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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

#171
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…

I'm not sure what your music provider is but I pay for Google Play precisely because it includes a completely ad-free YouTube experience. Combine that with my smart TV and I basically just flip back and forth between YouTube and Netflix when I am watching TV. Some of the longer form YouTube content is great on a large television.

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

#172
post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not better by all objective attributes. The attributes that have improved may be the most important ones (and God how I hated those FBI warnings), but Netflix customers complain about two things: Time spent browsing the library, and that they're unhappy with what they actually select (which is obviously partly their choice, partly Netflix' UI). Put differently, I've worked for several streamers. One of them expl…

I'm the first to agree the netflix UI has huge flaws. It's still miles better than going to rent a VHS in a mall. It's still miles better than buying a DVD online. It's still miles better than having to download the movie on eMule. And you do have a small library sample on netflix. It's your front page. Now people either complain there is nothing to watch (front page not interesting anymore after a while), or too muc…

  Now people either complain there is nothing to watch
  [...] or too much too watch [...] Wait, what ?
If my kitchen is bare except for 200 lbs of rice and 200 lbs of onions, do I have too much food or not enough?

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

#173
post #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.

That only applies to the ads from Google, not from content creators themselves.

And it is three times more expensive than Netflix where I live.

I don't see the value proposition there.

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

#174

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…

I don't pay for either, but I'd also add: Netflix has a threshold level of quality. There's probably plenty on there I wouldn't want to watch, but nothing that I'd deem offensively bad. YouTube, however, I find to be increasingly toxic. There is some amazing content on YouTube, which is often superior to traditional media, but I find I need to wade through increasing levels of garbage to get to it.

As a platform, YouTube's incentives don't serve the user as well as they could.

A prime example was a video with millions of views on a very popular channel about 9/11 conspiracies. Did the YouTuber believe them? No. But cranking out a 10m+ video every day is more important than what he believes.

Then you look at high quality channels who put out a video once a week, or even month, and they are forced to rely on Patreon (which is a great platform!).

Not sure what the solution to this would be, but I feel similarly on the wading through garbage to get to the good stuff.

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

#175
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.

I'm exactly the same. Some favourites I've collected over the years: 3Blue1Brown - math essays AlfieAesthetics - Bushcraft, botany and survival skills with some fun english humour mixed in CNLohr - fun hardware hacking livestreams Eliminator Performance - mechanical troubleshooting and maintenance vlogs Engineering Explained - Automotive engineering explainers and mini-lectures FearlessFront - Mechanical engineering,…

Alec Steele - A hyperactive Brit makes swords in Montana

Invitica - essays on ancient civilizations

Wintergarten - a Swede in France making a musical marble machine to millisecond precision. Good project management tips are included.

Man At Arms ReForged - Baltimore swordsmiths make ridiculous videogame sized swords that are mostly unusable.

EDIT: A few others

Bon Appetite's "Brad Makes": A New Jerseyian mumbles his way through fermenting anything edible. Frequent field trips ensue.

Kiwami Japan: A very very strange Japanese man makes the same knife, over and over, from various materials such as jello, underwear, and pasta. ASMRy.

Primitive Technology: The journey of a mute, nearly naked QLD programmer in the forest and his attempts to make a nuclear reactor from local mud. Turn on English subtitles.

Contrapoints: A trans PhD dropout comments on current issues through the lens of grad-level philosophy and copious innuendo. Impeccable set design and pacing.

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

#176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair point. I think Captain Disillusion is a good example of this, his production value is extremely high with regards to visual effects for what is a fairly niche subject matter.

Captain Disillusion is nowhere near the quality of a Netflix show. I love the guy and support him on Patreon, but at the end of the day, it’s a garage version of myth busters. It still has that “youtuby” feel of a guy doing a thing in his spare time. The budget is incredibly low; look at his Patreon. Compare this to the millions of dollars that go into a film considered “low budget”. If CD is YouTube’s high quality c…

For an example of high quality Youtube content, check out Good Mythical Morning.

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

#177
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…

In the past few years, I have found myself drifting away from playing mainstream AAA game titles, and more towards indie games, which I find to have higher quality for me. But how can this be, since they have such lower budgets and production values? They make up for it with a combination of individual creativity and unfiltered vision, which are more difficult with a big budget provided by producers demanding their money back. Smaller productions also have the flexibility to target niche or unproven markets, which means I am able to find works more ideally suited to my preferences.

In case the metaphor isn't clear, this is a similar dynamic to Netflix vs Youtube.

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

#178
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.

I'm exactly the same. Some favourites I've collected over the years: 3Blue1Brown - math essays AlfieAesthetics - Bushcraft, botany and survival skills with some fun english humour mixed in CNLohr - fun hardware hacking livestreams Eliminator Performance - mechanical troubleshooting and maintenance vlogs Engineering Explained - Automotive engineering explainers and mini-lectures FearlessFront - Mechanical engineering,…

Contrapoints - applied philosophy, set design.

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

#179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't pay for either, but I'd also add: Netflix has a threshold level of quality. There's probably plenty on there I wouldn't want to watch, but nothing that I'd deem offensively bad. YouTube, however, I find to be increasingly toxic. There is some amazing content on YouTube, which is often superior to traditional media, but I find I need to wade through increasing levels of garbage to get to it.

As a platform, YouTube's incentives don't serve the user as well as they could. A prime example was a video with millions of views on a very popular channel about 9/11 conspiracies. Did the YouTuber believe them? No. But cranking out a 10m+ video every day is more important than what he believes. Then you look at high quality channels who put out a video once a week, or even month, and they are forced to rely on Patr…

I completely agree.

There's stuff on YouTube that I just can't see existing, or getting noticed, on alternative platforms. A great example would be a channel called 'Primitive Technology'[1]. It's superb, and I really enjoy each video despite having no real interest in the subject!

But, this is 0.01% of YouTube. The rest is horrendous political videos pitched at the level of 4chan, vloggers aimed at 13 year olds, and millions of shaky footage of unboxing items.

I wouldn't mind so much if there was a suitable way to curate a decent feed (without signing in and giving my life history to google). I generally only find out about the decent content on YouTube via word of mouth off-platform.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAL3JXZSzSm8AlZyD3nQdBA/vid...

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

#180
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.

I'm exactly the same. Some favourites I've collected over the years: 3Blue1Brown - math essays AlfieAesthetics - Bushcraft, botany and survival skills with some fun english humour mixed in CNLohr - fun hardware hacking livestreams Eliminator Performance - mechanical troubleshooting and maintenance vlogs Engineering Explained - Automotive engineering explainers and mini-lectures FearlessFront - Mechanical engineering,…

Nerdwriter is just psuedo-intellectual trash that panders to already popular opinions
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