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Netflix’s position as one of the premier streaming platforms worldwide guarantees its status as an important key player on all aspects regarding TV shows production; that includes everything from new rising concepts or shows formats but also for established genre properties; and though the exact metric of what makes a TV program or production 'popular' varies over many different methods most will agree that high viewing time combined with general mass appeal and strong cultural impact will provide a foundation as clear evidence over high quality and large reach. Today that exact concept will be the main focus to carefully analyze just what is behind most of Netflix most successful tv production and we’ll attempt to get a good understanding behind the reasons that drives their viewing value and what that implies on overall cultural and media landscapes when applied in larger scales.
Before delving further on specifics its important to understand what drives popularity, when considering Netflix's metrics as they do often change to fully maximize viewership ( as opposed to some very defined concept) it’s very clear that one metric is key for Netflix and this remains total hours viewed within a specific period time; this specific focus means some show with lower number of viewers that have people invested on binging for long periods of time might perform far higher within their internal rankings ( and be advertised or suggested to a viewer profile ) that other similar, yet perhaps also higher viewed or reviewed programs that do have those ‘viewers hours’.
Whilst other platforms may have a greater weight in total viewers or total subscriber accounts or even quality of review or press ( not to discount their importance but not as critical as hours watched) Netflix makes clear its intentions. The primary aim is on long lasting entertainment, even at a cost that quality or review feedback seems almost secondary to the overall purpose of that shows main purpose within that catalog so to best analyze what truly sets their high rated content lets explore recurring elements as themes of 'success' which do appear within various content options within that Netflix catalog.
For instance, those programs which provide strong, easy to understand story beats with a reliance over familiar formats tend to always have high viewing time numbers especially as that type of predictable structure requires minimum effort from casual observers for high entertainment rewards. On the other end series which might lean more heavily in characters dynamics than overarching plot also benefit greatly from that Netflix ecosystem because their internal core narrative frameworks allow for easier watching experience; those usually have a far higher success rate especially for non-US/ English speaking territories. The core idea is that ‘familiar elements will bring easier engagement’.
When taking into consideration top-performing English language series on the platform one notices a shared understanding between story lines: many offer a good mix between complex storylines mixed alongside very relatable character and, despite differing wildly in various elements like setting, genre, target audience they all possess that common formula that requires minimal effort or attention and are easily consumed during those large viewing cycles for high entertainment values with each episode feeding smoothly into each other while also setting viewers for more.
Programs which tend to lean on more serialized character dramas rather than overly complex or large story arcs do seem to benefit by also leaning heavily towards specific relatable themes such as 'family', 'love’, 'betrayal’ or any combination and subversions of those familiar themes ( as those will provide easy pathways to identify and react). Those particular characteristics have shown to be constant regardless of target audience so even genre mixing with this type of framework ( crime, western, futuristic, action or comedy) always seem to guarantee far more favorable overall numbers. Also if those programs use the format of ‘long slow burn’ instead of large or shocking story beats most usually retain and keep audiences hooked into returning into long watch cycles, also showcasing clear Netflix data points that the higher the investment on ‘watch time’ generally means greater probability that casual viewer will then start becoming regular users on that specific platform. And all these points can highlight a key lesson: content selection needs clear goals and a deep understanding of viewing behaviours if a production is attempting to maximize platform value.
Those long form formats all have another key strength and it’s their capacity for broad cultural resonance which becomes critical; the themes selected on most popular production choices for Netflix will be focused on easily translatable and universal concepts with a focus on characters’ experiences rather than their geographical and political framework because an international viewer might not appreciate all specific and localized settings so the best production often makes the choice to highlight human elements. Many viewers ( and long time content creators that make productions ) tend to greatly favor well established story beats ( that many are familiar with through past media consumptions from movies, TV series and other media platforms ) by highlighting a core concept using 'something’ with new or unique tones; that blend of something familiar yet original allows most tv program to be a fast success.
By creating a program with ‘shared human feelings’ or with underlying philosophical, relatable dilemmas ( and all with an action / drama setting ) many productions end up greatly resonating with vastly different territories and culture setting by focusing more in shared or common emotional reactions as that type of interaction and human element will transcend local boundaries. By placing very high quality ( if standard action genre type) production details ( such as special effects or high end camera focus) those tv shows also manage to provide a quality that many international audiences ( even without a high degree of ‘formal english’ command) may easily recognize and identify making shows less a 'text / story' but also much more into a global ‘visual language' experience as that type of setting makes consumption accessible for vastly diverse cultural settings and languages.
The dominance over Netflix and its production team's specific data metrics do highlight an important factor that cannot be missed for discussion and its that, regardless of what a ‘creative professional’ might intend in order to establish a program, if that doesn't align with the intended goal by the ‘viewer experience data’ it usually wont generate those large scale viewership figures required for greater global presence because as often as its repeated, the total consumption time of shows carries the larger value for Netflix over many other concepts.
The long run implications are simple to predict; shows will be geared in favor of ‘less intense stories that keep audiences for a longer viewing time’ with more reliance on ‘character driven stories and less in convoluted overly complex plot lines’ as well with many themes being geared towards those which have greater global outreach; so productions might end up focusing ( at least for this type of viewing format) more into easily digested content which may be a great positive for long binge view cycles for average viewers but it can have a less creative freedom for artists, producers, writers or all related film and tv industry sectors since more creative complex story approaches tend to go down a 'less safe' zone due to not guaranteeing the highest average view consumption hours that this production format demands over time which implies some risks to specific parts of movie or tv art sectors.
Netflix’s most successful English-language shows create the formula for mainstream appeal through some specific methodologies; by focusing on very specific story elements which generate far greater viewing times and that has lead to the creation of a type of unique ‘genre format’ where predictable but familiar scenarios combined with underlying ‘shared human values’ tends to make each show have a higher success rate as well. By keeping production values high and with storylines that, despite cultural nuances have relatable themes, many production houses end up having global viewing time popularity. But whilst this seems entirely a win-win scenario for tv consumption as the viewer ends up being pleased or satisfied and producers gain an audience there’s another aspect regarding those core values that does end up greatly challenged that often gets glossed over due to success values and its precisely that creative element: if art is intended to also force challenging existing ideologies then this system is likely less suitable to develop unique or creative non traditional elements in favor of content design; its something for everyone to reflect while looking for future content and choices, from different view point of production, business, writers and, naturally, potential viewers too.