“Wednesday,” the Netflix series based on the Addams family, has now been watched more than one billion hours, according to CNET.
Actress Jenna Ortega, Wednesday Addams cosplays (including one by Lady Gaga), and recreations of her dance have been trending across platforms. Meanwhile, Netflix and #Save1899 have been trending on Twitter because viewers are angry that another beloved show has been canceled.
Netflix has been on what Forbes calls a “heavy, heavy cancellation spree” of late, ending “First Kill,” “Warrior Nun,” “The Midnight Club,” “Dead End: Paranormal Park,” and “1899.”
The most important metric leading to these cancelations, according to Forbes, is their completion rate. Of these recently canceled shows, less than half of their audiences completed the series.
“First Kill” (completion rate: 44%) was canceled, while “Heartstopper” (completion rate: 73%) was renewed despite “First Kill” having more viewers. The more bingeable the show, the more likely it will be renewed.
The issue with this, as Inverse points out, is that many of the most successful TV shows of all time—including “The Office,” “Parks and Rec,” and “Breaking Bad”—took several seasons to pick up a loyal audience.
“Netflix’s current strategy ensures the streamer will never have a ‘Breaking Bad’ or an ‘Office’ of its own. Not every great TV show becomes a hit overnight. It takes time, word of mouth, and the ability for audiences to catch up. Netflix should be able to make that happen, but it’s making shortsighted decisions instead.”
-Jake Kleinman, Deputy Editor of Inverse
AI Opens Licensing Opportunities
IP owners in Hollywood now have a new and scalable revenue stream thanks to AI voice from Veritone.
Recently, Cameo (a marketplace for fans to connect with celebrities to request personalized greetings) announced it is partnering with Veritone to offer customized videos for fans from popular children’s characters. The voices behind the characters don’t even need to record the messages. The voice AI is so advanced that it can create a synthetic voice for the character.
Other news
- Disney+ has been operating at a loss ($11 billion since 2017) since its creation, relying on Disney theme parks to make up the money. Now, one of Disney’s major investors is calling for change and wants a spot on the board.
- Instagram is removing the Shop tab, but shopping isn’t going away. “Meta is now placing stronger bets on its original business approach amid two consecutive quarters of revenue decline,” according to this MarketingDive analysis.
- The Golden Globes were this Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know.
- New year, new direction: Almost five years ago, The Berrics announced it had partnered with men’s fashion
publisher Hypebeast, which took a majority stake in the media company centered around skateboard culture. Then, this January, The Berrics’ founders published this post, explaining that The Berrics is now back in their complete control. Another reminder that partnerships are hard. - Saudi Arabia is attempting a rebrand. This year-round skiing city is part of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to diversify its GDP from oil. The tourist attraction will double as an environmental haven that uses 100 percent renewable energy.
A few weeks ago, Cristiano Ronaldo signed one of the biggest soccer contracts ever, leaving Manchester United to play for Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr. But for many, this doesn’t distract from the fact that members of the Saudi government killed a dissident journalist just a few years ago.
- Austin-based robotics startup Apptronik recently announced a deal with NASA to bring “production-grade systems” to the market. The robot they’re creating is called Apollo and is a “general-purpose humanoid,” according to Automation World. Kudos to Apptronik!
That’s all for this week‘s Marketing Roundup. Check back in next Friday for more news. And subscribe to our newsletter below for additional updates.
