Netflix here we go again.

[beachBOYken]

I really want to watch Silo. I know little about it but have been told by multiple people its worth a watch................ i have no interest in getting Apple TV however..... but i know all it takes are 2 or 3 clicks on a website (along with good adblocker in Brave brower) and i could be watching it free... that isnt a great place for the industry to be in imo.

Have you got a PS5?

You can get 6 months free Apple TV + via your PS5, once activated you can watch Apple TV + on any device. Think the offer expires soon, I did it a few weeks back.

 

[malachi]

I honest don't see Netflix being around in the next 5 to 10 years.

When these decisions start to bite them in the ass, they will probably sell everything off or be brought out by another bigger streaming company.

People are starting to wise up to their tactics and going elsewhere. If it wasn't my alternative method of paying for Netflix, I would have cancelled it a long time ago.

 

[mrochester]

What really annoys me is you get all these fragmented channels with their own subs and they make a show, which is "pretty good" but maybe not Stranger things / Mandelorian levels of quality..

and then they have the cheek to say "we are cancelling it because it did not get the viewer levels needed!".

perhaps if they didnt put out on such fragmented platforms more people would have watched them. big companies have always been buggers for this, make an interesting new show, end the season on a cliff hanger and then can it.
but its getting way worse now..

many years ago i used to pirate a lot of TV stuff.... however i stopped. with amazon prime, netflix and the base sky package i had all the content i needed.

however the piracy threat is still there for these companies, and now we have paramount+, Discovery+, Disney+, Apple TV, on top of prime, netflix, sky and terrestrial (and am sure there are others) no wonder people are being tempted back to the dark side.

I really want to watch Silo. I know little about it but have been told by multiple people its worth a watch................ i have no interest in getting Apple TV however..... but i know all it takes are 2 or 3 clicks on a website (along with good adblocker in Brave brower) and i could be watching it free... that isnt a great place for the industry to be in imo.

It’s interesting that you seem to be saying that more competition has actually been worse for consumers. It seems to be the opposite of common understanding.

 

[413x]

There's going to be a lot of cancelling when the writers etc strike kicks in. Content is already lacking.

I think they are all (barring Netflix) struggling for profitability.

 

[mrochester]

There's going to be a lot of cancelling when the writers etc strike kicks in. Content is already lacking.

I think they are all (barring Netflix) struggling for profitability.

These things are like gym subscriptions for many. There’ll be far fewer cancellations than some people anticipate.

 

[413x]

I honest don't see Netflix being around in the next 5 to 10 years.

When these decisions start to bit them in the ass, they will probably sell everything off or be brought out by another bigger streaming company.

They are the biggest.
And a lot of prime members are there not for the streaming.

 

[413x]

These things are like gym subscriptions for many. There’ll be far fewer cancellations than some people anticipate.

I expect if the content dries up there will be cancellations.

Netflix is great, or was. I loved the shows it put out or part funded.

I've noticed a marked drop in content I like, but there are no other good options. I'm happy to pay due to this. But lack of good animation/fantasy and the quality drop off? I won't stick around indefinitely.

 

[malachi]

They are the biggest.
And a lot of prime members are there not for the streaming.

Remember Nokia? Commodore? Atari? The biggest in their industry at the time. They got too big for their boots and look at where those companies are now due to a range of bad decisions.

Netflix is going down the same path.

 

[SixTwoSix]

Netflix is great, or was. I loved the shows it put out or part funded.

I'd say was, the content last few years of note is few and far between to the point it's not worth having a recurring sub. Better to cancel and put that money saved into a few other services for a few months. A month saved on Netflix could fund Apple for a month with money left over and if you'd never had appletv before, you could easily fill a month with Apple shows/movies. (not saying just to try out Apple, just an example)

 

[413x]

I'd say was, the content last few years of note is few and far between to the point it's not worth having a recurring sub. Better to cancel and put that money saved into a few other services for a few months. A month saved on Netflix could fund Apple for a month with money left over and if you'd never had appletv before, you could easily fill a month with Apple shows/movies. (not saying just to try out Apple, just an example)

Maybe it's coincidence, maybe it's not.
But as all these streamers started wanting some of the Netflix pie the entire catalogue has declined.

Maybe it's just time and now all the back catalogue has been there long enough there just isn't enough new stuff.

It'll push more back to piracy. Who wants to juggle 5 streamers when you can pirate?

Netflix was great. Almost everything, in one place, nice interface, fair price.
Now it would cost probably 100 a month to get tv licence and the main streamers.

100 a month
Vs
Juggling multi subs
Vs
Piracy

That last one is looking better and better.

 

[413x]

Remember Nokia? Commodore? Atari? The biggest in their industry at the time. They got too big for their boots and look at where those companies are now due to a range of bad decisions.

Netflix is going down the same path.

Nokia got caught sleeping.
Netflix (imo) is still the best.
The others have 1 or 2 headliners.

Netflix is more vulnerable as they have no backup. But with cinema dying, if they can produce good content, they will survive. I think there's room for more price hikes if they have enough content. But lack of content and cancelling is becoming the issue. Rather than the competition (imo)

 

[grudas]

Maybe it's coincidence, maybe it's not.
But as all these streamers started wanting some of the Netflix pie the entire catalogue has declined.

