Lily Thaler, Senior Strategist, New York, talks to the BBC following Netflix’s announcement of 13.1m new subscribers at the end of 2023. As the streaming platform now estimates 260m global paid subscribers, ahead of rivals such as Disney, Warner Brothers Discovery and Paramount, are the streaming wars over?

Lily explores that whilst Netflix has won with subscribers today and has strong brand equity, in the shifting landscape of the streaming space, the bigger question is if Netflix has found its niche as a storyteller and producer as content becomes an important part in the way streaming platforms build their brand. The most important thing for streaming services when it comes to brand building is having a content development strategy that’s rooted in something more meaningful to the brand to truly engage consumers and create a cohesive brand expression.

Up until now, Netflix has skilfully shifted from being a content hub to a content producer that has really engaged its users and set them apart so far. Moving forward, Lily shares that Netflix will need to identify what their true voice is—something unique about the types of stories they tell beyond telling all stories.

The streaming space is still ripe with opportunity, Lily explains, both for new players to enter but also for current players to evolve their offering to better accommodate consumers’ changing behaviours such as a recent shift in demand from purely on-demand content back to the live content that defined the earlier days of TV.

Lily concludes that in a world where the presence of AI is only increasing, people may be hesitant about content that comes from a non-human, unemotional place. The ultimate role of streaming platforms is to tell stories that connect with and move people on a deep human level. Time will tell how AI continues to play a role, or indeed a bigger role, in streaming.

Watch the full interview on BBC iPlayer (21:07 onwards)