Netflix Needs a Baby Yoda

Netflix Needs a Baby Yoda

Chess sets commemorating a recently popular television series are selling for upwards of $99. But "The Queen's Gambit,“ Netflix Inc.'s hit miniseries about a fictional chess prodigy, isn't the theme. It's HBO's "Game of Thrones,“ a fantasy drama that has nothing to do with the game:

Why did "Game of Thrones“ fandom warrant the making of official series-themed chessboards, yet "The Queen's Gambit“ “” a story that's said to have inspired a whole new generation of chess players “” didn't? The short answer: "Game of Thrones“ captivated TV viewers for nearly a decade; "The Queen's Gambit“ was over and binged in just 6.5 hours.

This is the curse of Netflix and the signature evanescence of its content library. While sales of chess sets did spike immediately after the Oct. 23 release of all seven episodes of "The Queen's Gambit,“ Netflix didn't benefit from the enthusiastic shopping it stoked. And this isn't the only way Netflix cedes profits to other companies. Take advertising: The Netflix app doesn't sell ads, but its content regularly sparks interaction on ad-driven social-media businesses such as Facebook Inc. when hits such as "Tiger King“ and "Cobra Kai“ go viral. From meme makers to retailers, Netflix is supplying material