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Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

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Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#41

Post by jupiter90000 »

There is something to be said about the Nielsen hypothesis given -- finding something to watch takes effort, and starts taking more time the more one has already seen. My wife and I can spend upwards of 30+ minutes trying to find something we want to see and haven't already watched. Especially for just some casual 'background' watching, just putting on a channel on TV with some acceptable type of programming focus is alot easier than digging for it.

Btw, for Netflix I usually just do a trial when a new Stranger Things season comes out, watch it all and maybe a few of their new movies, then cancel.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#42

Post by crooked-v »

sundayedition wrote: post #35

There is a lot of what I'd consider "noise" popping up on Netflix that they won't let me filter out. I don't care for most dubbed shows, and I haven't had any luck with any of the foreign imports. No way to filter them out that I'm aware of, so half of the "New shows" don't appeal to me I wouldn't give up Netflix for cable, it's more likely to be Prime only, or something with quality content that I wouldn't watch as…

Signal-noise ratio is how I'd put it, too. There's a lot of stuff it recommends to me over and over that I have no interest in watching, like generic mockbusters and Korean soap operas.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#43

Post by m463 »

ziddoap wrote: post #9

Classic paradox of choice problem, and I'm keen to see how Netflix decides to tackle it.

If this is the actual reason subscriptions are dropping, then the obvious solution would be to ACTUALLY allow searching and filtering of the catalog, along with nuanced rating of shows and accurate prediction.

I remember that netflix sponsored a contest to accurately predict what people wanted to watch, then ignored the winning algorithm.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#44

Post by beepboopbeep »

hyencomper wrote: post #7

I think Netflix has lost touch with their consumer base, with most changes such as removal of the rating system being universally criticized. I cancelled my subscription recently as I realized that while Netflix has a lot of shows, there is a dearth of quality content and the search function is not useful. With shows like Friends and Office leaving, there is not much to draw people who like leaving it on in the backg…

The auto-playing is straight up infuriating to me. I now mute my tv as soon as netflix loads up.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#45

Post by aantix »

keanebean86 wrote: post #25
gen3 wrote: post #15

I wouldn't be surprised if Netflix comes out with a "TV Mode" soon, that allows you to pick from personal channels similar to how music streaming services have weekly mixes.

Actually a random play actually sounds interesting to me. They know what I like already. I don't want it on by default. Just a link to play a random show/movie and let me skip/hide if it sucks.

Imagine flipping through the Netflix "channels", Die Hard is playing, and it's playing right at the scene where Bruce Willis is jumping out of the window of the building.

And there's an option in the right corner to "play from the beginning".

Flip to the next movie, and it's positioned right at its most popular scene.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#46

Post by opencl »

m463 wrote: post #37
happytoexplain wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>the auto-playing of trailers at full volume is super-annoying. This was baffling to me. I've rarely had such a stressful user experience as a trailer playing every single time I stop pressing the arrow buttons for a few seconds. Just because I stopped pressing buttons doesn't mean I want to see a trailer for whatever I happened to stop on - it means I'm thinking about something, or reading something, or looking at s…

> the auto-playing of trailers There's a case to be made that this is advertising (for shows on netflix)

It is definitely advertising. Back when streaming services were new, the lack of advertising was a major selling point of streaming services vs cable but now they're stuffed full of ads and for some reason the ads are for content you've already paid for.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#47

Post by InitialLastName »

keanebean86 wrote: post #25
gen3 wrote: post #15

I wouldn't be surprised if Netflix comes out with a "TV Mode" soon, that allows you to pick from personal channels similar to how music streaming services have weekly mixes.

Actually a random play actually sounds interesting to me. They know what I like already. I don't want it on by default. Just a link to play a random show/movie and let me skip/hide if it sucks.

I've been pondering a feature like this for a while to replicate my youthful viewing habits.

When I was younger, I would get home from school and watch a few hours of TV. The channel I watched would syndicate sitcoms in blocks, same show at a given time, played in episode order (but a few different shows over the afternoon).

What I'd love from netflix is to be able to put together a list of shows I'm watching right now and have it run a playlist in random order by show, but with the episodes in the correct order per show.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#48

Post by protomyth »

mrexroad wrote: post #23
hyencomper wrote: post #7

I think Netflix has lost touch with their consumer base, with most changes such as removal of the rating system being universally criticized. I cancelled my subscription recently as I realized that while Netflix has a lot of shows, there is a dearth of quality content and the search function is not useful. With shows like Friends and Office leaving, there is not much to draw people who like leaving it on in the backg…

The auto playing of trailers has been enough to curtail my casual browsing of their app.

Yeah, I go to Netflix if I know what I want to watch not to browse. It is very much like a DVD that won't let you skip the trailers.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#49

Post by xemdetia »

gen3 wrote: post #15

I wouldn't be surprised if Netflix comes out with a "TV Mode" soon, that allows you to pick from personal channels similar to how music streaming services have weekly mixes.

To me there is a reason why twitch is popular and I believe it is exactly this feeling. I remember watching some more dodgy streaming services that just effectively were streamed playlists of shows, but you didn't have any control over the playlist. You watched (or watched part of) a series start to finish and then a new series would start and you'd watch that instead. It was a small enough total catalog that you often could pick up where you left off a week or two later and watch another chunk, and that was it.

The pendulum has seemingly reached the limits of self-programmed content and has started to swing the other way, and people are starting to realize the value of having a content producer putting on a good show across several programs.

Netflix also feels (by the way they are developing their internal IP) that they are becoming a niche (in genre) service rather than a generic appeal service and losing subscribers feels like an outcome of the catalog they have tried to pursue. The subscribers they retain are likely going to have a higher level of permanence compared to people who are a more general audience.

Re: Netflix CEO may have missed the real reason why US subscriber numbers plunged

#50

Post by gen3 »

InitialLastName wrote: post #47
keanebean86 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually a random play actually sounds interesting to me. They know what I like already. I don't want it on by default. Just a link to play a random show/movie and let me skip/hide if it sucks.

I've been pondering a feature like this for a while to replicate my youthful viewing habits. When I was younger, I would get home from school and watch a few hours of TV. The channel I watched would syndicate sitcoms in blocks, same show at a given time, played in episode order (but a few different shows over the afternoon). What I'd love from netflix is to be able to put together a list of shows I'm watching right n…

and it would all be ad free! It would be all the good parts of TV, but even better.
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