Welcome to the Netflix Era

Abstract

Introduction: The topic this dissertation focuses on is based on theories raised by John Ellis (2000) era of scarcity, availability and plenty and subsequently De Meulenaere et al (2012) era of overflow. Henceforth the focus of this investigation is that we have surpassed these eras and have entered a new era of television. The evidence to back this new era is garnered from investigating online television specifically Netflix. The new era that this dissertation believes we have entered into comprises of the consumer's ability to access any thing they want to watch from one source fluidly and on all devices. This source comprises of high quality products that encompasses all genres and has something for everyone, everywhere. It is global but the consumer is treated as an individual with his/her tastes and preferences reflecting this individualism. This era surpasses overflow as audiences are no longer drowning in content, but have utilized techniques to help find content that would please them quickly and efficiently. Furthermore it will offer an insightful overview into the complex future of the medium, configuring if its future is online, what will happen to the traditional television set?