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

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

#161
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…

~20 years ago my parents bought us(me) a new computer. A Pentium 2. For almost the exact same price(not adjusted) as the fairly well specced gaming computer i bought last year.

Prices drop for a lot of stuff. Thinking youtube for $15/month is expensive doesn't seem wierd to me. But i think its worth it just to avoid ads.

> mad max furry road...

What a movie that would have been :)

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

#162
post #146
post #130

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.

What's to stop Netflix from overnight coming out with "Netflix Communities" which'll just be their community-edition YouTube + Patreon and/or ads, similar to how YouTube is moving into Netflix's and Amazon's space with YouTube Originals? There's a lot of disruption potential there given how large of a percentage Google keeps for itself from YouTube ad revenue.

There doesn't seem to be the right niche. Maybe if they restricted it to fiction and documentaries but Vimeo already has that niche covered. Maybe Netflix could acquire Vimeo. btw imo Vimeo has a lot of excellent videos. They're more open to trying new things so sometimes they have something really good or deep that you would never find on YouTube or Netflix.

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

#163
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 scripted drama like NARCOS, I can't find anything close to that on Youtube If you step outside of the narrow US/English speaking world this isn't the case. Here's episode 92 of a popular hour-long scripted family show from Vietnam: https://youtu.be/rqdqn5Rfx6w You can see that it has 5.7 million views within 5 days of release. That's more viewers than, say, Daredevil gets.

[deleted]

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

#164
post #149

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, commentar…

A bigger question is if Netflix can continue to thrive in a world where all the large media companies create their own Netflix-like streaming services. Disney has their own coming soon, apple, Amazon, Facebook, Hulu, Comcast, etc etc. Content costs continue to rise, and competition will be fierce. Netflix has a great head start and knows its audience well. But much larger companies are knocking on its door.

IMO Netflix has done well in this regard by transforming themselves into a content company rather than a content delivery service. Recently most of my favorite shows on Netflix have been 1st party titles, and I can't think of another content producer who's output is as varied and as high-quality as Netflix at the moment. Maybe Disney has the IP and the raw muscle to pull this off, but they will have to prove it.

I actually think competition is good for the space. As I said, I think Netflix is really good now, but if they became an uncontested monopoly in the streaming space, I would fear that quality would suffer.

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

#166
post #88
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…

> I don't necessarily agree with this. If I want to watch well produced online content, I do not think Youtube.com (...) Youtube is great for short videos, interviews and niche interest. IF I want to watch scripted drama like NARCOS, I can't find anything close to that on Youtube. That's orthogonal though, since people don't split equally their viewing habits based on content types. So if, e.g. younger generations, w…

What remains to be seen is whether the demographic trends here are due to fundamental differences in what gen Z kids are interested in, or whether it's just a function of the fact that YouTube is free, and Teenagers don't have money, and your parents can't see what you've been watching like they can if you use their Netflix login.

It would be like looking at transportation data and concluding that since teenagers tend to take the bus or ride bikes to get places, the auto industry will be doomed in 20 years.

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

#167
I would watch Youtube a lot more if the ads did not interrupt the video in the worst places.

I mean, there are places where there is a scene transition and they are perfect for an ad. And there's the middle of an interesting explanation you don't want to interrupt.

Youtube ads always interrupt the flow of the video. In many cases that makes me close the player and do something else.

And many channels already have ads as part of their normal content.

It seems Youtube has the content, but the huge and obnoxious amount of ads reminds me of old fashioned TV.

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

#168
post #167

I would watch Youtube a lot more if the ads did not interrupt the video in the worst places. I mean, there are places where there is a scene transition and they are perfect for an ad. And there's the middle of an interesting explanation you don't want to interrupt. Youtube ads always interrupt the flow of the video. In many cases that makes me close the player and do something else. And many channels already have ads…

Well they do have a paid version which doesn't have ads.

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

#169
post #130

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.

But all that content is not the property of Google.

If Netflix wakes up and opens up its platform and start convincing content creators to switch to Netflix, it would be huge.

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

#170
I watch a fair bit of YouTube personal interest stuff (Magic: the Gathering and Chess channels). Same to a lesser extent with Twitch. I realised while reading this that I don't think I've ever sat down and watched YouTube with my wife. I watch a lot of Netflix stuff with my wife, and it's the only video platform I let my kids have access to. Beyond that, I torrent stuff generously.

In my head, I'd probably reflexively claim that I'd never pay for YouTube, but then I'd realise I'm paying almost as much on Patreon to _one_ video creator as I am to Netflix each month.

I must admit I've managed to get to this point without ever really thinking these things competed - YouTube is quite personal, Netflix is good for family, and you have to torrent if you want to watch anything new.

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