Maybe it's just time and now all the back catalogue has been there long enough there just isn't enough new stuff.

It'll push more back to piracy. Who wants to juggle 5 streamers when you can pirate?

Netflix was great. Almost everything, in one place, nice interface, fair price.
Now it would cost probably 100 a month to get tv licence and the main streamers.

100 a month
Vs
Juggling multi subs
Vs
Piracy

That last one is looking better and better.

it's like we've gone a full circle.

I think they forgot why piracy was so popular - it's easy. Paying for multiple subs and managing them is not.

 

[n111ck]

Remember Nokia? Commodore? Atari? The biggest in their industry at the time. They got too big for their boots and look at where those companies are now due to a range of bad decisions.

Netflix is going down the same path.

Netflix will be fine - they pivoted away from DVD rental at the right time, got into streaming at the right time and started investing in original content at the right time.

Streaming isn't going anywhere - the main risk for them is that people just subscribe for a month here and there rather than continuously, but thats probably why they do package deals with the likes of Sky etc to stop that.

 

[n111ck]

it's like we've gone a full circle.

I think they forgot why piracy was so popular - it's easy. Paying for multiple subs and managing them is not.

I personally find downloading and all that a faff and I suspect its probably more niche than you might think.

What we need is a good content aggregator / front end like Apple have tried to do so that you dont have to keep switching apps.

 

[beachBOYken]

I wouldn't go the piracy route, I'm a good boy.

 

[SixTwoSix]

100 a month
Vs
Juggling multi subs
Vs
Piracy

I don't watch live TV so don't have to consider a licence but i've been quite savvy around subs this last year.

Prime - had 3 free 1 month trials that were enough to watch what I wanted on existing account since cancelling last September.
Paramount+ - took the 50% offer on black friday which equates to 3 quid a month - mostly have it for the Sheridan content and some star trek.
Apple TV - barclaycard keep giving me 5 month free trials (obviously contingent on having a BC)
Disney+ - got a cheap 1 year code off MM here - £33 for the year - this is mainly for my son, I watch little on it.
Netflix - no offers, just dip in and out a few times a year.
Now TV - on a £2/month deal with £1 for boost that I dip into once or twice a year when they email me for the HBO content.

All in all, about £100 across the year - while not representative of everyone, if you time things right, you can watch most available content cheaply.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

I agree with some here.
TBH I still see netflix as great value for money. Its the cost in real terms of a couple of rentals from Blockbuster back in the day.
Which also meant you had a risk of not getting to see what you wanted and you had to return the bloody things.
Which then evolved into DVD by mail, where you got 3-4 times as much for the same price in effect, but still had to post them back, but you lost a bit in regards choice as you needed to maintain a list.

For the same you can watch virtually limitless content, you can do so on more than one device and also in other places, like on holiday.

I mean in that context, Netflix is the bargain of the millenium.

I always seem to find content to watch, but agree the rise of multiple streaming has seen dilution of some of the better stuff.

It’s interesting that you seem to be saying that more competition has actually been worse for consumers. It seems to be the opposite of common understanding.

Because in this case its not competition, its fragmentation into a number of monopolies. If you want to watch show X you need to sub to a specific service. Thats not competition.
If they all, or mainly all had the same shows and were actually competing on say price, then what you say would work.

Each time netflix make a change people say, bah its going to hit their numbers, and yet the opposite happens.
I suspect for many people its hard to give up, I mean a decent size popcorn at the cinema costs practically the same as a months netflix.

 

[beachBOYken]

I agree with some here.
TBH I still see netflix as great value for money. Its the cost in real terms of a couple of rentals from Blockbuster back in the day.
Which also meant you had a risk of not getting to see what you wanted and you had to return the bloody things.
Which then evolved into DVD by mail, where you got 3-4 times as much for the same price in effect, but still had to post them back, but you lost a bit in regards choice as you needed to maintain a list.

For the same you can watch virtually limitless content, you can do so on more than one device and also in other places, like on holiday.

I mean in that context, Netflix is the bargain of the millenium.

I always seem to find content to watch, but agree the rise of multiple streaming has seen dilution of some of the better stuff.


Because in this case its not competition, its fragmentation into a number of monopolies. If you want to watch show X you need to sub to a specific service. Thats not competition.
If they all, or mainly all had the same shows and were actually competing on say price, then what you say would work.

Each time netflix make a change people say, bah its going to hit their numbers, and yet the opposite happens.
I suspect for many people its hard to give up, I mean a decent size popcorn at the cinema costs practically the same as a months netflix.

But didn't their numbers drop considerably when the price rises kicked in, they have had instances where they struggled with declining subscribers, not sure what the reason was though.
They make changes, it can go either way.

 

[malachi]

Each time netflix make a change people say, bah its going to hit their numbers, and yet the opposite happens.

The removal of password sharing and the cheapest tier is the biggest change they have done outside the normal price increase. We have yet to see the impact which we wont know for the next 12 - 18 months.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

But didn't their numbers drop considerably when the price rises kicked in, they have had instances where they struggled with declining subscribers, not sure what the reason was though.
They make changes, it can go either way.

I believe it coincided with "the end of COVID"
They had massive growth during COVID for obvious reasons, so people who wouldn't normally be the sorts to be sofa dwellers were forced to in effect.