Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube • Hacker News Board

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#121

Post by lettergram » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:07 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #14

S_A_P wrote: post #4

I don't necessarily agree with this. If I want to watch well produced online content, I do not think Youtube.com. I do think that Netflix and amazon Prime video have "traditional" studio created content that has high production value. That said, I watch youtube and Netflix almost equally, but for different reasons. Youtube is great for short videos, interviews and niche interest. IF I want to watch scripted drama lik…

> If I want to watch well produced online content, I do not think Youtube.com I do. Historia Civilis is presently my favourite channel. Production quality is nothing to write home about, but the quality is fantastic. Moreover, I don’t walk away feeling like I crapped away thirty minutes—I learned something.

I think a bigger thing, is that any of the youtube channels could just start posting to an alternative. I too enjoyed Historian Civilis, as well as Baz Battles and Kings and Generals.

In the later two cases they probably post twice as much content on patreon or other distribution channels.

I think that highlights the risk of lower scale production videos. They can be posted in more places to be "profitable", which means the distribution channels are necessarily more dynamoc / easier to come by.

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#122

Post by tvanantwerp » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:08 PM UTC

puranjay wrote: post #19

I have very different expectations from YouTube than I have from Netflix, and my viewership patterns are very clear. If I have 20 minutes to kill, I'll follow some food vlogger on YouTube. If I have more time, I'll opt for something that requires "deep" engagement like Narcos But I'll admit that there are times I wish Netflix had a stronger library of shows I can watch without thinking too much about them. Like The O…

It feels like nearly all of the high-quality shows these days are very heavy. Few good comedies, which I prefer for unwinding after a long day. Narcos is a great show, and I love watching it with my wife. But if I'm tired and spent, I'd rather watch IT Crowd for the umpteenth time.

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#123

Post by davidivadavid » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:11 PM UTC

mijamo wrote: post #56

genidoi wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are competitors - for your eyeballs. Just because they don't provide precisely the same service doesn't make them non-competitors. Youtube competes with Netflix the same way your shower length preference competes with Netflix. The disconcerting (if not narcissistic) elephant in the room being that service providers are viewing any activities that cause you to spend time away from their service as "competition" a…

I don't really understand this. Netflix cares about how much you watch it ONLY if it means you will stop your subscription. In fact, as long as you keep your subscription their interest is that you watch as few as possible to minimize costs, right? So a few addictive shows that make you need to keep Netflix are betters than keeping you on Netflix all day every day. If Netflix cannot be replaced by Youtube, it is not…

No, it leads to the only valuable definition of competition: competitors are products that serve the same need. Netflix and Youtube are entertainment. They compete with each other, as well as TV, video games, and a bunch of other things. They also serve other needs (e.g. education). But there are (many) other needs that they don't serve (e.g. nutrition (you can't eat Netflix), healthcare, human relationships, etc.).

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#124

Post by cvs268 » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:13 PM UTC

bilbo0s wrote: post #22

manojlds wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does sleep have well produced online content?

Sleep goes you one better. Often enough sleep provides fantastical entertainment content indistinguishable from reality. Every genre, from comedy to horror. Only thing is, you can't choose what content you want to experience. (At least, not to my knowledge you can't pick what content you want?)

> Only thing is, you can't choose what content you want to experience

On the plus side the content during sleep is curated based on your personalised tastes, with special preference to what you recently saw...

The recommendations are generated in real-time using an unique algorithm running on the world's fastest neural network.

Also the transition from one program to another is completely seamless, with no credit-scenes and ZERO advertisements.

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#125

Post by petercooper » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:14 PM UTC

I watch YouTube a lot compared to any other TV or entertainment. Both TV and Netflix seem to have got obsessed over the idea of the "box set".. dragging a story out to 20 hours+ when I'd rather just get a novel story in a short time and then move on to something else. I just haven't got the time for most shows Netflix considers good nowadays when I can watch lots of 10 minute videos that are more entertaining in a variety of ways.

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#126

Post by gwbas1c » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:16 PM UTC

I'll be honest: I probably watch more Youtube than Netflix. But, and this is a big but: I'll continue paying for Netflix long after I stop paying for Youtube.

