Netflix Execs Talk Asian Ground Game, Partnerships

Netflix’s Tony Zameczkowski and Vincent Tauzia discussed the streaming platform’s Asian progress and the importance of partnerships with telco and pay-TV operators at APOS today.

Zameczkowski is the VP of business development at Netflix Asia. He said the company has aligned with more than 20 operators in the region (most recently, India’s Tata Sky, announced yesterday). Long-term partnerships are key, said. “We learn from each other. We are operating all around the world, so we come with best practices. Operators on the ground know their market better than anyone else.” The partnership with Globe in the Philippines, he noted, is a “true 360-degree partnership” that includes set-top-box integration, co-branded marketing, merchandise, store activations and screenings.

Tauzia, VP of TV operator engagements at Netflix, said partnerships are successful “when we are able to align our ambition and our business with operators to bring the right content. It’s really about matching the service we are bringing to the audience the operator has access to. Whenever [a partnership] hasn’t worked, it has been because there was a mismatch of expectations. If we have the same vision, things can be overcome.”

Netflix has been working with operators for about five years and now has partnerships with more than 60 worldwide, Tauzia said. The time it takes to integrate with partners can be anywhere from four months (as it was with Fetch TV in Australia) to 12. “There is technological complexity when it comes to security and graphic performance,” he said.

The executives talked about how the company is accelerating its content spend, which is expected to hit $8 billion this year. While they wouldn’t disclose how much of that is for Asia, Zameczkowski noted, “We are accelerating investment in this part of the world. A good example is Sacred Games, our first original in India. We are doing more in Korea as well. You will see 15-plus originals coming from Asia to the platform in the [next] few months.”