奈飛公司在普及流媒體方面取得的成功顛覆了傳統電影業一個多世紀以來的主導地位。
但在經歷了史上最艱難的一年之后,該公司的領導風格正在發生戲劇性的轉變。正如該公司的一位前員工最近在Insider網站上指出的那樣,高管們采取了削減成本和裁員的方式,決策過程變得“完全是保守的”和“完全是基于恐懼的”。
奈飛公司發生的變化始于今年4月,當時該公司公布十多年來首次出現季度用戶流失。公司股票立即暴跌,此后一直在努力恢復。
奈飛公司還不得不應對日益激烈的競爭,競爭對手包括流媒體提供商迪士尼+(Disney+)、亞馬遜Prime和HBO Max。訂閱服務研究公司Antenna的最新數據顯示,截至4月底,23%的美國奈飛新注冊用戶在一個月內取消了訂閱,這一比例明顯高于其他流媒體平臺。
上個月,奈飛公司的收益好于預期,盡管訂戶流失了近100萬,但其股價小幅上漲。但管理風格的變化可能會一直持續下去,甚至可能在公司長達十年的崛起之后不可避免。
媒體分析公司Disruptive Tech Research的創始人兼首席分析師盧·巴塞內斯(Lou Basenese)在接受《財富》雜志采訪時表示:“奈飛公司的業務重心——廣告支持的分級、基于恐懼的管理、裁員——確實是技術趨勢增長見頂帶來的痛苦的下行壓力。”
奈飛公司勒緊褲腰帶
自股價暴跌以來,奈飛公司一直在努力增加收入。該公司警告說,將嚴厲打擊密碼共享,如果訂戶讓家庭成員以外的人使用他們的賬戶,就需要支付更多的費用。該公司還計劃啟動新的基于廣告的訂閱分級。
從去年開始,奈飛公司就承諾要進軍電子游戲領域。在過去的一年里,這家流媒體公司發布了多款新游戲,并收購了多家視頻游戲開發商。
與此同時,奈飛公司也在努力削減成本,包括今年進行了兩輪小規模裁員。該公司5月份裁員150人,6月份又裁員300人。
奈飛公司沒有立即回應《財富》雜志的置評請求。
命運逆轉
此前奈飛公司在疫情早期迅速崛起,這對公司來說是一個了不起的轉變。該公司在2020年增加了創紀錄的1580萬新訂戶,是當年預期的兩倍,因為各地實行“居家令”讓許多人除了看電視無事可做。
該公司在疫情早期取得的成功導致職位空缺激增,尤其是在內容創作和客戶服務方面。
但公司內部的氣氛可能并不那么樂觀。前員工告訴Insider網站,公司的快速增長導致很多員工捉襟見肘,包括較低級別的員工和高管。
奈飛公司宣布將繼續擴展流媒體庫,盡管經過多年的逐年增長,到2022年,該公司在新內容上的支出將維持在每年170億美元的水平。該公司最近還宣布,它將不再注重制作大量節目,而是更多地關注觀眾想要觀看什么類型的節目。
不過,一些前員工表示,盡管重新調整了工作重點,但公司高層在預算方面更加保守,承擔的風險也更少。
“不要挑戰,完成本職工作就好。他們不想聽到挑戰。”一位前高管告訴Insider網站。“工作變得不那么令人愉快了。工作變得非常注重安全。”
雖然維持內容支出可能是確保奈飛公司在競爭日益激烈的行業中維持商業價值的關鍵,但巴塞內斯表示,該公司將不得不在內容支出和日益不利的市場環境之間找到平衡。
他說:“恐懼注定會占主導地位,直到公司在內容成本、員工人數和從低到零的訂戶增長之間找到新的平衡。”(財富中文網)
譯者:中慧言-王芳
奈飛公司在普及流媒體方面取得的成功顛覆了傳統電影業一個多世紀以來的主導地位。
但在經歷了史上最艱難的一年之后,該公司的領導風格正在發生戲劇性的轉變。正如該公司的一位前員工最近在Insider網站上指出的那樣,高管們采取了削減成本和裁員的方式,決策過程變得“完全是保守的”和“完全是基于恐懼的”。
奈飛公司發生的變化始于今年4月,當時該公司公布十多年來首次出現季度用戶流失。公司股票立即暴跌,此后一直在努力恢復。
奈飛公司還不得不應對日益激烈的競爭,競爭對手包括流媒體提供商迪士尼+(Disney+)、亞馬遜Prime和HBO Max。訂閱服務研究公司Antenna的最新數據顯示,截至4月底,23%的美國奈飛新注冊用戶在一個月內取消了訂閱,這一比例明顯高于其他流媒體平臺。
上個月,奈飛公司的收益好于預期,盡管訂戶流失了近100萬,但其股價小幅上漲。但管理風格的變化可能會一直持續下去,甚至可能在公司長達十年的崛起之后不可避免。
媒體分析公司Disruptive Tech Research的創始人兼首席分析師盧·巴塞內斯(Lou Basenese)在接受《財富》雜志采訪時表示:“奈飛公司的業務重心——廣告支持的分級、基于恐懼的管理、裁員——確實是技術趨勢增長見頂帶來的痛苦的下行壓力。”
奈飛公司勒緊褲腰帶
自股價暴跌以來,奈飛公司一直在努力增加收入。該公司警告說,將嚴厲打擊密碼共享,如果訂戶讓家庭成員以外的人使用他們的賬戶,就需要支付更多的費用。該公司還計劃啟動新的基于廣告的訂閱分級。
從去年開始,奈飛公司就承諾要進軍電子游戲領域。在過去的一年里,這家流媒體公司發布了多款新游戲,并收購了多家視頻游戲開發商。
與此同時,奈飛公司也在努力削減成本,包括今年進行了兩輪小規模裁員。該公司5月份裁員150人,6月份又裁員300人。
奈飛公司沒有立即回應《財富》雜志的置評請求。
命運逆轉
此前奈飛公司在疫情早期迅速崛起,這對公司來說是一個了不起的轉變。該公司在2020年增加了創紀錄的1580萬新訂戶,是當年預期的兩倍,因為各地實行“居家令”讓許多人除了看電視無事可做。
該公司在疫情早期取得的成功導致職位空缺激增,尤其是在內容創作和客戶服務方面。
但公司內部的氣氛可能并不那么樂觀。前員工告訴Insider網站,公司的快速增長導致很多員工捉襟見肘,包括較低級別的員工和高管。
奈飛公司宣布將繼續擴展流媒體庫,盡管經過多年的逐年增長,到2022年,該公司在新內容上的支出將維持在每年170億美元的水平。該公司最近還宣布,它將不再注重制作大量節目,而是更多地關注觀眾想要觀看什么類型的節目。
不過,一些前員工表示,盡管重新調整了工作重點,但公司高層在預算方面更加保守,承擔的風險也更少。
“不要挑戰,完成本職工作就好。他們不想聽到挑戰。”一位前高管告訴Insider網站。“工作變得不那么令人愉快了。工作變得非常注重安全。”
雖然維持內容支出可能是確保奈飛公司在競爭日益激烈的行業中維持商業價值的關鍵,但巴塞內斯表示,該公司將不得不在內容支出和日益不利的市場環境之間找到平衡。
他說:“恐懼注定會占主導地位,直到公司在內容成本、員工人數和從低到零的訂戶增長之間找到新的平衡。”(財富中文網)
譯者:中慧言-王芳
Netflix’s success in popularizing streaming disrupted the traditional movie industry, upending its more than a century of dominance.
But after the toughest year in Netflix’s history, the company’s leadership style is undergoing a dramatic transformation. Top executives have resorted to cutting costs and laying off staff, with decision-making processes becoming “all reactionary” and “all fear-based,” as one former Netflix employee recently noted to Insider.
The changes at Netflix started in April, when the company posted its first quarterly subscriber loss in more than a decade. Its stock immediately took a nosedive and has struggled to recover ever since.
