Netflix loses subscribers for the first time in 10 years

The fact that Netflix losing subs for the first time in 10 years triggers a panic is kind of ridiculous when you think about it.


Did the investors think there would be an infinite number of people willing to sub to the service?
 
sol_bad said:
How many comments are there like this? Is it a number close to 200,000? I doubt it.
Therefore, no, you can't use few random forums or BBC as proof of a majority reason for cancelling.
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What yardstick are you using for people cancelling netflix? I doubt the cost is even a factor. If Netflix had the best shows that weren't offputting with their ideology and politics, then people would still pay. As it is, people are either saying the drop in quality - due to ideologies and/or the cost is the reason they're cancelling. But as I've just said, cost is relative and an excuse.

You could say it has seen a drop in quality, but EviLore EviLore summed that up well in his post; good shows turned poor because of awkwardly forced and unneccessary ideologies, followed by cancellation because of a drop in customers.

The social pendulum swings back and forth every decade or so and as we're coming up to a decade of what is refered to as 'woke', it only makes sense that people are now bored of it and want something new. The pendulum started to swing the other way last year when [events that are redacted] occured, signalling a change. Netflix is the first company to be caught up in a user base wanting a different direction. It may be the first, it sure as shoot won't be the last.
 
Years ago Netflix pretty much had everything I wanted to watch. Now if I want to see something I got to look up a fuckin directory to see which app it's on, and if we're subscribed to it. It's ironic that the thing which stopped most people sailing the high seas is going to be the one responsible for putting them back on the ship
 
Frank Horrigan said:
What yardstick are you using for people cancelling netflix? I doubt the cost is even a factor. If Netflix had the best shows that weren't offputting with their ideology and politics, then people would still pay. As it is, people are either saying the drop in quality - due to ideologies and/or the cost is the reason they're cancelling. But as I've just said, cost is relative and an excuse.

You could say it has seen a drop in quality, but EviLore EviLore summed that up well in his post; good shows turned poor because of awkwardly forced and unneccessary ideologies, followed by cancellation because of a drop in customers.

The social pendulum swings back and forth every decade or so and as we're coming up to a decade of what is refered to as 'woke', it only makes sense that people are now bored of it and want something new. The pendulum started to swing the other way last year when [events that are redacted] occured, signalling a change. Netflix is the first company to be caught up in a user base wanting a different direction. It may be the first, it sure as shoot won't be the last.
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I saw what EviLore EviLore wrote and again 1 person on 1 forum doesn't quantify anything. Their shows across the board are generally of a low quality. Even if there was zero "wokeness" their shows still suffer in writing quality.
Regarding Mindhunter, personally for me it didn't feel like the show dwelled on Wendy's personal life any more than it did on Holden or Bill's personal lives.

It's not about wokeness, it's about them having too many productions and not having enough Q&A on their shows and especially on their movies.

For some people it'll the "wokeness" that makes them cancel.
For some people it'll be their productions general quality that makes them cancel.
For some the price hikes will make them cancel.
Some people will cancel simply because Netflix want to nix free loaders.

I'm not using any yard stick for the reasoning behind these cancellations. There is no proof of what the main reason will be.
 
Nobody_Important said:
The fact that Netflix losing subs for the first time in 10 years triggers a panic is kind of ridiculous when you think about it.


Did the investors think there would be an infinite number of people willing to sub to the service?
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Netflix has been MASSIVELY overspending compared to their earnings, they carry BILLIONS in debt. So yes, their business model requires constant new spending and thus new growth to pay for it when the debt comes due. There are what, 8 Billion folks on the planet, they ha ent even scratched the surface of subscribers.
 
Nobody_Important said:
The fact that Netflix losing subs for the first time in 10 years triggers a panic is kind of ridiculous when you think about it.


Did the investors think there would be an infinite number of people willing to sub to the service?
Click to expand...
If I were a Netflix investor, I wouldn't care so much about the 200k sub loss, but I would care about Netflix's reaction to it. Blaming customers for account sharing and going after them, degrading the viewing experience with ads, and not looking at any internal issues.
 
And how will they prevent account sharing? I am sharing with my two sisters, I will just give them my password to login.
 
