4 ms·

Out of curiosity - you mention that in the 90's there were a number of TV shows featuring prominent black characters but there isn't anymore. Why did you decide

by kitcar 5y ago

Out of curiosity - you mention that in the 90's there were a number of TV shows featuring prominent black characters but there isn't anymore. Why did you decide the solution to that problem was to create a black-focused distribution platform, instead of production company focused on creating new shows of similar quality to those in the 90's - has something changed about the market that would prevent shows like those that were successful in the 1990's from being successful today?

frereubu 5y ago
I would imagine it's got a lot to do with domain knowledge. Setting up a streaming service is a very different proposition from setting up a production company. These are presumably tech people, not TV people. Besides, I bet setting up a production company is a few orders of magnitude more expensive than this.
vlunkr 5y ago
This was my thought as well. I'm sure there is demand for this content, but is it a strong enough demand to pay for yet another streaming service?
Server6 5y ago
Not OP, but yeah the market has clearly changed. Everything we consume today and media in general has been fractured, organized into subcategories, and is now delivered by algorithms. I my opinion the problem isn't that there is no demand for black-focused media, its that its just become another subcategory of Netflix. And because it may not be as popular on Netflix it doesn't get as much production. Look at what Netflix is producing these days - its mostly lowest common denominator algorithm driven garbage.
- gunshai 5y ago
  But why would it not be as popular on netflix, amazon, hulu, ect?
  - imbnwa 5y ago
    Amazon actually produces the highest quality Black content consistently: Underground Railroad, One Night in Miami, Homecoming, Life, etc
- imbnwa 5y ago
  > Look at what Netflix is producing these days - its mostly lowest common denominator algorithm driven garbage. This, the best content on Netflix in the last two or three years for my taste are largely foreign productions
  - dmix 5y ago
    Much like Reddit which hits lowest common denominator in all the big subs you have to dig for the quality stuff. And hope it gives you similar stuff, but I’ve found that harder on both Netflix and Reddit the bigger they got. But it’s still possible. Twitter on the other hand seems to do everything possible to push you away from your niches and selected content, even though the whole idea is to follow people.
- pseudo0 5y ago
  Yeah, at various points I've seen promoted categories for black created/focused content pop up on Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, etc. It's going to be tough for a new service to compete with the substantial existing libraries of those streaming services. They already have the content and the audience, and just have to tweak their recommender to promote it more effectively.
Uzo0312 5y ago
That's a great point. I think both things probably need to be done. We took the distribution route, because ultimately we believe it's the direct relationship with the consumer that will allow for this to work. As a production company, you're a step away from the end-user, so you're at the mercy of a distribution company that has more than just the black audience to worry about. But if a company is solely focused on a single niche, like so many tech companies out there, the economics for super-serving that niche are a lot better.
- brodouevencode 5y ago
  But it would take Netflix just one or two demo-specific properties to win that demo back. Unless the goal is to be acquired.
  - swman 5y ago
    It’s a yc (VC backed) company. You know the goal.
    - dang 5y ago
      Hmm, interesting comment: it could mean either of two opposite things, but that makes it self-contradictory! Just for clarity, when YC funds a company, the goal is not to have it get acquired. It's to have it go public. Acquisition interrupts that, so it's a suboptimal outcome. That said, YC supports what founders want to do.
      - swman 5y ago
        True. I was making a simple blanket statement that for most VC backed companies you can be sure the end goal is either acquisition or successful ipo.
      - jacquesm 5y ago
        How many YC companies ended up going public out of the total? And how large is that total? What is the expected timeframe from launch to IPO? How many companies still outside of that window? Those would be interesting stats to have.
salamanderman 5y ago
Netflix was a distribution platform before it became a production company as well. If you have a revue stream from existing content then you have the money to make content. Also, if minorities have content that they want to be seen, they'll potentially have a better shot here because of the focus. So from this website's perspective, there might not be a shortage of content to licence right out of the gate, compared to what they could create themselves. Also, it sounds like they know how to make websites.
dhosek 5y ago
I can think of a few major factors that impacted the market in the 90s: 1. Fox/WB/UPN. These fledgling networks broadcast a lot of black-oriented content trying to grab a foothold in the market. This in turn spurred ABC/NBC/CBS to do the same to avoid losing market share. 2. Bill Cosby. The success of the Cosby show in the 80s/early 90s instigated a lot of attempts to grab a piece of that market. Cosby had further success with the spin-off show A Different World (which was notable also as being the only TV show at its time to focus on Gen X characters).
rory 5y ago
Subjectively-- many of the best "black" shows in the 90s were in the Traditional Sitcom category-- Fresh Prince, Martin, Family Matters, Steve Harvey show, etc.. Even though they touched on black issues, 80% of the shows' content was "typical American experience". Perhaps the niche-ification of streamed content has resulted in Black shows that don't feel relevant to non-black people. And since the majority don't feel it's applicable to them, they lose the algorithm game. Just a guess, I don't have any real evidence to back this up. But if that's the problem, it seems like it would be solved by this startup.
- skyde 5y ago
  I really don’t think the middle class black peoples will love watching that kind of show but I might be wrong.

by kitcar 5y ago

frereubu 5y ago

I would imagine it's got a lot to do with domain knowledge. Setting up a streaming service is a very different proposition from setting up a production company. These are presumably tech people, not TV people. Besides, I bet setting up a production company is a few orders of magnitude more expensive than this.

vlunkr 5y ago

This was my thought as well. I'm sure there is demand for this content, but is it a strong enough demand to pay for yet another streaming service?

