‘Insecure’ Sees 370% Jump in Interactions After Landing on Netflix, Making Partnership with WBD Beneficial for Both
If Warner Bros. Discovery was feeling nervous in any way about its new licensing deal with Netflix, data from the streaming aggregation platform ReelGood should help quiet any insecurities the company is experiencing.
News that WBD was exploring a licensing deal to send HBO originals to Netflix first broke in June, and the possibility became a reality just a few days later. Issa Rae’s acclaimed comedy series “Insecure” was the first show to head to Netflix, but it will be joined by other titles in the future.
Reelgood’s new data shows that “Insecure” has been doing gangbusters since being added to the Netflix catalog. The show has seen a 370% jump in interactions since being placed on the service, and during the week of July 2 it garnered 6.7 times the number of interactions the average streaming program saw. Not bad for a series that’s been off the air since December of 2021.
It can’t hurt that “Insecure” is the first HBO original series to be licensed since 2014, before there was an over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform dedicated to HBO. It’s also likely helpful that the show is still available on Max, and the news of its licensing has probably driven some new engagement on that service as well. Still, the numbers undeniably demonstrate how the combination of the HBO and Netflix brands has been good business for all involved.
The success of “Insecure” could prompt WBD to expand its licensing efforts. The company loses nothing but exclusivity in such deals, and as ReelGood’s data shows, exclusivity was holding “Insecure” back instead of helping it. WBD still gets to keep the series on its own streamer, plus it gets a licensing fee from Netflix and more notoriety for Max without having to spend a single dollar on advertising.
It’s a good deal for Netflix too, which gets the benefit of keeping its users engaged and giving them a reason not to cancel their service. It also enhances the Netflix brand; HBO shows don’t get licensed to just anyone, but Netflix has the cultural significance and content-producing power to ensure its own originals don’t get overshadowed by the new titles from WBD.
Undoubtedly other media outlets are paying attention to the success of “Insecure” on Netflix as well. Disney executives have pledged to consider licensing titles to third parties, and while it hasn’t happened yet, the results of WBD’s licensing operation might be too good for a company struggling to right its streaming ship as hard as Disney is to ignore.
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