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Nobody_Important said:
The fact that Netflix losing subs for the first time in 10 years triggers a panic is kind of ridiculous when you think about it.


Did the investors think there would be an infinite number of people willing to sub to the service?
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I suppose an investor wants growth, first and foremost. Growth = healthy business = shares are worth more = more money.

If growth stagnates you want at least a stable sub count but a sudden, pretty harsh drop and an expected another 2 million loses for a company that has had steady growth for 10 years is cause for some concern, surely.

Also Netflix itself is handling this situation in the dumbest fucking way by immediately going berserk mode with plans to crack down on account sharing and adding advertisements to the service.
 
EviLore said:
If I were a Netflix investor, I wouldn't care so much about the 200k sub loss, but I would care about Netflix's reaction to it. Blaming customers for account sharing and going after them, degrading the viewing experience with ads, and not looking at any internal issues.
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Oh I agree entirely on that. Going after customers is just about the dumbest way to go about it.
 
Frank Horrigan said:
What yardstick are you using for people cancelling netflix? I doubt the cost is even a factor. If Netflix had the best shows that weren't offputting with their ideology and politics, then people would still pay. As it is, people are either saying the drop in quality - due to ideologies and/or the cost is the reason they're cancelling. But as I've just said, cost is relative and an excuse.

You could say it has seen a drop in quality, but EviLore EviLore summed that up well in his post; good shows turned poor because of awkwardly forced and unneccessary ideologies, followed by cancellation because of a drop in customers.

The social pendulum swings back and forth every decade or so and as we're coming up to a decade of what is refered to as 'woke', it only makes sense that people are now bored of it and want something new. The pendulum started to swing the other way last year when [events that are redacted] occured, signalling a change. Netflix is the first company to be caught up in a user base wanting a different direction. It may be the first, it sure as shoot won't be the last.
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This only makes sense if you somehow think that companies like Disney and Apple are less 'woke'.
 
More than market-movements exhaustion, which looks like what happened back in November, right now there's the possibility that we've hit exhaustion of the company growth. And if this is the top of a company, unless it reshapes itself completely, its medium-long term perspectives are uninteresting to investors.
 
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poppabk said:
This only makes sense if you somehow think that companies like Disney and Apple are less 'woke'.
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I don't think anything. I haven't used Netflix or any subscription service since Netflix shitcanned the DNS work-around. Like fuck am I paying a company that firewalls content based on a country, when the internet is global. It's ok to hear about shit from around the globe, but when it comes to viewing content it's a big no-no, even though I pay the same company that hosts the same content. It's fucking stupid.

All I was saying is that a lot of people around the internet are saying their reasons for cancelling are for ads, password sharing clampdown, woke or quality. We know ads don't deter people because Youtube is still popular. We know quality doesn't deter people because shite like Big Brother and American Idol is a thing. Password clampdown is a psuedo price rise, which doesn't deter people because subbing to 10 different streaming services matters not 1 iota to people. Thus, it's probably a good idea to dig in to the excuse of 'woke' and find out what it is that's putting people off.

People will sub to and follow Disney and Apple because they're so big as companies that they're more or less a cult/social status symbols. Tell a Disney or Apple fan that they exploit foreign labour and over-charge you for their products and watch them REE. Netflix doesn't have the same type of following so it isn't a 1 for 1 comparison.
 
thefool said:
More than market-movements exhaustion, which looks like what happened back in November, right now there's the possibility that we've hit exhaustion of the company growth. And if this is the top of a company, unless it reshapes itself completely, its medium-long term perspectives are uninteresting to investors.
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True. In investors' eyes they have transitioned from technology growth company to a hybrid of cable company & production studio house with much less upside.
 
StreetsofBeige said:
I missed that.

Googling it, here's a good quick article talking about streaming services and ads.

www.protocol.com

Ads on Netflix: The how, when and why of the massive change ahead

Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings shocked the streaming world Tuesday by announcing his company’s prospective plans to launch an ad-supported tier. Hastings acknowledged during Netflix’s Q1 2022 earnings call that he had vehemently opposed ads on Netflix in the past, but the company’s recent...
www.protocol.com www.protocol.com
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Hulu has the worst video and sound quality of any streaming service by far (infrastructure must cost them 1/16th or 1/32 of what Netflix and D+ pay for their 4K HDR streams) and their ad tier runs more commercials on TV shows than broadcast or cable do, so it's not surprising their value per user is sky high. Their service is dogshit and only way they gain new subs is $1.99 Thanksgiving sales. Disney now putting a lot of new Fox movie releases on there that look and sound worse than a DVD, I wouldn't even watch them for free.
 
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poppabk said:
This only makes sense if you somehow think that companies like Disney and Apple are less 'woke'.
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Disney at least might be undergoing a pretty significant course correction if Florida can start hammering them with all sorts of taxes due to the removal of the accommodation they had for decades. Not really sure how that is gonna play out but their stock has been taking some hits lately as well.
 
jason10mm said:
I have no doubt women can fight. I have no doubt there were all female military units. But such units were acts of desperation due to lack of men or were mostly propaganda units (like the Dahomey or that Lybian all female bodyguard unit). But the undeniable reality is that such units were extremely rare, their combat prowess largely unknown or found lacking when encountering real opposition, and are mostly tool of oppression or PR. Heck, those Dahomey amazons seemed mostly to conduct raids for slaves, hope that makes it into their movie. There is a gulf of difference between leading military units and actually fighting in them.
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You're right that they came to be out of necessity because they were losing men to constant warfare... But then again, doing slave raids wasn't for them. They WERE FORCED to give slaves to a greater power (The Oyo Empire). They weren't doing it for profit or because they wanted to.

Just wanted to give context to that part of your post.
 
jason10mm said:
Disney at least might be undergoing a pretty significant course correction if Florida can start hammering them with all sorts of taxes due to the removal of the accommodation they had for decades. Not really sure how that is gonna play out but their stock has been taking some hits lately as well.
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Don't forget that the taxes for any expansion or new rides will eventually come out of the pockets of Florida tax payers. Not just Disney. So Desantis better make sure he's shooting right... Because if you're going to come for the Mouse, you best not miss.
 
Winter John said:
Years ago Netflix pretty much had everything I wanted to watch. Now if I want to see something I got to look up a fuckin directory to see which app it's on, and if we're subscribed to it. It's ironic that the thing which stopped most people sailing the high seas is going to be the one responsible for putting them back on the ship
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I need such directory, what site do you use?
 
TrumpacShakur said:
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I think Netflix is gonna have to tighten up their spend rate. But if they fall off on constantly churning out content they have a very thin catalogue to rely on. D+, on the other hand, has that rich film list so even if they only put out a few shows or films their value is constant.
 
jason10mm said:
I think Netflix is gonna have to tighten up their spend rate. But if they fall off on constantly churning out content they have a very thin catalogue to rely on. D+, on the other hand, has that rich film list so even if they only put out a few shows or films their value is constant.
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They're certainly not hurting for content. I swear 50-60% of the thumbnails have the Netflix N logo on them. They have too much content, spending too much money on content.

They could easily tighten up their spend rate and still have a shitload of content. They certainly need to be more focused.
 
sol_bad said:
They're certainly not hurting for content. I swear 50-60% of the thumbnails have the Netflix N logo on them. They have too much content, spending too much money on content.

They could easily tighten up their spend rate and still have a shitload of content. They certainly need to be more focused.
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Their issues are ironically solely content-related, if the (good) content is there, people will be willing to pay for it, account sharing or not.

The problem is that there are a lot of great unique shows and movies, but that content is overshadowed by a lot of mediocre filler stuff or forced woke agenda injection, that's two topics people seem only to talk about regarding Netflix despite amazing unique content it provides, for example Love, Death + Robots is getting 3rd volume next month and I simply cannot wait for it, that's exactly why I'm subscribed, same for Arcane S2 which won't arrive in 2023 at earliest. But this kind of high-quality content takes time, 1-2 years to be precise, while the gaps are filled with stuff like recent Windfall...

So what Netflix should IMO do is, as always, focus on quality instead of quantity, not even cut their spendings, but spend the same money on lesser but better stuff, so instead of having a new premiere of just something, anything every 2-3 days there's just a handful of but really high caliber movies/shows.

The other issue is also that whenever something is indeed good and successful they often milk it rather than just have 8-12 episodes of a complete, closed story and move on, for example 'Who Killed Sara?' was awesome and didn't need any sequel at all, the cliffhanger was completely unnecessary, and literally few day ago I saw a trailer for 3rd season, why? And supposedly she's not even dead at all, that's how much they twisted the plot just for the sake of milking the franchise. Altered Carbon, same deal, it was a complete story, the mystery has been solved, case closed, and yet they decided to make a sequel which honestly didn't have anything to do with the first season, you just cannot replace entire cast like that and think people will like it. Thete are a lot more examples obviously, while that time and money could've been spend elsewhere, on something new but equally good.
 
I still think the real problem is the lack of three camera sitcoms and ensemble episodic shows that go for 20+ eps a season. Serialized TV has taken over, at least in streaming land, and it leads to a dearth of rewatchable content. Given the BRUTAL expenses of some of these new shows, a return to cheaper, more formulaic, but we'll crafted ensemble shows has gotta be coming.

Maybe all that stuff is still on network TV.
 
Nobody_Important said:
The fact that Netflix losing subs for the first time in 10 years triggers a panic is kind of ridiculous when you think about it.


Did the investors think there would be an infinite number of people willing to sub to the service?
Click to expand...

So they (Netflix) predicted they'd add 2.5M last time they announced. Thus investors view this as losing 2.7M instead of losing 200k. I think most of the pandemic stocks (ZOOM, PELOTON, etc...) have reverted to their non-pandemic valuations. Unfortunately for Netflix, they've reverted right when all their compeition is now ready go and inflation means people will pick and choose (if they weren't already) which streaming services are worth subscribing to over others. On top of this, its common knowledge that Netflix has serious quality control issues despite investing billions into original content and any content takes years to get through the production and marketing pipeline, so there's no easy fix reverse their organic sub loss (assuming they were capable of flipping a switch and increasing the quality of original content).
 
The Skull said:
Well after they continously pump out shit, albeit with a few gems in there, what do they expect?
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I heard Arcane is good, even from people who would normally hate stuff like that.

Critical Drinker even likes it. I have to give it a shot and see what it's like.

Cobra Kai is excellent and I would highly recommend that if you like the first three Karate Kid movies, of which I did.

Stranger Things is okay. The first season was very good, the second season was mediocre and the third season was okay and definitely better than season 2.

I saw the first season of Lost in Space a few years ago. I thought it got canceled but there are two more seasons so I'll have to catch up with that.
 
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man they cancelled Mindhunter. That show was fucking amazing and I was so pissed off when they announced it was being axed and 13 reasons why was getting another season... shows you why they lost so many subs.
 
It's because they dialed back 99% of the nudity from season 1 to season 2 of The Witcher.
In season 2 there was a hot tub scene with 4 witches and not a single nip.
 
jason10mm said:
Disney at least might be undergoing a pretty significant course correction if Florida can start hammering them with all sorts of taxes due to the removal of the accommodation they had for decades. Not really sure how that is gonna play out but their stock has been taking some hits lately as well.
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This will hurt tax payers more than Disney - $1B is a lot but Disney can absorb that with little change in plans.

jason10mm said:
I still think the real problem is the lack of three camera sitcoms and ensemble episodic shows that go for 20+ eps a season. Serialized TV has taken over, at least in streaming land, and it leads to a dearth of rewatchable content. Given the BRUTAL expenses of some of these new shows, a return to cheaper, more formulaic, but we'll crafted ensemble shows has gotta be coming.

Maybe all that stuff is still on network TV.
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I kind of agree here. Not necessarily the sitcom, but shows actually grounded in some interpersonal stories and real life. So much from Netflix is high stakes fantasy/sci-fi or something just unnaturally large in scope. I really miss my serials or procedurals with personal development. Like, really like fantasy and sci-fi settings but it's getting a bit much and too heavy.

So I'm watching 'The Rookie' on Hulu or whatever - and there's 4 seasons with 18 episodes per season and Nathan Fillion. Sooo... Yeah, basically what you said - and I'm happy.
 
