12 08 2013

Netflix uses big data in hopes to clean up big at Emmys.

All that user data could mean big Emmy wins for Netflix.

I applaud Netflix on their work with House of Cards. I admit that we watched all 13 episodes almost in one weekend. The use of big data by Netflix could mean the future of TV and awards (like Emmys). Netflix spent almost $100 million to develop this series. They didn’t use focus groups to see if people would watch the show, they used big data.

Netflix has the viewing habits of almost 37 million subscribers (they know what you watched, when you watched it and if you paused). They crunched some serious data to find out that 1) people like Kevin Spacey and 2) people like political thriller TV shows, and by uncovering those patterns (and I am sure they have much more than just this information) Netflix was able to create a show that people wanted to watch. And they didn’t make people wait each week for a new episode.

Netflix took some heat around how they released the series, but I think that it worked out in their favor. In a “I needed it yesterday” society, access to the entire first season got people hooked right away. You didn’t have to wait a whole week for the next episode it was one button click away. Granted the show may have not created a “buzz” each week, but I know people were talking about the show.

Will the use of big data change how we watch TV and how awards, like the Emmys are given out? I think so. Amazon and other online retailers have been using your likes and dislikes to customize offers for you for years now. The use of data for personalized entertainment has just made a bigger splash with the announcement of the nine Emmy nominations for House of Cards.

Now we have to wait and see if they win anything!

About the Author: Suken Shah is a digital strategist based out of Las Vegas. Naturally this article is connected to Suken’s Google+ profile.

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