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Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

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Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#121

Post by binaryorganic »

ITT: Whyt folx suggesting that curating media that targets a specific cultural audience is problematic without realizing that they already enjoy that same experience every day of their lives.

But I love it. One thought that comes to me: If you’re successful at this, you probably get to repeat the story of the big record labels poaching black creators in the 1920s. That’d be good history to dive into and weave into the marketing narrative you pitch to your creators. A solid outreach and education piece for indie makers could have lasting societal impact all on its own.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#123

Post by frereubu »

slim wrote: post #115
frereubu wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How does it "encourage" a divide rather than just represent a divide that exists? Edit: This feels a bit like the idea that showing children stories about gay people would somehow "turn them gay".

By creating thought bubbles exactly like social media

That implies people who subscribed to this service would entirely stop watching other content. But you don't think that, do you?

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#124

Post by calvinmorrison »

If you manage to talk to Tyler Perry I have a pitch for a new movie idea.

"Tyler Perry's Madea's Gillian's Island".

Basically, Madea wins some sort of lottery and wins a free vacation all expenses paid to a resort in Mexico with her and the gang (and tyler + his daughter, and her new boyfriend) but the plane goes down over the bermuda triangle and they end up shored up on an unknown island.

Throughout the film tyler's daughters boyfriend (who tyler thinks is a loser, gangster) has to work along with tyler to help the family survive. Madea does her usual thing, and mostly tans on the beach, complains and yells at people.

The heartwarming message of uniting in the face of disaster, combined the usual Madea hijinks are sure to make this a non-stop blast of a film.

plot twist: madea had a cell phone that works the whole time, but refused to use it in order to make the family bond.

Please get this to the higher ups as I really want to see this film made.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#126

Post by tptacek »

mrits wrote: post #104
tptacek wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

French people of African descent are not culturally the same as American Black people. Black culture is unique in that it was created artificially by kidnapping millions of people from the African content and stripping them of their cultures, family ties, and names, prompting those people to construct a new culture (while uniting them for another 100 years in the experience of apartheid and the civil rights movement)…

"Black culture is unique in that it was created artificially by kidnapping millions of people from the African content and stripping them of their cultures, family ties, and names, prompting those people to construct a new culture." That certainly isn't unique.

I don't think my point is "no other group of people has endured what Black people have". At any rate: I don't think I have much more to say about this that would be relevant to Uzo and Iyanu's startup, which is neat and deserves the attention.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#127

Post by cryptoaitrader »

Why is it socially acceptable to to brand products and services based upon "serving" race? "a subscription video platform serving black audiences by making it easy for them to watch TV shows and movies that feature black stories and characters." A video platform service white audience by making it easy for them to watch TV shows and movies that feature "white" stories and characters wouldnt this be considered racist?

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#129

Post by Uzo0312 »

hn8788 wrote: post #49
runjake wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't call it a cultural divide (despite what our media wants), I would call America more a collection of cultures and I love being exposed to multiple different cultures just outside my proverbial front door. That said, this is a great idea and I wish this company the best. I'd love to see something similar for the Hispanic community, as well.

"Netflix for black people" implies that the color of someone's skin determines so much about their personality that they need their own separate streaming service to watch shows on. I don't see how this is any improvement over the existing streaming services that already include a ton of indie content from a lot of different cultures.

I can certainly see where saying "for black people" doesn't sit well with a lot of people. However, that's exactly who we're targeting with the content. That doesn't mean it has to be exclusive. Most of the lyrics in rap songs are generally by black people and intended for black audiences, but it doesn't mean other people don't love it, can't appreciate it, or shouldn't listen. It just means the artist wanted to reach a certain demographic, a demo that was also likely wanting to hear an artist that spoke to how they see and live in the world.

Re: Launch HN: BlackOakTV (YC S21) – Netflix for black people

#130

Post by city41 »

whoknowswhat11 wrote: post #81

My netflix feed at least has been pretty full of shows and movies that feature black stories and characters. I think they have a specific channel for this. So have the other streaming networks from what I've seen. My apple News+ has had a black experience and racial justice spotlight - you can't turn some of these off actually.

> I think they have a specific channel for this

Here is Netflix's Black Stories page: https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/81305957

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