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The hottest front in the streaming wars right now is the battle for free TV.
You talk about IMDb TV as a modern web link.
What does that mean?
Ryan Pirozzi:Its premium [shows] across a wide variety of genres.
Its really about having something for everyone.
We dont just look at other competitors in the AVOD space.
We look at competing for customers interest and time, so we have to stand out.
Does having advertising change the kind of shows you might do?
Are you going for basic cable-punch in content?
It doesnt change the creativity of what were trying to do.
It doesnt change the talent we want to work with.
So for us, no, I can say very, very directly, no.
I come from online grid television.
Those are some of the best shows that have been made.
And those are the shows that audiences continue to love.
Whats the difference between Prime Video and IMDb TV?
I know youre free.
A subscription service in Prime Video, and an ad-supported service in IMDb TV.
And what that allows us to do is open up the aperture of people we reach.
I like to talk about these two big groups of customers.
Were delighting Prime members who want more selection and are willing to watch ads to get it.
And then were also delighting people that dont want to be behind the paywall for one reason or another.
I do think that these services should be complementary to one another.
They will not feel the same.
In terms of overall content, how many shows do you want to make every year?
Lauren Anderson:A lot.
I dont want to give an answer that is sort of just randomly picking a number.
We launched our first original in November.
Weve launched two more this year.
Ryan Pirozzi:We want to do a lot, to Laurens point.
But we also pride ourselves on being curated.
This is not about doing everything.
So maybe two years from now, were talking about dozens of IMDb TV shows?
Lauren Anderson:I feel comfortable saying yes.
Yes, full stop.
Would you ever do a daytime-style soap opera or a game show or a talk show?
Are those genres that youve talked about?
Ryan Pirozzi:Absolutely.
What about multi-cam comedies with studio audiences?
Ryan Pirozzi:I would say were 100 percent open to it.
Its more of an embracing of the convenience and ubiquitous access of streaming.
We think theres a home for them in streaming.
Or will you follow the old online grid model and make pilots and see what sticks?
Its not so much that we wont ever do pilots.
We do have some things that were thinking about as pilots.
IMDb TV so far has mostly been defined by series which have already aired on other networks.
Do you still want to keep acquiring more old shows as you build your library of originals?
Lauren Anderson:Licensing is always going to be a huge part of what we do.
We dont ever think that were going to move away from that.
Originals, in a lot of ways, are the centerpiece of our business.
But licensed content is never going anywhere.
I just want to ensure I say that very clearly: Its never going anywhere.
What kinds of acquired shows do you want to have on the platform?
And do you look at how those shows perform to inform what kinds of originals you make?
Netflix famously said it green-litHouse of Cardsbecause its members really liked Kevin Spacey movies.
Lauren Anderson:We are doing a little bit of everything.
So it is those sort of classic shows, the Norman Lear shows,Bewitched, etcetera.
We hadSchitts Creekduring its final two years.
We haveChicago Fireright now.
Its a big part of what were going to continue to do.
WithLeverage: Redemption, there is some of that.
Has that been a thing?
Lauren Anderson:So no one has fully pitched something that revolves around Alexa at the center of it.
One hundred percent, that happens.
Per CNBC, that number was 20 million at the start of 2020.
Tubis presentation was well-produced and reasonably entertaining(thanks to host Will Arnett).
Instead it simply said thered be stuff from Foxs Bento Box animation studio and some documentaries.
(A slew of unscripted Fox shows, includingThe Masked Singer, already live on Tubi as well.)
Roku Channel also spent more time focused on ad technology than content,which makes sense, I suppose.
Maybe well hear something when the company announces itsfirst quarter earningsThursday afternoon?
