Netflix is already starting to expand its offerings beyond its traditional options of film and television series, and it’s expected that other streaming platforms will follow suit in the future. These sites could soon become comprehensive entertainment hubs, providing everything users need in the same place.
It could be argued that online casinos have already achieved this, as the categories at these sites cover much more now than what came in the early days. Indeed, there are a lot of lessons that streaming platforms can learn from the online casino sector.
Online Casinos Started the Library Model
When online casinos first came about, developers initially worked on bringing table games and slots to audiences in a digital format. Although the first offerings were rudimentary, they sparked a booming industry that is now worth more than $70 billion. Now, each game has its own section at the top sites. For instance, when you play online blackjack at Paddy Power Games you’ll notice that there are over 30 options to choose from.
Online casinos have gradually improved in key areas, enhancing their offerings in the areas that they specialise in. Along with bustling blackjack sections, you’ll see the same for slots, roulette, poker, and other gambling favourites. The sites are easy to navigate, helping players find exactly what they want to play easily. This is something that streaming services can learn from, as users are often overwhelmed with all the choices in one place. If Netflix’s games blow up in popularity and quantity, it will need to organise them into separate categories as well.
Streaming Services Now Looking to Expand
Netflix has identified gaming as a hugely important sector to get into. The company has rightly said that it faces more competition from games like Fortnite than it does from other streaming services. Indeed, studies have found that people do spend more time gaming than they do watching streaming platforms. Netflix has realised that it needs to try to bring this massive audience to its platform and influence them to stay there. One way to achieve this could be by building the games section.
Netflix has a few simple arcade games on the platform now, and its catalogue is expected to swell rapidly. Many of these titles will be related to series on the platform, giving players another way to experience them. This could encourage more people to watch the series. Netflix already offers a couple of Stranger Things games designed to draw more attention to its award-winning fantasy series. If Netflix is successful, there’s no doubt that other streaming services will look to follow suit and develop their own games.
Streaming platforms that want their games sections to be hits need to look to the online casino industry and observe how operators there did it right. Each category of game is filled with a variety of options to suit different personalities, so almost every demographic is catered for. If Netflix or one of its rivals can achieve this, they will almost certainly be prosperous.
