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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

#201

Post by raclage »

daviddaviddavid wrote: post #6
f6v wrote: post #2

“X for black people” sounds so bizarre to me(non-American). The cultural divide between the people must be insane.

Completely agree, especially since it would be pretty easy to reword things to focus on the diversity of the content as opposed to the intended audience, thereby removing the divisiveness inherent in the title.

"divisiveness inherent in the title" seems wildly overblown to me. Isn't identifying an underserved audience and marketing to them like a cornerstone of business? Do you feel that hair products marketed toward Black people are divisive? Subscription boxes for millennials? Shoes for moms?

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

#202

Post by rchaud »

kadabra9 wrote: post #30

Just from an addressable market standpoint, it seems like you have work cut out for you given that you’ve essentially isolated your product to 13-14% or so of the US population. Not to mention those in that segment that already sub to Netflix , other streaming services etc.

Not everything has to scale to Netflix levels to succeed or be sustainable. Targeting a smaller market means you also won't face Netflix' bandwidth costs.

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

#204

Post by luckylion »

throwaway2037 wrote: post #51
afavour wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know what country you're from but if you don't think there are subcultures in your country under-represented by the dominant media I'd assert you're almost definitely wrong. Perhaps it feels a little strange from the outside that such a subculture is definitively "black" but yeah, that's basically how things are in the US. The country has a deep history of racism and black people being literal slaves, in that…

You wrote: >> Agree. I could imagine Netflix-for-Turks streaming in Europe for overseas Turks!

Turks in Europe tend to watch Turkish TV and prefer Turkish language, so there's not really a market for Netflix-But-Every-Actor-Is-Turkish in $europeanLanguage.

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

#205

Post by unmole »

I am not American but the overwhelming majority of the media I consume is American. Given the near hegemony of American popular culture, that is likely true for millions of non-Americans. All these people consume American content because they find it enjoyable and at some level relatable despite living in very different countries and not speaking English as their first language. At the end of the day, the human condition is universal in spite of the cultural frameworks in which it is experienced. I find it absolutely mind-boggling that Americans feel unrepresented by their own media because of the colour of their skin.

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

#206

Post by afavour »

zo1 wrote: post #141
tag2103 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does "Netflix for Black People" scarily remind me of "Water fountains for Black People". This is horrifying, OP please consider this in your approach.

It's not "Water Fountains for Black People". It's "Water Fountain - White People Not Welcome". That's the part that's missing here, we're straw-manning as if white-people are affronted to this catering to a black-culture niche, not at all. I'll stand 100% corrected if this new service hosts white-people, white-actors and white-content that black-people would enjoy watching, and is staffed by an inclusive mix of black…

> It's not "Water Fountains for Black People". It's "Water Fountain - White People Not Welcome"

That's entirely your own interpretation and you might want to consider why you think this way.

There is nothing stopping a white person from subscribing to "Netflix for black people" if they think the content may be of interest to them.

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

#207

Post by brodouevencode »

Uzo0312 wrote: post #96
kitcar wrote: post #35

Out of curiosity - you mention that in the 90's there were a number of TV shows featuring prominent black characters but there isn't anymore. Why did you decide the solution to that problem was to create a black-focused distribution platform, instead of production company focused on creating new shows of similar quality to those in the 90's - has something changed about the market that would prevent shows like those…

That's a great point. I think both things probably need to be done. We took the distribution route, because ultimately we believe it's the direct relationship with the consumer that will allow for this to work. As a production company, you're a step away from the end-user, so you're at the mercy of a distribution company that has more than just the black audience to worry about. But if a company is solely focused on…

But it would take Netflix just one or two demo-specific properties to win that demo back. Unless the goal is to be acquired.

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

#208

Post by tcoff91 »

tssva wrote: post #168
tcoff91 wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re essentially saying that black people need to erase their cultural identity and assimilate into the dominant culture and shut up and watch tv shows about white people like the rest of us and be happy about it. Black people live a different experience than other groups, and maybe they want different shows that resonate with them. BET has been successful for a long time and this service is BET for the internet.

"this service is BET for the internet." Wouldn't BET+ be BET for the internet?

And this service is another competitor to it.

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

#209

Post by KittenInABox »

disneygibson wrote: post #191
recroad wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was never a melting point. It was always a mixed salad.

The concept of “white” is a consequence of the melting pot idea. I had hoped that eventually we could expand from White/European American to just American, a broad identity not based on race at all. This would have solved the injustices of the past and built a more cohesive American identity. Instead we seem to be going backwards. 2050 New York City might look more like 1900 than 2000.

The concept of "white" is not a consequence of the melting pot idea. The concept of "white" was explicitly born as a way to justify enslaving and treating a group of people as property for generations.

If one wants to solve the injustices of the past, its important to actually acknowledge the reality of those injustices and how they feed into modern day. The "melting pot" theory I suspect was always a form of injustice in of itself, because it expected people to simply forget what happened to them and accept that they'll never get an apology have amends made for them.

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

#210

Post by disneygibson »

sombremesa wrote: post #179

I think people who are being downvoted in this thread have valid points, and they’re not really critiquing the company, rather the problem seems to be your messaging. You shouldn’t say “Netflix for black people” because Netflix is for black people already. Moreover if I start selling boxed water called “water for black people” with black stories on the carton, I’m unnecessarily limiting my audience (even alienating s…

This is an easy fix. Make it “Netflix by Black People” or “Netflix by Black Creators.”

by, not for

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