Netflix has also had to deal with growing competition from rival streaming providers including Disney+, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max. Recent data from subscription service research firm Antenna shows that 23% of new U.S. Netflix sign-ups at the end of April had canceled their subscriptions within a month, a significantly higher rate than at other streamers.
After better than expected earnings last month, Netflix’s shares modestly rallied, despite a subscriber loss of nearly 1 million. But the changing management style could be here to stay, and may have even been inevitable after the company’s decade-long rise.
“Netflix’s business pivots—ad-supported tiers, fear-based management, layoffs—are indeed the painful downside to growth peaking for a technology trend,” Lou Basenese, founder and chief analyst at media analytics firm Disruptive Tech Research, told Fortune.
Netflix’s belt tightening
Since its shares plummeted, Netflix has scrambled to increase revenue. It warned that it would crack down on password sharing, requiring subscribers to pay more if they let people outside their households use their accounts. The company also plans to start a new ad-based subscription tier.
Since last year, Netflix has promised to expand into video games. Over the past year, the streamer has released a number of new games and acquired multiple video game developers.
At the same time, Netflix has tried to cut costs, including two small rounds of layoffs this year. It laid off 150 employees in May, followed by 300 more in June.
Netflix did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
Reversed fortunes
It’s a remarkable turnaround for Netflix after its meteoric ascent, which was supercharged early in the pandemic. The company added a record 15.8 million new subscribers in 2020, double its forecasts for the year, as the widespread stay-at-home orders left many people with little to do but watch TV.
The company’s success early in the pandemic led to a boom in job openings, especially in content creation and customer service.
But the atmosphere within the company may not have been as rosy. Former employees told Insider that the rapid growth led to many workers being stretched thin, including both lower-level employees and executives.
Netflix has announced that it will continue to expand its streaming library, although spending on new content will be flat at $17 billion a year in 2022, after years of annual increases. The company has also recently announced that it will focus less on churning out a high quantity of shows, and more on what audiences want more of.
But despite the refocusing, some former employees have said that higher-ups are more conservative with their budgets, and are taking fewer risks.
“Don’t challenge, just do the thing. They don’t want to hear it,” one former executive told Insider. “It became less enjoyable. The work became really safe.”
And while maintaining spending on content may be key to ensuring Netflix stays relevant in an increasingly competitive industry, Basenese says that the company will have to find a balance between content spending and an increasingly unfavorable market environment.
“Fear promises to rule the day until a new equilibrium can be found between content costs, headcount, and low to no subscriber growth,” he said.