Producing diversity: Netflix production culture and the branding of difference(s)

Description

Subscription Video On-Demand services (SVODs) have significantly (re)shaped audiovisual cultures and introduced new ways of funding television content (Afilipoaie et al., 2021; Szczepanik, 2021). The emergence of these new players has stimulated debates about their disruptive impact on television producers, production practices and norms (Rasmussen, 2024; Idiz, 2024). Describing itself early on as the ‘future of television’, Netflix is one of the most successful SVODs due to, on the one hand, to its subscriber base and its near global availability; on the other hand, Netflix has developed a distinctive production culture¬ or singular norms, values and practices (Mayer et al., 2009), which inform how its content is produced and distributed. This in turn allows the streamer to gain international recognition while appealing to local audiences and talents (Lotz, 2021; Navarro & Monclús, 2021).
A central element of this production culture seems to be Netflix’s diversity strategy, that is entails its growing emphasis on the representation and inclusion of categories of difference (i.e. gender, race, etc.) in its Netflix’s communication, programming, and production process (Author, 2023). After the publication of its first diversity report, the streamer has claimed anew its commitment to diversity and inclusion within the global television industry, notably by assisting and financing (local) talents and industries around the world (Sarandos, 2021). We argue that Netflix’s diversity strategy is more than a mere corporate tactics to brand the service and retain subscribers; rather, this rhetoric on diversity and inclusion is increasingly used by the streamer as a strategy of distinction to appeal to (young) talents¬—particularly from marginalized communities—while consolidating its grip on (local) productions. Therefore, this contribution asks: how does Netflix rhetorically use its diversity strategy to appeal to talents and industries worldwide? This presentation, setting thus itself at the confluence between media industries research (Herbert et al., 2020) and production studies (Mayer et al., 2009), outlines four key discourses strategically used by Netflix in its corporate communication to appeal to talents and industries worldwide

Periode	16 apr 2024 → 19 apr 2024
Evenementstitel	Media Industries Conference
Evenementstype	Conference
Locatie	London, United Kingdom
Mate van erkenning	International