Look at the incredible growth of Netflix over the last year! 9Million new subs… ( Approx 40% of their total subscribers). They have embraced cross-platform convergence as a core strategy. Not only are they on every mobile platform that will port them today, they exist on as many platforms they can port to. Try Nintendo, Try Playstations, X-boxes you name it Netflix is there… They started out as a humble service provider that leveraged snail-mail and now they are the top of the rich-media content delivery business.
Media companies today need to really embrace cross-screening ( a term I created to describe the phenomena of users experiencing content on Multi-Screens.
Another company that has done a great job at the cross-screen strategy is New York Times. Not only they marketing everywhere that they are leveraging all screens for users to consume content ( pay once and get all, they are advertising this just as well). I see their Digital Subscriber Ads in the New York Subway everyday, and here is an ad that I recently saw in the CBSlocal.com website.
Not only is NewYork Times building themselves very strongly across all mediums, what is equally important is how much emphasis they put on Mobile. Just recently, New York Times was awarded the 2011 Webby for the Best Mobile News Website . In today’s landscape media companies need to not only embrace mobile, but make it a very strong priority like Netflix and NYTimes.
If we look at Comcast, they do have a strong mobile strategy but as media consumption patterns are changing it is critical they embrace all platforms. My gut tells me that they should just buy Hulu and start to change the game with Online content distribution streaming in a bigger way as well. Put Hulu a bit out of their misery by trying to do it alone with those tough Networks. Netflix has evolved with those relationships that started with physical plastic boxes with Tape, then DVD’s (some may say this could be considered an advantage), but they got the business model right and have expanded like crazy. Hulu on the other hand, has had an uphill battle from the start with the content providers. My recommendation for Comcast is to buy Hulu and start to change the game a bit with Netflix! Make it cross-screen for all Digital Subscribers…
