A clerk at a videotape rental shop approaches a buyer who is waiting to borrow a movie.

He asks him if he has obtained the movie he wants, and he answers him in the affirmative, while he grumbles, explaining that he will be in a better condition when the long line in which he stands waiting to pay the fee for this tape moves.

At that time, the voice of former Netflix Marketing Director Eric Ziegler appears after this archival scene, to explain the suffering of customers previously in videotape stores that did not have sufficient copies of each movie to meet customer requests, and to explain how Netflix solved this problem in the documentary film "Netflix in Versus the World" directed by Sean Cauthen and produced in 2020 and is currently shown by Amazon Prime Network.

The film shows the story of the founding of Netflix and how the consumer need was the mother of this invention, which originated in California on the west coast of the United States of America, and occupied the world and movie viewers during the past years until now.

And with the expansion of the network in the cinematic and digital space, many issues and problems were raised, especially in Arab societies, as the greatest concern for Arabs today was and still is the value aspect related to the family and its preservation in the face of the quality of production provided by this network.

With the intensification of the debate and the succession of news on this issue, another discussion emerged related to alternative platforms, whether Arab or international, as an alternative to the angry Arab viewer from Netflix.

This article does not aim to delve into the value and family discussion that needs a separate conversation, but rather aims to shed light on the dismantling of the Netflix production mix, and thus answer the question that began to circulate about whether alternative platforms - whether Arabic or non-Arab - are able to compensate the Arab viewer. About the absence of Netflix or not?

To make it simple, we'll talk about 3 main elements: technical, creative, and broadcast schedule.

One of the passwords in the Netflix mix that attracts the viewer is: script processing, or what I call the power of the plot.

Many viewers may remember how there is a movie or series with simple directing capabilities, but it enjoys a reputation that applies horizons and attracts the admiration of many.

Technical development of video broadcasting

The production process of any cinematic work is a complex one. It is a beginning linked to technical development, whether or not, in the sense that every technical development that appears on the media scene brings with it the challenges of values, ethics and appropriateness.

This applies to the advent of television, DVDs, websites and, finally, digital film platforms.

Of course, if the origin of this new innovation occurred in a certain culture, and it is consumed within the framework of another culture, differences between cultures and customs appear.

This is why Netflix originated mainly as a technical invention, in order to solve a consumer problem, as the aforementioned movie illustrates.

After that, the network developed advanced technologies and software, for example, the ability to stop watching at a specific clip on the TV set and return to the same clip on the personal account on the mobile phone or computer later.

In addition to using artificial intelligence techniques in several stages and levels, for example, using it in production to determine filming locations and actors’ wages, which are new technologies in the film and television production sector.

It also has a laboratory for developing programming techniques, and shares developments in this field with its clients via a blog dedicated to this matter.

The bottom line at this point is that technical development and programming are a major part of Netflix's working technology, not just the visual production we watch.

Therefore, any platform that wants to compete in this market must understand these technologies well and apply them or innovate and add new technologies to them.

Creative development

The network also kept up with the latest developments in the creative side of the production stages of films and series for cinema and television, which witnessed changes and mutations.

For example, the idea of ​​the work itself, script writing, and dialogue depended to some extent on the writer's and screenwriter's own creativity.

Now there is a great effort by a person or a group of people to carry out the task of developing the film or series treatment, and it is an effort related to the production process itself in a platform such as Netflix and under its supervision.

The platform is not only a production and broadcasting agency, but also detailed supervision of all stages of production in a way that perhaps exceeds the customary supervision on which public and news channels that produce films and television series are based, and this is of course different from cinematic production in which exhibition halls do not completely interfere in the production process.

One of the passwords in the Netflix mix that attracts the viewer is the treatment of the scenario, or what I call the power of the plot.

Many viewers may remember how there is a movie or series with simple directing capabilities, but it enjoys wide horizons and the admiration of many.

One of the most prominent examples of this is the Turkish series "Taif" (Ethos), directed by Perkon Oya, which was shown in 2020 on the platform and made a huge noise in Turkey and the world, and topped the views of Netflix.

The series, consisting of only 8 episodes and with simple directing capabilities, succeeded in diving deeply into the Turkish character and embodying the conflict between religious and secular people, and sparked major intellectual issues despite its simple story about a house cleaner and a psychiatrist.

It is an illustration of the power of the imaginary plot and how it can achieve added success to the Turkish drama, which has always relied on history and romance for its spread.

Consequently, any new platform that does not respect the viewer's mentality and introduce a new imagination in cinematic creativity will not be able to withstand in this digital world.

The Turkish series "Taif" made a huge noise in Turkey and the world, and topped the views of Netflix (networking sites)

Public and private broadcast schedule

Netflix has revolutionized the world of scheduling TV programmes. After the programs used to run continuously from morning to evening and the viewer had to set his schedule for the programs or series he wanted, the programs became available at any time and anywhere.

Amidst this flood of production, the network has divided geographical areas according to countries, so that it allows films and series in specific countries in a large public schedule, and this is evidenced by the huge bank of information it possesses about consumers.

And using this same bank, it provides nominations for each person separately based on the graphic image that you drew of him in terms of his age, location, and what he saw previously, using artificial intelligence techniques.

Netflix even allowed users to use VPN technologies to watch content that is not available in their geographical location for a higher-than-normal subscription segment, and this shows us that it is necessary for any new platform to find a way to adjust its scheduling on the viewer’s compass, using innovative technologies and not Leave it to publicity or the personal approval of each viewer.