Netflix May Have Found The Unexpected Answer To Streaming's Survival

Jul 11, 2023

With studios refusing to meet the terms of striking actors and writers, there's a lack of new TV shows and movies. Netflix has an answer.

As Hollywood's dual strikes continue, Netflix seems to have stumbled upon an unexpected answer to its problems. Without writers and actors to work on new projects, streaming services are hurting for new TV shows and movies. While some works were completed before the strikes, even these projects have faced delays as studios and streamers plan ahead. Given studios' failure to negotiate with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA unions, the go-to strategy in entertainment seems to be the drip-feeding of projects to viewers. However, this climate is also leading to some unexpected entertainment revelations.

Thanks to the sudden over-the-top success of sports documentaries and docuseries, Netflix may have tapped into the unexpected answer to streaming's survival. Amid the scarcity of new content, viewers have given older films and TV shows a new (re)lease on life. For example, one of Netflix’s recent top trending movies was Fatale, a rip-off of a classic 1987 thriller, largely because the 2020 movie hadn't been widely watched. Now, sports docs are flooding Netflix's top 10, showcasing the genre's entertainment value. Not only that, but sports docuseries don't hinge upon scriptwriters or actors, making this new trend a valuable asset to streaming services.

With over 232 million subscribers worldwide, Netflix remains the most popular streaming service (via USA Today). In the face of a new content shortage, the platform is also something of a trendsetter. Given that the dual writers' and actors' strikes will continue indefinitely due to studios' failure to negotiate a new deal, the subscription-based platform is leaning into a new streaming strategy that doesn't involve scripting or acting. While older films and TV shows often find new life on streaming, there's no denying viewers are craving bingeworthy content they haven't seen before. That's where sports docuseries come into play.

Netflix's sports docs, like the five-season F1 fan-favorite Formula 1: Drive to Survive, continue to break into the platform's top 10 section. This isn't the first time sports docs, which are part narrative and part thrill, have supplemented traditional streaming content. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, both live sports and scripted releases were put on hold. Some of the most-watched series ended up being sports docuseries, like ESPN's The Last Dance. Hollywood's current climate echoes 2020 in some key ways, and yet again, sports docs are proving to be a successful sector for Netflix.

For most streaming services, there isn't revenue to be generated in making movies or TV series. More often than not, Netflix Originals' budgets balloon into the hundreds of millions of dollars, only to end up on the platform instead of in theaters. That said, the box office draw isn't a huge factor in streamers' money-making strategies. It's all about subscription fees, ad revenue, and licensing deals. In striking, Hollywood's writers and actors have helped disrupt streaming service's road maps — a key part of negotiating for more equitable deals. However, the sudden ultra-popularity of sports docs is throwing a wrench into this much-needed disruption.

In looking for new content to binge, viewers have accidentally helped Netflix stumble upon a source of content that doesn't require writers or actors. As more projects are delayed, Netflix and its fellow streaming services will no doubt hold back content that was meant to be released, allowing them to slow-feed viewers. That said, unscripted content, especially sports documentaries, are an increasingly logical source of content for streamers. That means their success isn't going anywhere. So long as people keep binging docs like Untold: Hall Of Shame, which explores Barry Bonds' steroids scandal, Netflix — and its competitors — will continue to tap into this emerging sector.

Source: USA Today

Nominated for an LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award in 2022, Kate is a freelance entertainment writer and editor. Before joining Screen Rant, they wrote for Game Rant, Ask.com, and CBR, among others. Kate is a member of GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics.