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Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

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Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#141

Post by Jcowell »

jitix wrote: post #109
stathibus wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where I come from, engineers are there to build things that make the product better.

I think Netflix's product is not software but content. I understand what you're referring to but if Prime Video's UX is any indication, content trumps software product quality in this market segment. If I were Netflix I'd probably divest the technology side of the business (which is arguably the best in the market) and sell that "software product" as a white label streaming platform to the myriad of media houses acro…

Prime video seemed like the worst example. How many people but people video separate as opposed to just having it’s because it’s included in Amazon Prime?

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#142

Post by rchaud »

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.

They have "Grace and Frankie", which is their longest running show at 7 seasons.

Netflix IMO tries to make shows that are very zeitgeist-y, instead of evergreen, like Friends and The Office. I think that will come back to bite them in the future because I don't see anybody wanting to license one-offs like Tiger King or Squid Game for syndication down the line.

Meanwhile, decades-old shows like Law and Order, Frasier and Two and a Half Men are still making bank because they have tons of episodes and are generalist enough to be popular across pretty much any cable network globally.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#143

Post by ghaff »

fairity wrote: post #115

Why doesn’t Netflix explore adding ads to their viewing experience? Yes, I wouldn’t like ads, but cable’s revenue model is subscription plus ads, so I’m curious why Netflix thinks their optimal revenue model would be any different?

Not in general the premium channels. What percentage of Netflix users would drop them if they started running adds? 25%? 50%?

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#144

Post by tptacek »

OskarS wrote: post #83
slibhb wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As far as I can tell they've succeeded at becoming HBO. I admire how the company has evolved over the years. It's cool that they distribute (and sometimes fund) movies made by excellent directors (Coens, Scorsese, Sorrentino). It does seem like a precarious business model: they have to keep picking or making winners but so far they're doing well.

> As far as I can tell they've succeeded at becoming HBO. Have they? Have they really? As far as I can tell, nothing that Netflix has ever done in-house has ever come close to the best of the cable channels. Like, The Witcher is fine, but Game of Thrones it is not, neither in quality nor buzz/cultural significance. House of Cards is no Succession and Ozark is no Breaking Bad. Nothing they have could even come close t…

Discussing only on the merits of their content, and stipulating that this is neither here nor there with respect to Netflix's long-term prospects vs. HBO:

Breaking Bad isn't an HBO show. So I assume we're just asking, "has Netflix produced any world-class content". The answer to that is yes.

The jewel in their crown, their "Game of Thrones", is clearly Stranger Things. It's undeniably successful, each new season a cultural event. I'd put Stranger Things up against any HBO show for relevance and impact. (Perhaps not for artistic excellence; but, The Wire is the best show that's ever been on television, and it's far from the most watched).

Add to that Black Mirror, Bojack Horseman, Sex Ed, the annual Flanagan miniseries (Hill House, Bly Manor, Midnight Mass), Master of None, and Big Mouth.

They're doing about as well as any premium cable channel ever has. Doesn't, of course, mean you like their content! But I have about as much faith in Netflix coming up with a new prestige show than I do in HBO, most of whose recent stuff has left me pretty cold.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#145

Post by mrweasel »

newsbinator wrote: post #50

> But Netflix’s quarterly subscriber growth is now slowing in spite of spending more money than ever on content To me the problem is the content. They now seem to produce shows for particular niches that are never my niche. Some of these extremely expensive shows are laughably low quality on all fronts: story, acting, stylistic choices, cinematography/direction... everything. Take the new Cowboy Bebop: it's obviously…

Yep, sometimes Netflix manages to produce a good season one of a new series, but they lack the ability create followup seasons. My favorite example is Luke Cage. Season one is fantastic, but season two is so bad that it makes you think that season one was written by someone else entirely.

The main issue for Netflix has been losing their back catalog, as the content owners started offering their own streaming services. Netflix could produce a few good shows each year, but not as main as they're trying to. It's just that few people would pay for that, without the vast back catalog.

There's still much to watch, but finding the good stuff is becoming increasingly hard. A better recommendation engine might fix some of the issues, but in the long run I think Netflix is becoming a niche player.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#146

Post by croon »

stathibus wrote: post #71
rdtsc wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Presumably those people have been doing something for the past 5 years in anticipation of being disrupted A lot of cool technology, no doubt. Unless they start writing scripts, directing, acting, editing it might not help. It’s a bit like if a hospital had a really cool IT department, highest paid engineers, latest database tech and hardware. But it’s not enough, as their surgeons are not as good as ones from the o…

Where I come from, engineers are there to build things that make the product better.

Netflix as a service is better than every other service out there (IMO), but that doesn't matter if they don't have anything I want to watch.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#147

Post by rchaud »

arnvald wrote: post #110
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.

FAANG was coined as an acronym for best performing stocks in mid-2010s. Netflix has some of the top paid engineers in the world, but that's not why they're part of FAANG.

I thought they were part of FAANG because they're an American company that accounts for a massive amount of global Internet bandwidth.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#148

Post by cuteboy19 »

Grakel wrote: post #123
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.

Netflix's user experience has always been bad, and it's worse than ever. Engineers also don't make content, so if they're doing any good, I guess it's backend.

I wouldn't say it's bad, but they could certainly learn something from YouTube. Even with very sketchy wifi, I rarely get buffering for YT.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#149

Post by robbintt »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #93
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".

I do like lists like this that remove the illusion of choice.

Re: Netflix’s Prices Are Rising Faster Than Cable

#150

Post by hhmc »

samwillis wrote: post #106
hylaride wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stillwater and the new Snoopy show are quite good Apple TV+ shows for kids. But otherwise, Apple TV+ has been very meh. We only have it because we have the big bundle for the icloud storage.

Our kids love Snoopy. To quote my wife though “I would pay for Apple TV+ just for Ted Lasso”. That says allot about how people look at these services. Apple are treating their tv service the way they do their whole product range, small number of products but done very well.

Although, if you're interested in one offering on a service, you really only need to be actively subscribed for 1-2 months a year (to watch the newest season)?
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