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Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

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Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#121

Post by kartan »

CuriousSkeptic wrote: post #114
tjoff wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe it is because netflix doesn't host that much good content? When they have you dialed in you've already watched everything worth watching so there is no good content left to recommend.

This is the part I don’t understand. Why do they go through so much effort to have me binge watch Netflix. It costs them bandwidth, and it makes me go through the quality stuff quicker. If they instead tried to get me watching just enough to keep the subscription it would be cheaper for them and I would have be more happy with the mean quality of available options

> Why do they go through so much effort to have me binge watch Netflix.

"Focus Area #1: Engagement Engagement is, hands down, the #1 area that you should be concerned with on social media. It is the catalyst for improvement in all of the other social media KPIs we'll discuss." https://www.impactbnd.com/blog/social-media-kpis

This is just an example. Everybody wants to become Facebook for some reason.

Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#122

Post by wool_gather »

hellofunk wrote: post #76
apo wrote: post #22

It may also be the case that negative reviews of movies, TV shows, and stand-up specials did more to dissuade potential viewers than positive reviews did them to draw in; ... Netflix's bigger problem is that much of its content looks good on the surface, but on closer inspection is not worth the time. A lot of this stuff is produced by Netflix itself. Bill Nye's most recent show comes to mind, but there's a lot more.…

Netflix is in the game of "filler" content. They will make money even if the content is mediocre because (many) people will turn to Netflix even if the quality is not stellar. That's unfortunate but a reality of the business model. If it didn't work, they wouldn't keep making lots of crap.

> (many) people will turn to Netflix even if the quality is not stellar

Absolutely. Just like the television programming that Netflix is in the process of replacing!

Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#123

Post by flamtap »

apo wrote: post #22

It may also be the case that negative reviews of movies, TV shows, and stand-up specials did more to dissuade potential viewers than positive reviews did them to draw in; ... Netflix's bigger problem is that much of its content looks good on the surface, but on closer inspection is not worth the time. A lot of this stuff is produced by Netflix itself. Bill Nye's most recent show comes to mind, but there's a lot more.…

One reason I think Netflix has a lot of those 1-season, low budget, 4-8 episode flops is that producing them is a lot lower risk. Unlike a TV network, they don't have to take up time that could be filled by something else, nor do they have to lose money on advertising slots to promote it. And if the show flops, they have no real reason not to keep it up on the site.

For a Netflix-produced show, the first season is almost like an extended pilot who's only judge is the viewership instead of some network executives.

Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#124

Post by jxub »

pmoriarty wrote: post #88
MiddleEndian wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The one thing I liked most about Netflix back when it was a DVD service was the recommendation system. I could rate things with stars, and Netflix could figure out, with reasonable accuracy, what movies I would consider junk and what I would consider quality, rather than the opinions of the general public. They have some good shows but their streaming movie selection and recommendation system doesn't hold a candle to…

Netflix's DVD service is still active. They just hide it under a separate URL: https://dvd.netflix.com

Funnily enough, it's unavailable for me at the moment (location: EU).

Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#125

Post by riku_iki »

mattnewport wrote: post #71
electrograv wrote: post #5

> Netflix said in a statement that “the reviews and our redesigned ratings system (thumbs up/down) never contributed to how we approach personalizing recommendations for members and writing a ‘bad’ review never had any bearing to whether a title was recommended to another viewer or not.” THAT explains why Netflix keeps recommending me garbage quality content! I had a suspicion this was true, but couldn’t imagine anyo…

It got bad enough for me that I deleted my Netflix account a few months ago and haven't really missed it. I got tired of scrolling through for ages and never finding anything I felt like watching. It still surprises me that they don't do a better job of recommendations given they used to make a big deal out of it.

So, what are you watching instead?..

Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#126

Post by lukeschlather »

scarface74 wrote: post #37
apo wrote: post #22

It may also be the case that negative reviews of movies, TV shows, and stand-up specials did more to dissuade potential viewers than positive reviews did them to draw in; ... Netflix's bigger problem is that much of its content looks good on the surface, but on closer inspection is not worth the time. A lot of this stuff is produced by Netflix itself. Bill Nye's most recent show comes to mind, but there's a lot more.…

Well, maybe since Netflix has viewing data, knows how often a show is watched to completion, and over 125 million paying subscribers and some sort of multiple of actual users per account, could it possibly be that they have more of an insight into what is “junk” than someone looking in from the outside?

Netflix really doesn't have much insight into level of engagement. I leave some shows running while I do chores around the house, and that looks like I'm obsessively binge watching them. I take months to finish watching other shows I enjoy a great deal. I appreciate having a supply of garbage shows to leave watching while I do the dishes, but I wouldn't be paying Netflix money if they didn't supply a lot of new content that engages my full attention.

It seems like they're deliberately moving toward a shallower understanding of why people watch.

Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#127

Post by vidarh »

paavoova wrote: post #68
throwaway76543 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Worth the time" is relative. Some people really enjoy shows which other people consider to be "junk." I suspect Netflix realizes this. I don't mind them not being suggested, but I'd be really upset if "junk" shows became unavailable. There's a bunch of popular content which I don't enjoy and I wouldn't be surprised if a sizable portion of content I do consume is "junk" according to popular opinion.

Perhaps it's relative as far as entertainment value is concerned, but not as far as artistic merit is. I for one don't enjoy wading through an endless stream of consumerist drivel helmed by yes-people who just want their big break, or who otherwise are simply involved for the pay and career. >I suspect Netflix realizes this Yes, because they collect all kinds of user data and have statistics to back up viewership and…

I think that's an awful example. Adam Sanders movies fairly consistently do well on very low budgets, because he consistently delivers a certain recipe: feel-good relatively low brow comedies that don't take themselves very seriously. They are worthwhile exactly because of that - once you've seen a couple you know exactly what you get, and when that is what you feel like it's an easy choice. That makes them extremely 'Netflix friendly' - if you've liked a couple, you're likely to like a lot of them. You don't need to sell them very hard past his name - people who like his movies will watch them when that's what they're in the mood for.

Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#128

Post by baby »

electrograv wrote: post #5

> Netflix said in a statement that “the reviews and our redesigned ratings system (thumbs up/down) never contributed to how we approach personalizing recommendations for members and writing a ‘bad’ review never had any bearing to whether a title was recommended to another viewer or not.” THAT explains why Netflix keeps recommending me garbage quality content! I had a suspicion this was true, but couldn’t imagine anyo…

Have you actually tried to watch what Netflix recommends to you or do you just feel like it's bad? I'm definitely in the latter case, but I haven't been trying to prove it.

Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#129

Post by cpeterso »

zouhair wrote: post #101
blubb-fish wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I left my bootlegging days behind ...

I have a Netfilx account and yet torrent all their stuff because I watch on my monitor and can't stand watching videos on a browser. I don't watch Youtube on a browser either. Using stuff like Radarr/Sonarr/Jackett/... makes for a higher quality experience.

If you use Windows, Netflix has a native Windows app that uses hardware decoding and DRM so you get both less CPU/battery usage and higher resolution.

Re: Netflix Has Deleted Every User Review Ever Posted to Its Website

#130

Post by Gustomaximus »

blubb-fish wrote: post #77

Are there alternatives to Netflix? Amazon Prime certainly isn't. Serious question - especially for German audience. I would like something with older and more niche movies. F.x. on Netflix Germany neither is nor ever was a Fellini flick ... actually "Federico Fellini" is not even suggested upon searching for "Fellini". https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2017/oct/... - Fandor: only US and CAN - Mubi: a…

Australia has 'Stan'. It's good for content. It feels like the old Netflix.
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