Mar 11, 22 | 4 min read
Reading time: 3 minutes
Over the past few decades, the entertainment industry was divided into segments. We had big movie companies, big record labels, and video game brands. And each segment was unique, not only because of the way their products were consumed, but also because of the technological limitations of the time.
But that's changing. Netflix, known for streaming list of trinidad and tobago consumer email and exclusive movies and TV shows, bought a video game studio. And Epic Games, famous for titles like Fortnite, just acquired a music streaming service. Is it all coming together?
Netflix ventures into gaming
But how did it start? Fortnite.
In early 2019, Netflix stated in a report that its main competitors are not Disney or HBO, but Fortnite, a gaming platform... Or should I say an interactive media platform?
It started out as one of the world's most popular real-time battle royale games, with over 200 million registered users, but in the fight for attention, Fortnite adapted and featured live concerts from artists like Marshmello, Travis Scott and Ariana Grande.
And that literally changed the entertainment market as we know it. Netflix saw that change and, little by little, users perceived a great innovation.
Passive consumption of content is not an option, it is necessary to keep users engaged with the material, to allow them to be a part of it. The streaming platform added a new type of interactive film, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch , which received a lot of criticism and was in the trending topics for weeks, but it was not enough.
After some experiments to explore a new market, Stranger Things, one of its best series, became a video game.
And with this successful move, in September 2021, Netflix bought the video game studio Night School Studio, definitively entering the mobile gaming market.
As for Epic Games...
Meanwhile, Epic Games has just acquired Bandcamp, an independent music platform known for having a more artist-friendly approach than other streaming platforms like Spotify and Deezer.
Despite some criticism from musicians, who see this acquisition as a likely increase in commissions, it may also mean that their music will be heard by more audiences.
Some tech experts say Epic may be looking to integrate Bandcamp's vast music catalog into its cutting-edge technology.
Live events within games like Fortnite and the rights to music for use within its game engine, Unreal. Epic may also be looking to integrate Bandcamp into the Epic Games Store, where more than 160 million players remain.
As we said before, it's all about diversifying content formats!
Everything is mixed up
Can we take the example of Netflix as a specific one? No. The entertainment industry is moving towards this path, as Microsoft bought Zenimax Media , an American video game holding company, and Epic Games bought Bandcamp , an American online music company specializing in independent musicians.
We live in an era where our time and attention are our most valuable currencies, and this doesn’t just apply to entertainment purposes, it’s now a new standard for how users consume content in general.
Users are no longer passive about content, they want an experience, to feel part of it. This is how you can keep them interested in your brand.
Today, content strategy is not just about user consumption. When Netflix brings video games to its platform, it wants people to not just watch movies or TV shows, but to engage more. It's about interactivity. Netflix had an on-demand experience, but not an interactive experience like Epic Games.
By bridging the two worlds, you can create a complete experience and have visitors travel through your platform, work through each step of the purchasing journey and become a reference for the market.
It can be applied to many industries, not just entertainment. For example: if you are a financial service, why not have a calculator on how to save money at the top of the funnel to attract prospects? At the bottom, you can offer another one to calculate the taxes on the loan.
If your company sells computers, why not offer a quiz to help your leads find the best configuration for their needs?
By doing so, you begin to have a closer relationship with your leads, improving brand awareness and making them walk smoothly through your funnel and become loyal customers and brand promoters (the best marketing ever!)