Server6 5y ago

Not OP, but yeah the market has clearly changed. Everything we consume today and media in general has been fractured, organized into subcategories, and is now delivered by algorithms. I my opinion the problem isn't that there is no demand for black-focused media, its that its just become another subcategory of Netflix. And because it may not be as popular on Netflix it doesn't get as much production. Look at what Netflix is producing these days - its mostly lowest common denominator algorithm driven garbage.

gunshai 5y ago
But why would it not be as popular on netflix, amazon, hulu, ect?
- imbnwa 5y ago
  Amazon actually produces the highest quality Black content consistently: Underground Railroad, One Night in Miami, Homecoming, Life, etc
imbnwa 5y ago
> Look at what Netflix is producing these days - its mostly lowest common denominator algorithm driven garbage. This, the best content on Netflix in the last two or three years for my taste are largely foreign productions
- dmix 5y ago
  Much like Reddit which hits lowest common denominator in all the big subs you have to dig for the quality stuff. And hope it gives you similar stuff, but I’ve found that harder on both Netflix and Reddit the bigger they got. But it’s still possible. Twitter on the other hand seems to do everything possible to push you away from your niches and selected content, even though the whole idea is to follow people.
pseudo0 5y ago
Yeah, at various points I've seen promoted categories for black created/focused content pop up on Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, etc. It's going to be tough for a new service to compete with the substantial existing libraries of those streaming services. They already have the content and the audience, and just have to tweak their recommender to promote it more effectively.

Uzo0312 5y ago

That's a great point. I think both things probably need to be done. We took the distribution route, because ultimately we believe it's the direct relationship with the consumer that will allow for this to work. As a production company, you're a step away from the end-user, so you're at the mercy of a distribution company that has more than just the black audience to worry about. But if a company is solely focused on a single niche, like so many tech companies out there, the economics for super-serving that niche are a lot better.

brodouevencode 5y ago
But it would take Netflix just one or two demo-specific properties to win that demo back. Unless the goal is to be acquired.
- swman 5y ago
  It’s a yc (VC backed) company. You know the goal.
  - dang 5y ago
    Hmm, interesting comment: it could mean either of two opposite things, but that makes it self-contradictory! Just for clarity, when YC funds a company, the goal is not to have it get acquired. It's to have it go public. Acquisition interrupts that, so it's a suboptimal outcome. That said, YC supports what founders want to do.
    - swman 5y ago
      True. I was making a simple blanket statement that for most VC backed companies you can be sure the end goal is either acquisition or successful ipo.
    - jacquesm 5y ago
      How many YC companies ended up going public out of the total? And how large is that total? What is the expected timeframe from launch to IPO? How many companies still outside of that window? Those would be interesting stats to have.

salamanderman 5y ago

Netflix was a distribution platform before it became a production company as well. If you have a revue stream from existing content then you have the money to make content. Also, if minorities have content that they want to be seen, they'll potentially have a better shot here because of the focus. So from this website's perspective, there might not be a shortage of content to licence right out of the gate, compared to what they could create themselves. Also, it sounds like they know how to make websites.

dhosek 5y ago

I can think of a few major factors that impacted the market in the 90s: 1. Fox/WB/UPN. These fledgling networks broadcast a lot of black-oriented content trying to grab a foothold in the market. This in turn spurred ABC/NBC/CBS to do the same to avoid losing market share. 2. Bill Cosby. The success of the Cosby show in the 80s/early 90s instigated a lot of attempts to grab a piece of that market. Cosby had further success with the spin-off show A Different World (which was notable also as being the only TV show at its time to focus on Gen X characters).

rory 5y ago

Subjectively-- many of the best "black" shows in the 90s were in the Traditional Sitcom category-- Fresh Prince, Martin, Family Matters, Steve Harvey show, etc.. Even though they touched on black issues, 80% of the shows' content was "typical American experience". Perhaps the niche-ification of streamed content has resulted in Black shows that don't feel relevant to non-black people. And since the majority don't feel it's applicable to them, they lose the algorithm game. Just a guess, I don't have any real evidence to back this up. But if that's the problem, it seems like it would be solved by this startup.

skyde 5y ago
I really don’t think the middle class black peoples will love watching that kind of show but I might be wrong.