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I don't understand Netflix's aversion to letting me find shows I'm interested in. It's so hard to just browse the full catalog, even by really general categorie

by Zikes 11y ago

I don't understand Netflix's aversion to letting me find shows I'm interested in. It's so hard to just browse the full catalog, even by really general categories like "Action" or "Comedy". When I pull up the Netflix app on my console all I get are 20-25 movies in each category, plus my Queue and a few recommendations.

theseatoms 11y ago
It seems that they're trying to prevent users from realizing how light their catalog really is.
- tigeba 11y ago
  This seems like the logical reason for the lack of an "Oscar Winning Movies" category.
  - klapinat0r 11y ago
    I agree, and it's really a shame. However, wasn't there such a category once? At least in 2009 there was (recall seeing various winners from 2009 in a "Oscar" category)
    - ynezz 11y ago
      We've this category in Czech mutation.
- soylentcola 11y ago
  I dunno...I find the selection to easily surpass what I'd find available on basic cable on any given day. If it cost $30-50/mo (or whatever they charge for a pretty basic cable package these days) I'd reconsider but for under $10/mo I find it to fill that gap of "something to flick through and find something I wouldn't mind watching" quite nicely.
  - theseatoms 11y ago
    Don't get me wrong. I'm a subscriber and will likely continue to be. I agree that Netflix is a better deal for the consumer than most cable packages, but they're constantly competing for content with Hulu, Amazon, HBO, YouTube, etc.
    - Zikes 11y ago
      YouTube and Twitch have grown to become about 90% of my video consumption. The increasingly cheap pro-sumer quality A/V equipment and software have made the production values go up significantly in recent years, making the regular production of high-quality shows much more viable.
      - theseatoms 11y ago
        Any recommendations? :)
        Zikes 11y ago
        Oh it's really all about personal preference. I mostly subscribe to tech news & reviews and "let's play" type gaming content, along with some cooking/woodworking/metalworking stuff. Off the top of my head I mostly watch MKBHD, Tested, Cinemassacre, CynicalBrit, Lazy Game Reviews, Frank Howarth, and enough smaller channels to fill in the gaps. Edit: Oh and LinusTechTips, I can't believe how long it took me to get on board with that channel.
        dzhiurgis 11y ago
        Applied Science 2veritasium ARMdevices.net BrainStuff - HowStuffWorks colinfurze Computerphile EEVblog ElectroBOOM engineerguy In a Nutshell – Kurzgesagt mikeselectricstuff Periodic Videos SmarterEveryDay Sixty Symbols The 8-Bit Guy The Checkout tesla500 Tom Scott Veritasium Vsauce WonderWhy
- JustSomeNobody 11y ago
  First: I love me some Netflix. But that doesn't mean I think they can't improve, so: Second: I don't see how this is the case ("...prevent users from realizing how light their catalog really is.". Looking at what they show me when I search or browse already makes the selection look anemic. Using a few of these codes helped me find stuff I didn't know was there.
- gnicholas 11y ago
  Exactly. Given how expensive content is to license/produce, their goal is not to have tons of stuff you want to watch right now. They want to have just enough stuff that you don't leave (either because of the current catalog, or because a new season of HoC or something else you care about is around the corner). They structure their site so that you don't realize that they don't want to make you super happy—they just want to keep you barely happy.
  - ctdonath 11y ago
    Sad, given it was once the prime example of "long-tail" content providers - giving customers the hope that everything would be available eventually, no matter how obscure. Now I'm resigned to them providing "more than I'd like to watch than I have time for", and expecting to go elsewhere for "I want to watch this, now who has it" content.
- zo1 11y ago
  It may seem counter-intuitive, but that is what I think it is as well. So, they "show" you only small snippets that they think is relevant to you, in order for you to not have to "need" a full view or search into their catalog. It's like expecting a TV channel to show you a full listing of all the things that they've ever played, or are currently playing. You'd then quickly realize how tiny of a selection it really is, with all the repeats and what not. Netflix's movie selection is really abysmal. After finally cutting the cord, going full-legal and all that. And then: "Hmm, I'd really like to watch movie X", and then you search for it on Netflix, thinking oh it's some relatively-semi-popular movie from half a decade ago, it should be on Netflix. But nope, they recommend you sign up for a DVD plan instead where you can get that movie. Don't even expect one of the "new blockbuster" movies on Netflix, not going to happen. For that have to fork out a pay-per-view amount of $$ on Amazon Prime/Google Play/Itunes.
profinger 11y ago
Honestly, I had to scroll down like 10 categories just to find my queue. Netflix is screwing with us, I think...
- neogodless 11y ago
  OMG I forgot Netflix has a queue. Of course that was everything when I rented DVDs from Netflix. Then I vaguely remember adding movies to my "streaming" queue, but I feel like that went away entirely. So apparently there is a way to get back to that?! I think searching for movies online (while cross-referencing Rotten Tomatoes) and building a queue could greatly enhance my Saturday nights!
  - david_shaw 11y ago
    It's generally referred to as "My List" now, and it's available on all the major platforms I use (iOS app, webapp, Fire Stick app, PS3 app).
ergothus 11y ago
I'm equally confused by their continued practice of making it harder to see my queue. I mean, these are shows I've said I want to see, why make it hard to find? Add to that that they haven't created an "add to my queue when new episodes come out" option and how shows have been on/off availability rapidly and Netflix isn't nearly as useful as it used to be.

