Tudum Livestream Hits 78 Million Views—But the True Measure of Success for Netflix’s CMO Is All Those Fans Crying in Brazil (EXCLUSIVE)
The live stream of Netflix’s third annual Tudum fan event garnered 78 million views across the streaming service’s social media platforms on Saturday, marking this edition —held in front of 11,000 people in São Paulo, Brazil—with an 86% increase in viewership compared to last year’s 41.8 million views and more than 203% compared to the initial 25.7 million from2021.
Netflix probably didn't intend to move the Tudum live audience to tears during the three-hour event—but once the tears started flowing, it was a happy side effect that the streaming service proudly showcased on social media.
“I wish you could be there to convey the energy of the audience and capture those moments,” Netflix’s chief marketing officer,Marian Lee, toldVarietyon Tuesday regarding the streaming service’s first attempt to host Tudum in real time with an in-person audience, following two years of virtual editions of the event. “We posted on Twitter about fans crying in the audience because it was like one of those Beatles moments—every time one of their favorites took the stage, there were just tears and sobs in the audience.”
It wasn’t just Netflix’s C-suite that was thrilled by the excitement that ran high during the three-hour live-streamed event: “Never Have I Ever” star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who co-hosted Tudum alongside “Outer Banks” star Chase Stokes and “Back to 15” star Maisa Silva, was also impressed by the response. “I knew the energy and excitement would be great, but I could never have imagined it would be as incredible and thrilling as it was,” said Ramakrishnan, who was promoting the fourth and final season of Mindy Kaling’s comedy alongside her castmates. “Brazil made me feel very welcome, and that’s truly special. Tudum managed to highlight the power of TV and film, but also the immense power of fans around the world.”
This is from a star whose hit Netflix show has already wrapped up. For people like “One Piece” star Inaki Godoy, who was just starting the first shoot of his highly anticipated projects, the reaction from angry fans may have been even more striking.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a big event,” said Godoy. “The experience was everything I could have hoped for, and the people of Brazil were very welcoming. I’m so happy that we were able to celebrate such a special moment with them.”
(Photo by Mauricio Santana/Getty Images for NETFLIX)Getty Images for NETFLIX)
Also in attendance were major names involved in Netflix projects, including Henry Cavill (“The Witcher”), Gal Gadot (“Heart of Stone”), Chris Hemsworth (“Rescue 2”), Arnold Schwarzenegger (“FUBAR”), and Zack and Debbie Snyder (“Rebel Moon”). These spectacular appearances were interspersed with first-look footage and announcements of big-budget titles, including the final season of “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday” Season 2, the live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “One Piece,” “The 3-Body Problem,” “Bridgerton” Season 3, “All the Light We Cannot See,” and “Squid Game: The Challenge,” among many others.
And that’s exactly what those who watched the live stream saw—since Netflix organized a three-day in-person immersive experience for Tudum attendees in Brazil to shop, eat, and take photos of Netflix series and movies at the Bienal in Ibirapuera Park. According to Netflix, “more than 25,000 participants explored the space, which featured 21 interactive installations and dozens of meet-and-greets with cast members.”
On social media, “Tudum” ranked second in the United States, Brazil, and worldwide, while “One Piece,” Netflix’s highly anticipated adaptation of the popular manga of the same name, took the top spot globally following its premiere.
Overall, Netflix says that the content from Tudum 2023—which includes pre-event trailers, the event itself, the day of Netflix title premieres, and talent spotlights—generated more than 1.2 billion views worldwide.
Here,Varietybreaks down the in-person and live-streamed aspects of Saturday’s Tudum event featuring CMO Lee, as well as his plans for future iterations and the streamer’s overall strategy for live experiences.
How did you decide to make Tudum a large-scale, in-person, and completely live event this time?
Marian Lee:We’re always thinking about how we can innovate. And I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Tudum started in Brazil as a small local event. Then we moved it online during the pandemic because we still wanted to be able to engage with fans around the world. Right after last year’s event, we started thinking about how we could make it even better next year. And the team in Brazil said, “We know this sounds crazy, but what if we bring it back as a live event and then stream it live globally from São Paulo?” And that’s what really kicked off the plan to bring everything back to Brazil in person, while maintaining that global live-streaming component that has been so successful for us over the past two years.
Continue reading the original article by clicking here.
