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Netflix announced it will release a series of 15-minute stand-up comedy specials in the coming months, indicating the video streaming service is furthering its push into short-form content, Vulture reports.
The yet-to-be-named comedy series will be released in packages throughout 2018, and will include a mix of newcomer and well-established comics. These specials add to Netflix’s growing library of short-form content — the company added a 15-minute show from Fox Digital Studios in 2017, for example.
The short-form comedies release can help Netflix’s aim of acquiring more mobile viewers. Mobile viewers prefer shorter, snackable content — 47% of all mobile video viewing is on videos 20 minutes or shorter, while 39% of views go to content 5 minutes or shorter, according to Ooyala per Variety. Appealing to mobile users can help Netflix measure up to YouTube, which ranked first in terms of average monthly users across iPhone and Android in 2017.
Netflix’s expansion into short-form contrasts Facebook's content strategy, which leans toward longer-form videos. Facebook announced it would begin prioritizing longer videos that drive repeat viewership in December 2017, as part of its larger strategy to cultivate more “lean-back” viewers for its Watch section. In contrast, Netflix’s short-form push can help the company gain more casual mobile viewers, who are consuming short-form video on Facebook and YouTube instead.
Netflix’s short-form push comes as the company is adding subscribers at a rapid clip.The company beat analyst expectations and added 8.3 million subscribers globally in Q4 2017, bringing its total subscriber count to 118 million. The company plans on spending up to $8 billion and $2 billion on content and marketing in 2018, respectively, to help sustain subscriber growth.
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