Tudum was an attempt by Netflix to develop fanbase that failed

Tudum, which was launched less than six months ago, was envisioned as a home for supplementary content relating to popular Netflix titles, such as interviews with stars, news about renewals and trailers, as well as larger, meatier articles that may contextualize shows and films. A former writer who was laid off last week compared Tudum to DVD extras and other corporations’ efforts in supplementary material — “a Criterion Collection for common people,” as they put it.

Tudum, on the other hand, has swiftly become the latest illustration of Netflix’s failure to foster those fandoms. The corporation has a history of shutting down shows if they don’t meet internal goals quickly, and it appears to have treated Tudum in the same way, laying off a substantial portion of its workers after it didn’t deliver a sizable return on investment right away. According to interviews with current and former employees, Netflix changed its mind about what it wanted from the plethora of journalists it hired. The crew was faced with shifting goalposts and a marketing department that seemed inattentive to criticism from writers and editors.

For example, according to a writer who asked not to be identified since they are still employed at the organization, staff were told Tudum would be the spot to publish exclusive content before other media could. But, according to current and former authors, even this was an issue at Tudum. Ludum employees would watch as other sites secured interviews with stars that Tudum couldn’t acquire or time with talent that Tudum was supposed to have exclusive access to.

However, writers quickly discovered that this was not the case. According to current and former employees, Netflix PR staffers frequently sit in on interviews with show actors, and writers are given lists of topics to avoid covering that are deemed contentious. Even problems that the Netflix series handle head-on, such as Cheer star Jerry Harris’ arrest for child pornography accusations, which the show dedicated a whole episode too, were off-limits for Tudum, according to various sources.

Though writers claim Tudum was not intended to compete directly with independent entertainment media, the firm seems to be unaware of what Tudum would require to succeed as a go-to source for the Netflix obsessive. The employees repeatedly asked Netflix management why Tudum didn’t have its own social media presence to promote readership or simply let people know it exists. When Tudum was finally given some airtime on Netflix, it was jammed in at the end of programs – far from prime real estate.