Netflix Research Paper

Individual Project – Netflix

Member Name: _Scott Jacobs_____________________________

Instructions: For your individual project, you will define a data strategy for a chosen company. You will identify an area of the business where data can be utilized to deliver higher organizational value. You will discuss your data strategy and the motivation behind it, specify the big data technologies required and discuss how they will be utilized, list the players that need to be involved and explain their roles, compose a list of interesting business questions to explore and specify the data to collect and the statistical methods to use to answer the questions, and explain how you will quantify and measure results. Use the following outline for your paper. Keep your write-up to 10 pages maximum. Do not change the format, style, font or size. The report will be evaluated using the same case rubric as in the orientation. Submit your report as a MS Word document using the link on the course website by the deadline.

1. Overview of Organization (company profile)

Netflix’s culture is primarily focused on achieving excellence. Their core values focus on high performance, freedom and responsibility, Context, Highly Aligned, Loosely Coupled, Pay top of market, and Promotions and Development. Netflix prides itself on making sound judgements, good communication, insightful impacts, being curious, innovative, having courage, passion, honesty, and selflessness (Netflix Company Profile, ir.netflix.com, 2015.) The company started in 1997 as a subscription-based Internet television network service, providing domestic and international television shows and movies to their members. Currently, Netflix has almost 70 million members in over 60 countries. Members can browse content of over 100 million hours of television (TV) shows and movies. Netflix allows its members to watch shows directly on their TVs, computers and mobile devices. Members have the freedom to play, pause and resume watching - all without commercials or commitments.

Netflix features also include:

• Streaming, online
• Ease-of-access content
• Vast Database
• Cinematch, a video-recommendation algorithm
• Subscription-based (month-to-month)
• Offers original content (Movies and TV shows )

Netflix has always been known for its use of big data technologies and analytics in its operations. Meanwhile, the company has continue to evolve and grow; there is still a need to generate business revenue from other areas. Over the course of the last five years, Netflix has tripled their content and subscribers. However that comes at a hefty price, they have fought hard to maintain their competitive edge against competitors, such as Amazon, Hulu, Vudu and YouTube Red. “With an annual 500 million dollars cash to burn, the respective growth is stagnant and on the verge of disaster” (Meyers, L. 2015, December 10).