Netflix has decided to focus on fewer, but higher quality, originals, and has restructured its film group to accommodate the change. Fifteen-year Netflix veteran Lisa Nishimura, who oversaw low-budget features and original documentaries is exiting, along with film group VP Ian Bricke, who logged more than 10 years at the company. Live-action films will now be the purview of a trio of execs: Kira Goldberg, Ori Marmur and Niija Kuykendall. Goldberg and Marmur, who joined Netflix in 2021, were tasked with developing high-end commercial projects. Kuykendall, who joined later that year from Warner Bros., was assigned mid-budget films. Continue reading Netflix Restructures Film Units, Cuts Back on Original Content

Netflix is hoping that offering cinema-like spatial audio on a catalog of more than 700 titles for those who subscribe to its $20 per month premium tier will encourage more customers to upgrade. Spatial audio is engineered to deliver a 360-degree audio experience, including sounds that appear to come from behind the viewer. Customers who subscribe to Netflix’s Standard or Basic plans will have access to some spatial audio titles “but only on a small, select number,” the company said, describing the audio tech as “a game changer for the Premium plan viewing experience.” Netflix Premium already supports 4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos and Netflix Calibrated Mode. Continue reading Netflix Premium Offers 700+ Titles That Feature Spatial Audio

Disney Advertising has struck a deal with measurement firm EDO to examine audience engagement across multiple platforms, starting with Hulu. EDO will also provide outcome data, quantifying the effectiveness of streaming campaigns. The agreement allows Disney to provide brands with information detailing the impact of streaming ad exposure “on cross-screen digital behavior like search and site visits,” said Disney Advertising SVP of data enablement and category strategy Danielle Brown from the company’s annual Tech & Data Showcase last week. The company has also expanded its relationship with Samba TV, another vendor in the new currency space. Continue reading Disney Expands Its Ad Measurement with EDO and Samba TV

Netflix is now live with its ad-supported tier, but company co-CEO Reed Hastings said he regrets not having launched it sooner. Speaking at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit, Hastings said he was preoccupied with digital competition from Google and Facebook. “I didn’t believe in the ad-supported tactic for us. I was wrong about that. Hulu proved you could do that at scale and offer customers lower prices,” Hastings told NYT columnist and DealBook founder and editor-at-large Andrew Ross Sorkin. “I wish we had flipped a few years earlier on that, but we’ll catch up.” Continue reading Netflix Expanding Previews as Ad Tier Gets Up and Running