WWTT? Netflix to Publish a Print Magazine

Good morning marketers! It was announced earlier this week that Netflix — the media streaming giant that now also produces original programing — is getting into the print business. Sort of. Ahead of the Emmys, Netflix is planning on producing a 100-page print magazine to promote its original programming and stars, according to Bloomberg News.

While Netflix has neither confirmed nor denied this news, the Bloomberg News article shared the following from an email from the company:

“In preparation for a groundbreaking year in film and television, Netflix has gathered some of the most talented and sought after writers and photographers, thinkers and creatives, to make the inaugural issue of Wide, the Netflix print journal.”

While you won't find Wide — that's the publication's working title — on any newsstand, it will be distributed to "industry players" in June, which is when members of the television academy vote on Emmy nominations (with the awards show taking place in September). Talk about being in the right place at the right time.

There is also a mention that the streaming service's print magazine would be available at the variety of events it hosts. It's clear that Netflix is hungry for recognition of its studio's creative works, which in the last year produced approximately 700 programs, ranging from movies like Roma to series such as Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and more.

Now this isn't the first time an online entity dipped its toes into print. Last year I received a couple of complimentary copies of Airbnb's print magazine, which you can subscribe to for $18/6 issues. I was surprised when I found it in my mailbox, but I took the time to flip through the piece.

According to Airbnb's website, aside from the subscription, it also began sending copies of the magazine to its hosts earlier in 2019 ... the perfect item to leave out on the coffee table for your guests to remind them that, yes, they're staying in an Airbnb I suppose. That said, I'm probably more likely to check out the online magazine instead, since I do a lot of my travel reading and planning online.

Luggage company Away created Here Magazine after it noticed that customers were calling customer service looking for travel tips. According to an AdWeek article, the publication is included in every piece of luggage Away sells, standalone issues can be purchased, and there's an e-newsletter featuring some stories (which is what I'm subscribed to).

Netflix's decision to put time and money into producing a print magazine to highlight its accomplishments ahead of the Emmy's tells me this: To Netflix, there is prestige in print. Where some companies, such as Airbnb and Away may see their print publications as a value-add to their products and services, it seems like Netflix feels that Wide is a channel to showcase its creative powerhouse abilities. I mean, you don't see other Hollywood studios doing that.

But my question is this: Will it be worth it in the end — will Wide help Netflix bring home Emmys in September?