Netflix claimed that it does not ask creators to “repeat” plot points, despite public declarations from celebrities that writers had been instructed by the streamer to do so when developing projects.
The alleged directives received more exposure when Oscars host Conan O’Brien joked about them on stage during his bit with Paradise star Sterling K. Brown.
“It’s been widely reported that some studios are now insisting filmmakers repeat information and restate the plot several times in their movies in order to accommodate the modern movie viewer who’s half watching because they’re distracted by their phones,” O’Brien said Sunday, without mentioning Netflix by name.
Still, Netflix film chief Dan Lin is pushing back hard on the suggestions.
“We actually all laughed when we watched that bit at the Oscars, but there’s no such principle,” Lin said at a Netflix press conference on Wednesday, according to Variety. “I mean, if you watch our movies or TV shows, we don’t repeat our plot. So I don’t know where that comment came from. Certainly, we are focused on making great movies.”
Matt Damon caused a stir in the industry when he and Ben Affleck appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience in December, telling the podcast host that they were told, “We want people to stay tuned in, and it wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they’re watching.”
The actors were promoting their Netflix film The Rip at the time.
Damon’s comments served as confirmation of a rumor that had been floating around at least since The Guardian’s exposé from last January, titled “‘Not second screen enough’: is Netflix deliberately dumbing down TV so people can watch while scrolling?”
Netflix told the outlet when reached for comment at the time, “Nothing to add from us on this one, but thanks for reaching out.”
The theory caught fire, though, with actress Jameela Jamil slamming streamers for “purposefully dumbing down content and that is leading to a less nuanced, less thoughtful society.”
