Television's Changling: Netflix

When we think of TV, we often think of streaming, cable, commercials, TV shows, and maybe even Hallmark’s made-for-TV movies. But we don’t often think about how we got to where we are, who we should be thankful for, and who we should curse. The answer is simple. Thank and blame the people who utilized the ever-changing landscape of technology to create one of the largest storytelling (and money-making) industries. 

There is no simple answer for who created television; this was a collaboration of brilliant minds. Samuel F.B. Morse developed the telegraph in the 1830s and ‘40s, and similar technology was necessary to build the TV. Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone in 1876, progressed the telegraphs of beeping sounds to voice. Thomas Edison and Bell believed that phones could transmit images as well as sounds, hinting at what we know today as smartphones and pushing technology forward. However, it wasn’t until 1884 that German researcher Paul Nipkow created a system to send images through wires via a spinning disc. What this means is that the electric telescope was an early form of mechanical television.

The mechanical television spins discs with holes, and as they spin, the transmitter shines lights through its voids, striking the object being “filmed.” With this seemingly complex and simple science, the signal eventually syncs and produces a blurry image. 

Throughout the following years, more and more advancements took place. But it wasn’t until 1927, in central London, that John Baird gave the first demonstration of the television as we know it today. Shortly after, he formed Baird Television Development Company and, within the year, achieved the first transatlantic transmission between New York and London. Years later, Baird would be credited with developing the first working color and 3D television technology. 

With minor improvements for the next three decades, the next groundbreaking step in TV history changed how TV was made and the lifestyle and consumerism surrounding it. While we could say the hit series changed the industry by featuring the first visibly pregnant star, casting a Latino lead, or creating the classic three-camera sitcom, while all true, I Love Lucy developed technology for reruns––changing the landscape and the ability of television as we know it. And where would we be without reruns of this hit series?

Today, the rerun industry is worth billions of dollars; try to think about what kind of world we would live in if there were no Law & Order SVU or Grey’s Anatomy. The series became the first TV show to broadcast reruns as it was shot on 35mm film rather than the grainy kinescope other programs utilized. Because of this genius, we are all able to watch Lucille Ball eat chocolate, make wine, and act in a commercial. 

In 1964, color television became a staple. And in the ‘80s, politics found its way home…onto everyone’s television. Cable companies battled each other for more and more consumers. But soon had two new competitors, Blockbuster and video games. Young people ran to these options rather than cable TV. But in the ‘90s, cable technology improved by adding direct-broadcast satellite TVs to increase channel availability; new broadcast network channels like the Fox network entered the playing field. Still, this boom quickly declined as the Nielsen Media Research Company estimated fewer people watched the last episode of Seinfeld (1998) than the finale of Mash (1983) despite the increased access to television. With the additions of the telecommunications bill of 1996 instilling TV ratings and High-definition television or HDTV, slow changes adapted the industry. Until the internet changed everything. 

While videos could be accessed online, they previously lacked the power to stream videos as they should be seen. YouTube, in 2005, became the first streaming website, influencing the holy grail that is Netflix. An “empowered organization” is “a business that leverages social technologies to enable better connections and relationships between empowered customers and employees—ultimately leading to better products, more efficient workflow, more loyal customers, lower costs, and greater revenue.1” In other words, a company that uses the tools at their disposal to create out-of-the-box solutions to problems consumers didn’t even know they had. 

In this case, Netflix took the premise of Blockbuster and created the Doordash of DVDs, making homes the center for movie and TV watching. This shift was nothing compared to the launch of their streaming service in 2007. Netflix utilized new technology and broadband internet to create the world’s first TV and movie-focused platform, helping customers access their favorite content when they want it, how they want it (without commercials.) Then, Netflix changed the industry again when they created their own original content––challenging how tv shows are made and watched as three-act structures no longer focused around commercial breaks, and binging became the future of tv watching. 

These groundbreaking changes in television have caused every other media company to launch their own streaming services. To compete, Netflix needs to harness their groundswell by marketing their content to consumers. They do this with YouTube interviews, recaps, trailers, social media, blogs, and billboards. 

Most recently, Sex Education’s, a Netflix original, final season was released with over 12 million viewers. The following weeks earned 6.6 million and then 4 million viewers. Netflix keeps these high marks by engaging with the groundswell and culture of their target audience. Here, this Instagram post features the show’s content connecting with how young adults act today and supplementing it in their caption. Ultimately energizing, listening, and embracing the groundswell’s needs in content and marketing. 

While most of us today can remember a time before Netflix and streaming, the younger generations will live in this new world. Seemingly, in the blink of an eye, Netflix has changed our world. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it, DVDs might always be in their DNA, but their future and how they will continue to change our world is an unknown mystery. 

1. Charlene Li, Josh Bernoff. Groundswell, Expanded and Revised. Edition_ Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies  -Harvard Business Press (2011) (Kindle Locations 4070-4072). Kindle Edition.