Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable • Hacker News Board

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#91

Post by rjtavares » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:28 PM UTC

UnpossibleJim wrote: post #64

fullshark wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My personal taste agrees with this based on viewing their catalogue, but i'd like to see evidence that consumers agree, maybe the upcoming earnings report will show cracks in the foundation. Netflix has seemed pretty barren for a while and in trouble imo but then something like Squid Game becomes a global phenomenon and you realize that they have 213 million subscribers globally and likely a pretty good understanding…

Speaking of global, I have noticed that Netflix is one of the few who offers a variety of non-English/American targeted shows. There are quite a few Indian, Mandarin and Latino focused programs in their lineup, which I haven't seen on the other channels (except for HBO en Español). Could it be that Netflix has seen that they can't compete in a crowded market with "the big boys" (though their bank share might disagree…

Yeah, it's pretty intentional. IIRC they set a few strategic international markets where they want to be the best content producer. They've been quite successful in that: Lupin (France), Dark (Germany), Money Heist and Elite (Spain); Kingdom and Squid Game (South Korea).

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#92

Post by alkonaut » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:29 PM UTC

> Netflix’s quarterly subscriber growth

Isn't netflix big enough to no longer focus on growth? Is there some mantra among tech companies that the second you stop growing, some up and coming competitor will eat your lunch?

Don't they have enough subscribers that if they offer enough quality content to retain them, their business can do well on any horizon?

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#93

Post by JKCalhoun » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:29 PM UTC

henriquez wrote: post #63

Yarr harr fiddle dee dee… I canceled Netflix years ago on the heels of a previous absurd price hike. Somehow I still am able to watch all the shows I want. Weird!

I think I'm the only one still renting their discs by mail. I've been on a tear for several years now trying to fill out the "1001 Film To See Before You (I) Die".

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#94

Post by marvinblum » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:29 PM UTC

markus_zhang wrote: post #70

I figured the best way to purchase is to subscribe for one month, watch all you want, and then stop. Repeat when new series that you are interested in show up again. Again I really think this business model is stretching for them. I would rather to subscribe on a full catalog of all classic movies and Documentaries before the year 2000 and I can subscribe that for many years.

You can do the same on Amazon for free. I get a free month at least once a year, when they try to get me back in.

I usually also buy a single month on Disney+ and watch the handful of good movies and shows that came out since my last subscription.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#95

Post by Mindwipe » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:29 PM UTC

FactolSarin wrote: post #57

I often wonder why Netflix is willing to pay so much for the Office and Friends but isn't trying to make a new show like that. Every new show is an 8 episode season of "prestige" TV.

> I often wonder why Netflix is willing to pay so much for the Office and Friends but isn't trying to make a new show like that.

Because the hit rate for sitcoms is infinitesimal, and it's still cheaper to buy Friends than it is to commission two hundred new shows 199 of which sink without trace.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#96

Post by francisofascii » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:30 PM UTC

flerchin wrote: post #39

Canceling is so easy. This future is the one I wanted.

As long as cancelling remains easy, I will continue being a subscriber.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#97

Post by lotsofpulp » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:31 PM UTC

brightball wrote: post #20

discardable_dan wrote: post #2

I said this again recently, but it's worth repeating: Netflix is on the very fast downward slope. Their catalog is wilting, the space is heating up with well-established competitors moving in and serving the precise content that Netflix originally built their brand on, and their efforts to fund a new catalog with new IP (and taking ownership of old IP) is destroying the business model that made them so appealing in t…

When the ATT spin off of Warner & HBO goes through and merges with Discovery it’s probably going to create long term power house.

Considering the type of content Discovery puts out and the old HBO bosses are all gone, I predict HBO quality takes a deep dive.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#98

Post by ghaff » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:31 PM UTC

adventured wrote: post #75

stathibus wrote: post #10

Netflix is part of the FAANG acronym because they have all these highly paid engineers. Presumably those people have been doing something for the past 5 years in anticipation of being disrupted by Disney/HBO/etc. besides maintaining their CDN and tweaking recommendation engines, but it's not clear what - the product is more or less the same as it always was.

I agree with your point. Netflix is in the custom content business. If anyone is confused about that and thinks their engineers will ultimately make or break the business, a rude awakening is inbound. The Netflix tech lead, if it matters much at all at this point, is perpetually shrinking. There's only so much that shuffling what-to-watch-next algorithms on the Titanic deck will do for you. Disney has an epic amount…

I won't say a streaming platform is a commodity at this point but it's close. Others may disagree but I don't really find a meaningful usability difference between Netflix, Disney+, and Apple TV+.

They're a studio with a streaming platform.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#99

Post by alkonaut » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:32 PM UTC

markus_zhang wrote: post #70

I figured the best way to purchase is to subscribe for one month, watch all you want, and then stop. Repeat when new series that you are interested in show up again. Again I really think this business model is stretching for them. I would rather to subscribe on a full catalog of all classic movies and Documentaries before the year 2000 and I can subscribe that for many years.

They realize that people might do this, and they of course know exactly how many are doing exactly this. And currently it's not many enough to be a threat to their bottom line. What happens when it does become an issue, is that shows roll out with episodes every week (so you must wait a season until you can binge watch), and also that per-months subscriptions become more expensive while yearly subscriptions become cheaper.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#100

Post by toxik » Mon, Jan 17, 2022, 3:32 PM UTC

yulaow wrote: post #52

Here in Europe netflix content/catalog is degrading so rapidly that I have no reason anymore - since at least an year and half - to keep a subscription up, especially for what it costs now. Last time I resubscribed to look at it was in December and I just ended up watching just squid game and rewatching narcos. Nothing else interesting anymore in there, and their own IPs are mostly bad I am honestly sad for how the m…

It's a larger problem than that, isn't it? We collectively moved from piracy to Netflix and other streaming platforms because the appeal was gone.

But pulling the rug from underneath your users and removing movies and TV series they have built a relationship to just serves to piss off the very people you expect to pay for your service -- I understand it's a "complicated" IP problem (really, it's just too many greedy parties), but this will end in one result: more piracy.