training. The company provides its employees with over $1,200 annually for wellness-related expenses that can be used for staying fit physically.
This can also be used for gym memberships or even fitness classes and services like meditation programs, massage, weight-loss program fees, caregiver support, financial advising, and debt management. Microsoft offices have free on-site flu shots, mammograms, biometric screenings, and more. The office campuses have fun alternatives such as Zumba classes, running tracks, and courts for basketball, volleyball, baseball, etc. The Microsoft CARES services is an employee assistance program that offers free personal and family counselling and refers you to child cares.
Asana
Asana is a project management software company with headquarters based in San Francisco, California. The company is widely popular for wellness programs as Nap rooms where employees can rest, recharge and de-stress by sleeping and even get paid for it. The company values their employees so much that they provide them with unlimited PTO so they can maintain a healthy work-life balance.
The company also offers its employees incentives for yoga programs as well as free gym memberships. Besides that, the Asana campuses offer their employees three healthy and nutritious meals with ingredients purchased from organic farms. Asana also promotes living an active lifestyle, offers mentor programs and even immunity workshops before flu season.
Netflix has many unique incentives and health benefits for its employees. The company is known to offer its employees over $16,000 every year to cover their medical, dental and vision benefits. If the employee’s don’t use this allowance they get back over $5,000 back at the end of the year. Netflix also provides its employees with unlimited paid time off, providing to tell them how your workload will be handled while you’re away.
The company has a flexible and free mentality when it comes to their health care options as the employees can choose how to allocate the funds to each type of benefit. The Netflix model has two factors which are diverse providers and yearly allowance. They offer 100% coverage for certain preventive care at in-network providers.
Airbnb
Airbnb is also among the top companies that provide good incentives to keep their employees healthy. The company provides insurance to cover the health, dental and vision that can help employees save over $1,243 annually. Airbnb is also known to provide contributions towards dependent care.
Unique benefits of Airbnb are providing its male employees with over ten weeks of paternity leave, while the female employees get long maternity leave for healthy bonding after a birth or adoption. Another benefit of working at Airbnb is that if you like volunteering, then the company will offer you paid volunteering time to do what you love and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Deloitte
Deloitte also has one of the best healthcare benefits and incentives as it allows its employees a month of unpaid leave for any reason and up to six months of partial paid leave in order to help them pursue their personal opportunities. Besides that, the company also offers a 50% payment for social cryopreservation and up to a maximum lifetime benefit of $20,000.
Another unique incentive that Deloitte is that it offers over $50,000 for adoption and surrogacy expenses. It has other healthcare options to meet the needs of its employees, family and their children of up to 26 years of age. Deloitte offers programs, a 24/7 online health portal and professional help for marital counselling, child care, anxiety, and even for conflicts at the workplace.
Especially in times of the Covid 19 Pandemic, it is important to provide employees with incentives and wellness programs are important as they will boost productivity and result in the reduction in absenteeism. Another advantage of providing employees with incentives and wellness programs is that it will bring about a competitive advantage in hiring good candidates and will help in the company’s retention strategy. This is why companies must start offering their employees health care benefits and incentives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the companies that have the best healthcare based incentives?
The companies that have the best healthcare based incentives are Deloitte, Google, Microsoft, Airbnb, Netflix, Asana, and Accenture.
What are the basic healthcare incentives that big companies offer?
The basic healthcare incentives that big companies offer on-site healthcare services, access to gyms and fitness centres, and insurance to cover the health, dental and vision.
What are the top health incentives?
The top health incentives are
offering cash-incentive payments and gift cards.
reimbursing workers for gym memberships.
providing free health coaching.
What are health insurance incentives?
These incentives can include cash payments or discounts on insurance premiums.
Mahenoor Mansuri
