Streaming services or Over the Top (OTT) platforms have been the new rage this year, ever since COVID 19 put multiplexes to an unexplained hiatus. Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu were some of the few names that became a staple for recreation. Nearly everyone had access to their favorite shows, right at home.
However this boom for the OTT platforms also brought about this industry and their workspace into limelight. The financials were booming. They were doing a great job, but are their workspace and leadership diverse and inclusive enough?
1. Netflix: Netflix has been around and top of the game for a while now. They started with House of Cards, and have streamed a huge and diverse variety of shows on their platform. Their leadership and executive have inclusivity; however one won’t notice pivotal roles being given to candidates so as to promote their diversity.
In a refreshing take, Bozoma Saint John, a woman of color and a talented businesswoman was appointed Chief Marketing Officer. However, Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters are the CEO and COO respectively, giving sparse room to diversity.
2. Amazon Prime: Established in 2006, Prime Video is now one of the leading platforms for video streaming services globally. Amazon.com particularly believes in the importance of the cultural aspect of inclusivity and workplace diversity and how deeply it creates an impact on the employers. While they believe in the importance of leadership diversity, there have been lesser examples over the years. Mike Hopkins, from Hulu was made the lead executive in Feb 2020. Jeff Bezos recently stepped down as the CEO, and Ukonwa Ojo a stellar marketing veteran and another woman of color was appointed as the CMO, which is commendable.
- Amazon’s Leadership & Diversity breakdown
3. Hulu: Owned by the Walt Disney Company and NBC as a stakeholder Hulu is a prominent name in the OTT sector. Talking about leadership, they have appointed people from various racial backgrounds in major roles. Kelly Campbell recently became the chief at Hulu, with Patricio Spagnoletto as the direct to consumer CMO and Annie Luo in charge of business development and operations. The team is diverse and steps forward to promote inclusivity in leadership.
4. Disney Plus: An important name for people who grew up watching Disney Movies, Disney Plus does a great job, with putting people in different leadership roles maintaining a balance pertaining to diversity. They however seriously lack in diversity in the paramount roles, Bob Iger being CEO and with TV executive Joe Earley as head of marketing.
https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/
5. HBO Max
HBO Max has recently become a leading name in the field of OTTs and streaming platforms. With John Stankey as CEO, Casey Bloys as Chief Content Officer and Andy Fossell as Head of Operations they have a moderate response to inclusivity and diversity on major leadership roles.
Here is our list of the top 5 OTT platforms and their leadership inclusivity, it is crucial one knows the importance and subsequent impact of having diversity in premier positions essential for the functioning of these companies, maintaining cultural authenticity. You can go to our website, balancenow.co to gain more insight.
