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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

#211

Post by inetknght »

noelsusman wrote: post #147
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…

Of course people would rather pay $10 a month to access everything, but that's just not sustainable. Look at Netflix's own financials. They got into content creation and they're now deep in debt despite their massive subscriber base. I also don't get why everyone is clamoring for one company to control all video entertainment distribution. Isn't that what we hated about cable? Didn't we beg for the ability to pick an…

> I also don't get why everyone is clamoring for one company to control all video entertainment distribution. Isn't that what we hated about cable? Didn't we beg for the ability to pick and choose what we actually want to pay for? Now we finally have that and people instantly want to go back? Why?

1) I don't want to pay for content I won't watch.

2) I don't want to be required to pay for content I won't watch in order to watch content I want to watch.

3) I want to easily watch the content I want without needing to have dozens of different separate accounts or services. I mean similar to "press button, get bacon" style of easy.

4) I want to pay in money and nothing else. I don't want to pay with my data; I don't want to pay with my viewing history.

5) I want to watch whenever and wherever I choose, no take-backs.

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

#212

Post by droithomme »

There's multiple reasons. Not all these reasons are being discussed. Valid reasons discussed get censored.

Netflix had great technology and business plan and management executed it well for many years.

I reluctantly dumped it all in late May. I'd been watching it carefully after in December they hired an activist executive from ABC who cares more for political correctness than profitability. Dumping at the end of May proved smart and I'm pretty happy with my half million in locked in gains.

Netflix is now going to descend to $190 or so. Maybe it comes back from that. Maybe. Only if they make changes. After it hits rock bottom, if it then comes back up to $300 I'll reinvest.

Those of you who didn't dump your stock yet, fasten your seatbelts and good luck to you. Hopefully I'm just a crank.

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

#213

Post by codingslave »

perl4ever wrote: post #125
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…

It seems like there is some pitfall in making a recommendation algorithm that more and more people are falling in to. I don't watch TV or have Netflix, but I listen to streaming music, and I noticed something weird. I used to listen to Pandora, and it recommended a lot of different artists that I liked on hearing them for the first time. It single-handedly gave me a taste for 21st century music. But there wasn't enou…

Youtube does this too, and its really killing the recommendations for me. Same thing with Quora, I used to browse Quaora all the time, until the content ended up just being the same. I think in the aggregate these algorithms are driving more engagement, and pissing off some people, but not enough for them to change the product.

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

#214

Post by ryanianian »

reificator wrote: post #81
yeahforsureman wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just out of general interest, do you watch foreign TV and movies at all then? If not, why? Or just dubbed? If so, how do you bear it?

Not the GP, but: > Just out of general interest, do you watch foreign TV and movies at all then? If not, why? Because it's an additional barrier to enjoyment. Dubs are irritating and often lose cultural context. From your post I think we're in agreement there. Subs mean I have to watch intently, I can't cook dinner/play a video game/clean the house/fold laundry while I'm listening and glance over at the screen every…

Movie recommendations are either deeply generic (other movies in the same genre) or deeply personal (recommendations on myriad things apart from genre). Netflix has tried (and imho failed) at the deeply personal style.

So I agree with your comment except for the anime avatar aside. I personally don't trust 90% of movie recommendations, even from friends. It has to be somebody who I know has good (for me) taste. I don't think avatar-selection would correlate one way or another with movie-selection :)

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

#215

Post by foldr »

rhegart wrote: post #203
foldr wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stranger Things is set in the eighties. It's not that much of a stretch to have a local newspaper run by men who don't take a 19 year old female intern very seriously. It also has an obvious function as a plot device, since it would be kinda boring if Nancy instantly figured it all out and succeeded in getting her story published.

Agreed, but that was so unrealistic it was like a 19 year old far left activist’s dream of sexist white men, not reality or even exaggerated reality.

I don't see that at all. The sexist component, while definitely there, is quite subtle. Nancy is an intern, and most likely would not have been taken seriously if she were a man either. After all, she's young, has no reporting experience, is not employed as a journalist, and is telling an extremely implausible story.

Stranger Things is not a realistic show. Why should its depictions of the men at the newspaper have to be realistic in any case?

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

#216

Post by bayouborne »

ryanianian wrote: post #51
sundayedition wrote: post #35

There is a lot of what I'd consider "noise" popping up on Netflix that they won't let me filter out. I don't care for most dubbed shows, and I haven't had any luck with any of the foreign imports. No way to filter them out that I'm aware of, so half of the "New shows" don't appeal to me I wouldn't give up Netflix for cable, it's more likely to be Prime only, or something with quality content that I wouldn't watch as…

Netflix is blatantly user-hostile. The UX is designed to get you to spend more time with Netflix, not to make you like it more. Many of the shows it suggests to me are not in english , yet the UX rarely discloses this in the description or (infuriatingly auto-playing) preview. Some people don't mind reading subtitles but I detest it - they could at least tell me the show is in German before wasting my time.

Netflix should make its API more widely available. 20 Instantwatcher/Flickmetrix type sites, all of which would likely window into the NF dataset differently according to their creators' preferences, would seem to more adequately address users' needs than a single UI.

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

#217

Post by pault »

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…

Yes! That has driven me away from YouTube and Netflix recently. I know there is an ocean of content out there but when I sign in all I see is the same dozen shitty recommendations that I have no interest in! I watched one comedy special a year ago and my feed is half stand-up comedy now.

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

#220

Post by SanchoPanda »

isbjorn16 wrote: post #92
randrews wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

They may be doing the math on extremes in categories where relative quality is good given their current catalogue.
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