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Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

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Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#91

Post by rubyn00bie »

I used to like Netflix content because it felt like they were telling me a story which they had thought through and I would get to see to its end... or I'd even finally get an ending to some shows other networks/services killed too soon. To me, Netflix content strategy was saying "storytelling is what is important," and "we want to make sure we find and tell the best stories." New ones, old ones, great stories just the same...

Anymore, I do not believe this to be true, and feel sort of silly for thinking it ever was true. It's become quite obvious their strategy is create new shows to lure people in, and then cancel them (because they'd have to pay the stars more), rinse repeat, hoping more people stay than leave. They do not care about finishing the stories they're telling, or the stories at all, they don't care about content, they care about growth.

Honestly, anymore, I don't even want to watch Netflix shows because they'll probably get canceled before they end.

Edit: small grammar fix

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#92

Post by isbjorn16 »

randrews wrote: post #82
isbjorn16 wrote: post #77

My problem with Netflix isn't the slate of shows and movies it has in its catalog. It's definitely not as nice as it used to be, but there are a jillion and a half shows and movies out there. My problem is that Netflix has taken note that we watch anime a few times a week, which doubtless means we want every single band/carousel/whatever to be about anime. New Anime, Critically Acclaimed Anime, Popular Anime, Watch i…

I have this problem with ML and recommendation systems in general. I hope this fad goes away soon and people go back to making simple, understandable, show-me-the-newest-stuff feeds.

Right - I just feel like it takes things entirely too far. Not every signal deserves a boost that takes a certain genre of suggestions up to 11.

These recommendation systems need to be a bit less zealous; I like black pepper, too, but that doesn't mean I want a huge bowl of black peppercorns in cream sauce for dinner.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#93

Post by quicklyfrozen »

JTbane wrote: post #78
archey1 wrote: post #75

Netflix is just getting more expensive and less interesting to me. With all of the content I like being taken off to be hosted on network exclusive streaming platforms that I refuse to pay for - I'll probably eventually just cancel Netflix as well going back to the tried and true method of just buying bluray box-sets of the content I want to watch. Or piracy. I think the critical mistake that all these megacorps are…

>People hated being locked into packages and this is basically the same thing - you need the "NBC" package for The Office or the "CBS" package for Star Trek. I can't be bothered to spend all that money. At this point it is very tempting to go back to good, old-fashioned torrents of TV shows.

It's certainly a hell of a lot easier to not have to think about where to find your favorites. And once it's downloaded there are (almost) never any playback issues.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#94

Post by pok1poekpo12 »

colemickens wrote: post #68
throwaway_009 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It just bothers me that they try to include a few tropes in every movie or show without it fitting in the story properly. As I said, if they maintain the logical consistency and in the context of a good story I don't mind some political push. But if it is in every show/movie, it just becomes repulsive.

I'm curious to understand what you're describing. Can you give an example of a Netflix show, the season and political trope, and how it detracted from the show's quality? And I'm definitely curious what you're imagining as you write out "repulsive".

Good Example: Black Mirror episode where man has sex with his friend in Mortal Kombat. Is this really an interesting addition to the Black Mirror world? Accept gay people, alright, whatever; I still don't want to watch 2 people having VR chat sex.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#95

Post by musha68k »

Netflix to me is not much more than a pretty bland version of Huxley's "Feelies". Actually most modern TV show stories would fit nicely into one or two well edited movies. I find all of this very comparable to the food in our super markets - lots of nutritionally empty calories and cheap canola oil. Time badly wasted and truly dystopian - all this zombie-like "binging" is way worse than "bread and games".

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#96

Post by twiceaday »

markkanof wrote: post #83
isbjorn16 wrote: post #77

My problem with Netflix isn't the slate of shows and movies it has in its catalog. It's definitely not as nice as it used to be, but there are a jillion and a half shows and movies out there. My problem is that Netflix has taken note that we watch anime a few times a week, which doubtless means we want every single band/carousel/whatever to be about anime. New Anime, Critically Acclaimed Anime, Popular Anime, Watch i…

Better than Hulu that now shows us every commercial in Spanish. No one in my household speaks Spanish. The only thing I can guess is that I know ONE TIME my daughter accidentally selected the Spanish translation of one of her cartoons.

This is a guess but perhaps your subtitles are in Spanish, and you never use them so they are hidden?

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#97

Post by ineedasername »

We seem to be reaching peak streaming, the point at which the addition of more streaming services may result in a net loss of streaming consumption because the interesting content is too spread out and it's too expensive or inconvenient to subscribe to them all.

It's rather like each streaming service is turning into its own version of a TV channel. It's almost the vision of a'la cart cable pricing, only each channel is too expensive and the UX too cumbersome to subscribe to more than a small handful.

Perhaps in a few years, streaming aggregators will appear and bundle a bunch of services together, and the internet will have reinvented Cable TV.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#98

Post by rdschouw »

hyencomper wrote: post #7

I think Netflix has lost touch with their consumer base, with most changes such as removal of the rating system being universally criticized. I cancelled my subscription recently as I realized that while Netflix has a lot of shows, there is a dearth of quality content and the search function is not useful. With shows like Friends and Office leaving, there is not much to draw people who like leaving it on in the backg…

This is THE reason I stopped using Netflix. Besides being bombarded with sound, I was actually halfway reading the description when it is replaced with a running video.

When my CC was stolen (and blocked), Netflix was the only company who put my service on hold instead of a small grace period which fits the non-customer centric direction they take nowadays, but also my opportunity to see if I could live without Netflix.

After 2 months, I do not miss Netflix at all. I deleted the apps and I am now on Hulu and Amazon Video.

I've also started a small collection of DVD/Blu-rays with my favorite shows which I lost. You can pick up complete series on eBay for affordable prices.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#99

Post by smolder »

mrexroad wrote: post #23
hyencomper wrote: post #7

I think Netflix has lost touch with their consumer base, with most changes such as removal of the rating system being universally criticized. I cancelled my subscription recently as I realized that while Netflix has a lot of shows, there is a dearth of quality content and the search function is not useful. With shows like Friends and Office leaving, there is not much to draw people who like leaving it on in the backg…

The auto playing of trailers has been enough to curtail my casual browsing of their app.

I just made a quick greasemonkey script that disables the autoplay at the top but leaves up the jpg splash. If anyone's interested I can share it.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#100

Post by programmertote »

pixelbath wrote: post #67

I just don't feel like Netflix is made to make my video viewing experience better anymore. They don't take customer feedback seriously, they're removing features that people obviously love, and becoming victims of the ever-growing race to "increase engagement." 1. Autoplaying trailers: Netflix straight-up says that's not going away ( https://twitter.com/Netflixhelps/status/947587245086859265 ), and I haven't met a si…

I share the same thoughts. That's why I even wonder how data scientists and UX/UI folks, who work at Netflix, feel like when their recommendations to the management are not heeded by the latter. Maybe Netflix data scientists have a hard time finding useful insights out of the trove of data they have.
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