Netflix has decided to switch lanes and try something new. The media conglomerate is giving its customers the opportunity to purchase items in physical stores that are based off of its most popular shows. The company is planning to launch the effort called Netflix House in 2025, where a series of stores in multiple locations will give customers this opportunity.
The stores will have a plethora of features besides just retail that includes selling TV-inspired clothing, mugs and other items. Dining, art installations and live events are also a part of the mix and will also be inspired by Netflix’s hit shows. The company plans to launch the first two initial locations in the U.S. in less than two years and then expand into opening stores worldwide. One of the features of the first two locations will include an obstacle course from 2021 hit show "Squid Game."
Related: 'We usually have a lot of competition for our shows,' Burns said.
Ted Sarandos, CEO of Netflix, expects fans of the company’s hit TV shows to visit the stores quite often.
“Don’t think of it like Disneyland. [It’s] something you might go to a couple of times a month, not just once every couple of years,” said Sarandos during the Bloomberg Screentime conference.
The unexpected move from Netflix comes after it opened pop-up restaurant Netflix Bites in June this summer in Los Angeles that was set to run for three months. The store allowed customers to be served dishes prepared by chefs that had been featured on popular Netflix food-related shows. Some of the chefs included Curtis Stone from “Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend,” Ann Kimm, who was on “Chef's Table: Pizza,” and Jacques Torres from the show “Nailed It!”
The effort to engage with customers in person also comes amid a recent report that teenagers in the U.S. watch YouTube more than Netflix. A survey conducted by investment bank Piper Sandler found that teens spend 29.1% of their daily video consumption time on YouTube and 28.7% watching Netflix. This is the first time YouTube has beat Netflix in this category which shows that the competition for the streaming giant has thickened. This could explain why Netflix is pushing efforts to engage with audiences in person that include activities that attract younger fans.