The sheer fucking hubris of having a 480p subscription option, let alone charging for it. At least be like Promethus and allow us to view your trash in high resolution 4k.

Michael Jordan Reaction GIF
 
sol_bad said:
They're certainly not hurting for content. I swear 50-60% of the thumbnails have the Netflix N logo on them. They have too much content, spending too much money on content.

They could easily tighten up their spend rate and still have a shitload of content. They certainly need to be more focused.
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That's not the problem. The problem is that it's mostly Feminazi/SJW content that's forced on these shows
 
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt said:
That's not the problem. The problem is that it's mostly Feminazi/SJW content that's forced on these shows
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I agree with the majority of what you post but I can't agree with the Feminazi/SJW content. I mean, I know there is an "SJW" push on Netflix as a whole, my wife and I always joke about shows always having at least one LBGTQ character or a person of colour or a handicapped character. We laughed at the Bubble anime the other day when one of the characters is revealed to be an amputee, "oh, there's Netflix's inclusivity quota for this film".

I'm all for inclusivity as a whole as long as it's written well. And again, that's where Netflix's issues lie IMO, majority of their films and shows are just low quality.
 
People are so weirdly beholden to services like Netflix and Gamepass. Like if you cancel want do you think will happen? You will just fill the time doing something else, maybe even something productive rather than just vegging out and consuming garbage tier content. I cancelled a few years ago and haven't thought about resubscribing since. Just try it.
 
sol_bad said:
I agree with the majority of what you post but I can't agree with the Feminazi/SJW content. I mean, I know there is an "SJW" push on Netflix as a whole, my wife and I always joke about shows always having at least one LBGTQ character or a person of colour or a handicapped character. We laughed at the Bubble anime the other day when one of the characters is revealed to be an amputee, "oh, there's Netflix's inclusivity quota for this film".

I'm all for inclusivity as a whole as long as it's written well. And again, that's where Netflix's issues lie IMO, majority of their films and shows are just low quality.
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I also completely welcome a more inclusive push in Hollywood and elsewhere but sometimes it becomes so silly as to be a parody of their own goals. I.E. orgs like Netflix tend to overdue it to a point where it not only no longer resembles reality, but becomes a campy and absurd version of it.
 
Porcile said:
People are so weirdly beholden to services like Netflix and Gamepass. Like if you cancel want do you think will happen? You will just fill the time doing something else, maybe even something productive rather than just vegging out and consuming garbage tier content. I cancelled a few years ago and haven't thought about resubscribing since. Just try it.
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I need good content because I watch this stuff on the treadmill. Music or audio books don't do it for me.


 
As I start the piano and work till late I will probably cut all the streaming services. I tried hooking up my kids on Disney Plus, but they are too young + I prefer to limit TV time.
 
My sub (4K) ends tomorrow after 10 years. Getting more expensive and I'm using it less and less. (Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+) bundle, HBO Max, Amazon Prime streaming is plenty.
 
Porcile said:
People are so weirdly beholden to services like Netflix and Gamepass. Like if you cancel want do you think will happen? You will just fill the time doing something else, maybe even something productive rather than just vegging out and consuming garbage tier content. I cancelled a few years ago and haven't thought about resubscribing since. Just try it.
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Yeah, if you have discipline on cancelling and looking at your subs you can ride the wave for very cheap. You could get a new sub service every other month and hardly spend any money, and never run out of stuff to watch. Just have to be actively thinking about it and not letting the sub sit there. Your default should be to cancel it unless you can think of a reason to keep it each month.

To answer your question though, Netflix earned a lot of goodwill and loyalty when they started. It's eroded though.
 
Ya'll see Ozark?
Yes, it was the final part of the show but it was very, very well done.
Netflix is still putting out some high-quality stuff as well as mediocre content.
 
belmarduk said:
Ya'll see Ozark?
Yes, it was the final part of the show but it was very, very well done.
Netflix is still putting out some high-quality stuff as well as mediocre content.
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As soon as I'm done with Ozark and my girlfriend is done with Bridgerton I'm canceling. 20 bucks a month for this shit is stupid. They are the only streaming service I'm aware of that charges a premium for 4k. 4k is the standard for TVs now. It has been for some time.
 
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