Why? Netflix is quality content that I watch when I plan on sitting in front of the TV. In contrast, I only watch Youtube for a few minutes here and there.

A different analogy is live TV versus a DVD. Youtube is more like live TV: lower-quality, news, commentary, interactive. Netflix is well-produced narratives.

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#127

Post by bryanrasmussen » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:18 PM UTC

mijamo wrote: post #56

genidoi wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are competitors - for your eyeballs. Just because they don't provide precisely the same service doesn't make them non-competitors. Youtube competes with Netflix the same way your shower length preference competes with Netflix. The disconcerting (if not narcissistic) elephant in the room being that service providers are viewing any activities that cause you to spend time away from their service as "competition" a…

I don't really understand this. Netflix cares about how much you watch it ONLY if it means you will stop your subscription. In fact, as long as you keep your subscription their interest is that you watch as few as possible to minimize costs, right? So a few addictive shows that make you need to keep Netflix are betters than keeping you on Netflix all day every day. If Netflix cannot be replaced by Youtube, it is not…

yes but if you have a subscription and you watch nothing algorithms probably tell them that sooner or later you will stop to have a subscription. There is probably a sweet spot where you are most likely to keep your subscription even without watching much. This would really be what must watch original content would be about. If you have netflix only for showing your kid BabyBoss, then that is when it might be good for them. (until that kid hits the teenage years)

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#128

Post by CuriouslyC » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:20 PM UTC

SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #81

imustbeevil wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are free browser extensions that block ads. The only value add is the premium content.

Do the content creators get paid in this case? I'm all for blocking ads when it's some giant corporation that gives me no other choice but when I'm watching someone's videos they made in their basement and put a huge amount of work into I'd rather they were paid for the effort. That's why I have YouTube Premium - best of both worlds.

I have never clicked on an ad in my life, and contrary to the advertiser's intention, being forced to sit through their advertisement makes me actively dislike the advertiser. From my perspective, advertisers should be happy that I'm blocking their ads.

I'd pay for premium if I felt the compensation ratio was fairly balanced towards creators, but it isn't. Ironically, while I listen to most of my music on youtube, but when I really like something I buy it on bandcamp because they treat artists fairly.

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#129

Post by beatgammit » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:29 PM UTC

sametmax wrote: post #79

alecco wrote: post #57

And they both suck. Netflix content is weak. The catalog outside US is terrible. YouTube ads are annoying yet original content is not worth the price for Premium. At a price point of $12 it's ridiculous. Music catalog is sub-par and not worth the switch from Spotify. Both seem to be more dedicated to push PC propaganda than matching what viewers want. Original content is quite bad save for some exceptions (Wild Wild…

I'm just amazed somebody can come to this conclusion. 20 years ago you had to go to the shop, buy ONE film for $15 from a limited shelve, bring it back home, put it in a device you bought specifically for that film format and that does only that, navigate through a dubious UI, be forced to watch ads, then eventually get to the film. If you didn't like it... too bad. Now for the same price, you have access to thousand…

You're forgetting rental stores. My local grocery store had a rental section for $2/movie, and the selection was way better than Redbox, and the titles didn't rotate out as quickly as Netflix. I would typically watch 4-5 movies a month (one a week), which would cost me ~$10/month.

Now, I spend ~$10 per service for access to streaming content, and the selection is still worse than my grocery store was. Yes, there are more titles, but fewer good titles, especially since I'm not really into long series. I pay twice as much for half the quality.

So now my choices are only watch relatively new releases at Redbox (selection sucks), pay a ton to "rent" online (who thought $5/movie was a good idea?), or sign up for "unlimited" service(s) with mediocre selection.

Maybe I'm being nostalgic, but it seems we've moved backwards since moving on from video rental places.

Re: Netflix’s biggest competition isn’t sleep, it’s YouTube

#130

Post by quxbar » Mon, Dec 10, 2018, 2:29 PM UTC

I've quickly become addicted to longform (10+ minute) nonfiction youtube videos, whether it be a comprehensive analysis of Neverwinter Nights or 24 minutes on the advanced features of the laserdisc. Most, if not all of the content creators have Patreon pages, and I even contribute to a few. The content is so niche it's unimaginable that Netflix or any other content behemoth would develop their own version of it.