Define launch and long-term health metrics for Netflix's self-produced originals

You are a product manager working on Netflix Originals, the series and films that Netflix commissions or produces and releases under its own label. Leadership wants a consistent way to judge two things about an Original: how well it is performing, and whether it is healthy over the longer run. Define the metrics you would use, explain how each one connects to why Netflix invests in Originals, and recommend the small set you would track as the headline scorecard. ```hint Split the two words Treat "performance" and "health" as different questions with different time horizons, and anchor both in what the subscription business needs from an Original before you list any metric. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Are we scoring one specific title, such as a new season that just dropped, or building a scorecard that every Original will be judged on? - Should an Original be compared with licensed titles, with other Originals of similar genre, format and budget, or with the forecast it was greenlit on? - Which outcome matters most to leadership: winning new subscribers, keeping existing members from cancelling, or cultural reach for the brand? - How soon after release does the team need a verdict: the first weekend, the first month, or across the title's whole life on the service? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A goal for Originals tied to the subscription business, stated before any metric. - A viewer funnel from discovery to finishing and returning, with metrics at each stage, kept separate for launch performance and long-run health. - One primary metric with guardrails, plus a way to compare titles of different length, format, genre and cost fairly. - A credible way to separate an Original's causal effect on retention or sign-ups from the fact that heavy viewers both watch more Originals and cancel less. - Measurement traps specific to streaming, such as autoplay previews, shared profiles and staggered regional releases. ### Follow-up Questions - An expensive Original posts record launch-week viewing, yet most people who start it stop after the second episode. Is it healthy, and would you recommend a second season? - How would you put a two-hour film and an eight-episode drama on the same scorecard without favoring either format? - Your data shows members who watch Originals cancel less often than members who do not. How would you show leadership that the Originals caused the difference?