by Zikes 11y ago

theseatoms 11y ago

It seems that they're trying to prevent users from realizing how light their catalog really is.

tigeba 11y ago
This seems like the logical reason for the lack of an "Oscar Winning Movies" category.
- klapinat0r 11y ago
  I agree, and it's really a shame. However, wasn't there such a category once? At least in 2009 there was (recall seeing various winners from 2009 in a "Oscar" category)
  - ynezz 11y ago
    We've this category in Czech mutation.
soylentcola 11y ago
I dunno...I find the selection to easily surpass what I'd find available on basic cable on any given day. If it cost $30-50/mo (or whatever they charge for a pretty basic cable package these days) I'd reconsider but for under $10/mo I find it to fill that gap of "something to flick through and find something I wouldn't mind watching" quite nicely.
- theseatoms 11y ago
  Don't get me wrong. I'm a subscriber and will likely continue to be. I agree that Netflix is a better deal for the consumer than most cable packages, but they're constantly competing for content with Hulu, Amazon, HBO, YouTube, etc.
  - Zikes 11y ago
    YouTube and Twitch have grown to become about 90% of my video consumption. The increasingly cheap pro-sumer quality A/V equipment and software have made the production values go up significantly in recent years, making the regular production of high-quality shows much more viable.
    - theseatoms 11y ago
      Any recommendations? :)
      - Zikes 11y ago
        Oh it's really all about personal preference. I mostly subscribe to tech news & reviews and "let's play" type gaming content, along with some cooking/woodworking/metalworking stuff. Off the top of my head I mostly watch MKBHD, Tested, Cinemassacre, CynicalBrit, Lazy Game Reviews, Frank Howarth, and enough smaller channels to fill in the gaps. Edit: Oh and LinusTechTips, I can't believe how long it took me to get on board with that channel.
      - dzhiurgis 11y ago
        Applied Science 2veritasium ARMdevices.net BrainStuff - HowStuffWorks colinfurze Computerphile EEVblog ElectroBOOM engineerguy In a Nutshell – Kurzgesagt mikeselectricstuff Periodic Videos SmarterEveryDay Sixty Symbols The 8-Bit Guy The Checkout tesla500 Tom Scott Veritasium Vsauce WonderWhy
JustSomeNobody 11y ago
First: I love me some Netflix. But that doesn't mean I think they can't improve, so: Second: I don't see how this is the case ("...prevent users from realizing how light their catalog really is.". Looking at what they show me when I search or browse already makes the selection look anemic. Using a few of these codes helped me find stuff I didn't know was there.
gnicholas 11y ago
Exactly. Given how expensive content is to license/produce, their goal is not to have tons of stuff you want to watch right now. They want to have just enough stuff that you don't leave (either because of the current catalog, or because a new season of HoC or something else you care about is around the corner). They structure their site so that you don't realize that they don't want to make you super happy—they just want to keep you barely happy.
- ctdonath 11y ago
  Sad, given it was once the prime example of "long-tail" content providers - giving customers the hope that everything would be available eventually, no matter how obscure. Now I'm resigned to them providing "more than I'd like to watch than I have time for", and expecting to go elsewhere for "I want to watch this, now who has it" content.
zo1 11y ago
It may seem counter-intuitive, but that is what I think it is as well. So, they "show" you only small snippets that they think is relevant to you, in order for you to not have to "need" a full view or search into their catalog. It's like expecting a TV channel to show you a full listing of all the things that they've ever played, or are currently playing. You'd then quickly realize how tiny of a selection it really is, with all the repeats and what not. Netflix's movie selection is really abysmal. After finally cutting the cord, going full-legal and all that. And then: "Hmm, I'd really like to watch movie X", and then you search for it on Netflix, thinking oh it's some relatively-semi-popular movie from half a decade ago, it should be on Netflix. But nope, they recommend you sign up for a DVD plan instead where you can get that movie. Don't even expect one of the "new blockbuster" movies on Netflix, not going to happen. For that have to fork out a pay-per-view amount of $$ on Amazon Prime/Google Play/Itunes.

profinger 11y ago

Honestly, I had to scroll down like 10 categories just to find my queue. Netflix is screwing with us, I think...

neogodless 11y ago
OMG I forgot Netflix has a queue. Of course that was everything when I rented DVDs from Netflix. Then I vaguely remember adding movies to my "streaming" queue, but I feel like that went away entirely. So apparently there is a way to get back to that?! I think searching for movies online (while cross-referencing Rotten Tomatoes) and building a queue could greatly enhance my Saturday nights!
- david_shaw 11y ago
  It's generally referred to as "My List" now, and it's available on all the major platforms I use (iOS app, webapp, Fire Stick app, PS3 app).

ergothus 11y ago

I'm equally confused by their continued practice of making it harder to see my queue. I mean, these are shows I've said I want to see, why make it hard to find? Add to that that they haven't created an "add to my queue when new episodes come out" option and how shows have been on/off availability rapidly and Netflix isn't nearly as useful as it used to be.