Archive for the ‘Blockbusters’ Category

Memo to Netflix: Password-sharing is a symptom, not the disease.

April 28, 2022

Like cable, you’ve got lots of listings, but relatively few that are worth paying for.
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Last week, Netflix announced that it, in its last quarter, lost 200,000 subscribers when analysts were expecting a gain of more than 2.5 million users.

Whoa, Nellie.

That’s a “statistically significant” miss for sure … not a smaller than expected gain, a loss!

And, the company gloomed that it will lose another 2 million in its current quarter.

Understandably, “the market” was “disappointed” and immediately shaved a cool 1/3 off the Netflix market cap.

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Hate to pile on, but that’s on top off a prior (and bigger) 1/3 drop earlier in the year.

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So, what’s the problem?

NFLX management chalks it up to to password-sharing … to many freeloaders who aren’t paying for the value that they’re getting from the NFLX “product”.

I beg to differ.

I think NFLX has an inflated view of how much continuing value it delivers … and, even if that’s not true, it’s value is eroding by the day.

Let me explain.

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Clipping the “long tail” … vive la blockbuster.

November 18, 2015

Current & former students:  Remember Dewey the Cat?

Sure, you do … a blockbuster cat book that tried to ride the long tail to riches.

Anita Elberse, the HBS prof who wrote the Dewey case has a new book out called “Blockbusters”.

 

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Here are a few snippets from a WSJ review of the book…

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Clipping the “long tail” … vive la blockbuster.

December 23, 2014

Flashback for my AMS & SBA alums:

Remember Dewey the Cat?

Sure, you do … a blockbuster cat book that tried to ride the long tail to riches.

Anita Elberse, the HBS prof who wrote the Dewey case has a book out called “Blockbusters”.

 

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Here are a few snippets from a WSJ review of the book…

(more…)

Clipping the “long tail” … vive la blockbuster.

December 3, 2013

Flashback AMSers: Remember Dewey the Cat?

Sure, you do … a blockbuster cat book that tried to ride the long tail to riches.

Anita Elberse, the HBS prof who wrote the Dewey case has a new book out called “Blockbusters”.

 

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Here are a few snippets from a WSJ review of the book…

(more…)

Blockbusters: Publishers still swinging for the fences …

April 3, 2013

Despite a weak economy, publishing executives are still making what many see as outrageous gambles on new manuscripts.

With double-or-nothing daring, most large media firms make outsized investments to acquire and market a small number of titles with strong hit potential, and bank on their sales to make up for middling performance in the rest of their catalogs.

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Here’s what Prof. Anita Elberse – author of the “Dewey the Cat” case – had to say in the WSJ ….

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