“We realized, it took a long time, that we could be distrusted, we could be disliked, but we can never be boring… That the essence of an entertainment brand is to be thrilling. Like you just can't ignore it.”
On with Kara Swisher · Tech Strategy & Big Tech · October 2026
Asked how Netflix competes with YouTube, the Netflix co-founder says the strategy is more and better shows and films, plus live spectacles that grip people. An entertainment brand works differently from other brands, he says: being thrilling matters more than being liked.
Transcript
No, entertainment has very different brand properties. I would agree. So we want to be where you relax.
Sports is another area.
You know, for me, I think the strategy is doing more and better television shows, more and better movies. I think they are broadening. Bekta, you said there's the podcast. There's some cool things like Alex Honold, you know, climbing this tower in Taipei. You know, this very gripping. Yeah. Sort of things that are thrilling. So the core brand property is about being thrilling. Like we realized, it took a long time, that we could be distrusted, we could be disliked, but we can never be boring. Okay. That the essence of an entertainment brand is to be thrilling. Like you just can't ignore it. You got to participate. So that's what I think they're very good at is trying to be more and more thrilling.
So when you're like that, how do you compete with the YouTube? Because the numbers are really quite jarring, 14%. I know both my kids and you have kids similar ages. That's where they get all their information from is YouTube. And they like Netflix. There's no question they use. And they use my…
Well, see, if you look in the beginning of television, 1950s, 1960s, movie viewing went way down because suddenly there's this new hot object, television. And then movies got a lot better in the 1970s. There was a whole creative revolution in the pacing and the realism. And then movies fought back…
Yeah. But how do you make that thrilling? Like in the new age? Again, does you have to be short? Do you have to be snappy? Is that the only thing? I
More from On with Kara Swisher
