After calling FX for several years, Atlanta Creator Donald Glover is moving to Amazon with an eight-digit general agreement, according to several publications. The news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
As part of the deal, Glover will work on a series of projects for Amazon, including the recently announced Mr. AND MRS. SMITH series, which he will star next Flea bag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. (Waller-Bridge also has a general agreement with Amazon). A project rumor includes Hive, which is centered on a “Beyoncé-like figure”, according to news reporter. Glover’s most popular show, Atlanta, will continue on FX, where the show is set for a third and fourth season.
Arguably, the most interesting aspect of the deal is that Amazon will create “a content channel that will highlight Glover’s work and other selected content on Amazon’s Prime Video hub,” according to news reporter. It is not clear whether Glover will have control over selected works that appear on his own channel. If that is the case, however, it can become a key product and creative resource that performs two important tasks for Amazon Prime Video in particular – showcasing the impressive talent that works with the company and combating “algorithm fatigue”.
Amazon Prime Video may be one of the best streaming platforms, but its poor product interface and navigation features can make it difficult to use. It is even more disconcerting that the Amazon team has not found a way to fix this, considering the list of talents the company has at hand. Waller-Bridge, Steve McQueen (Small Ax), Jordan Peele (We), Gloria Calderón Kellett (One day at a time), Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan (Westworld), Lena Waithe (Chi), and Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (Wonderful Mrs. Maisel) are just some of the most prolific creators, but their work is lost in the mess that is Prime Video’s current setup.
Adding a specific “channel” that exists on the Amazon Prime Video homepage and highlighting the work of a creator is a better way of marketing for the type of series and movies that Amazon has. It is a marketing and product tactic used by many streaming platforms in slightly different ways. HBO Max allows subscribers to click on an actor or director’s “playlist” and see what they’re watching. For example, Lovecraft Country The playlist of actor Jurnee Smollett celebrating Black History Month and the black film can be seen in the screenshot below.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22312439/playlist_hbo_max.jpeg)
Other streaming services like Peacock and Discovery Plus have dedicated channels for specific series or creators. On these platforms, the idea is to replicate the feeling of live TV for those who want to show something like House Hunters or Saturday Night Live and don’t touch the remote again. At HBO Max and Amazon, the strategy is to create a sense of curation for the talents who work on programs and films available for broadcast. (This is also a strategy on which the Criterion Channel streaming service and the MUBI movie streaming platform are primarily focused.) If Netflix gave Martin Scorsese his own channel, for example, and delivered a list of films that the company had the rights to transmit, it could include The Irish and other films that he really loves.
As everything is in the industry now, everything goes back to Scorsese. The director wrote an essay in Harper’s about Italian director Federico Fellini and addressed the need for cinema in a world defined by algorithms, everything is content. The fatigue of the algorithm is not new, nor is Scorsese the only one frustrated by it.
It’s a complicated thing to get it right. Most subscribers probably like that Netflix’s recommendation algorithm helps show programs or movies that they are likely to be interested in. There are thousands of things to look at otherwise. At the same time, developing creative product features that highlight an artist’s work and make it feel like a more personal connection to film or television – and less like other content – is crucial to making a platform look like a hub. TV and film instead of just a storage space for any type of content.