Eat Out to Help Out (EOTHO) just wrapped up. ICYMI: For the whole of August, the UK government paid 50% of the bill for us to eat out on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, in a bit to incentivise diners to eat out at restaurants that were left desolate by the pandemic. For the final week of August, bookings in the UK were up +31% but success is more than just a number. EOTHO brought people into restaurants and re-ignited part of the hospitality industry. But the proof is in the pudding... and that will be served in September. Now here's your weekly round-up of the business and finance news you need-to-know. | In a flashFree Netflix Despite The Expensive RoyaltiesZoom Profits Zoom 3,300%Busy Bumble Eyes $7 Billion-Dollar IPO Free Netflix Despite The Expensive Royalties | What happened and why... Netflix (+1.26%) never sleeps. The streaming-giant has launched a new global website service offering premier movies, documentaries, and series... for free. But there’s a catch. Netflix is playing the teaser game and predicting that just a taste of the goods will be too good to ignore for its global market. 🎬 So what does the teaser, look like... Quality, not quantity... With only 10 movies and shows available - titles include: Stranger Things, Murder Mystery, Bird Box, The Two Popes - non-paying subscribers across all the nearly 200 countries get a slimline ‘Flix experience.But before you scrap your subscription... when it comes to series, you can only tune into the 1st episode. The move comes as the streaming giant aims to snap up more subscribers while also pulling back on marketing spend (the magic sauce). With each piece of content featuring a skippable 30-second pre-roll ad showing other content in the Netflix catalog, this is all about getting the name out... Low-cost trial... This is a cheap marketing play for Netflix. The roll-out puts the streaming-dream on the screens of a new segment of society and is a seamless test run without the customer admin.Global game... With American streaming looking pretty bloated after the lockdown binge, Netflix is opening the taster menu to computer browsers and Android exclusively. That rules out most of America... and rules in most of the world. 👑 And in other news... The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Harry & Meghan to you and I) are launching a yet-to-be-named production company and teaming up with Netflix in the process. The multiyear deal will see Netflix pay them to make documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming. Family programming is a big thing for Netflix, and Harry and Meghan already have an animated series in development that is focused on inspiring women. H&M added that Netflix’s “unprecedented reach will help us share impactful content that unlocks action.” When the duo's production lands it will be exclusive to Netflix, and its 193 million subscribers worldwide. | The Takeaway Spread the message... With lockdown accelerating subscriber growth, Netflix is now looking to a global audience, as America becomes increasingly competitive. With Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, AppleTV+, and other players landing soon, Netflix is thinking big... and global. Harry and Meghan's deal is rumoured to have cost north of $70m dollars and they follow in the footsteps of American royalty, Barack and Michelle Obama. The power-couple signed a deal with Netflix in 2018 and went on to acquire the Sundance hit American Factory, which won the Oscar for best documentary.
