14 ms·

As Netflix has moved away from carrying lots of other people's movies to largely producing their own in-house TV shows, it feels like they barely have enough co

As Netflix has moved away from carrying lots of other people's movies to largely producing their own in-house TV shows, it feels like they barely have enough content to need an algorithm to curate it. They just show the same new Netflix originals over and over in ever category. I'm sure Netflix has piles of data that shows this is the best strategy. It just seems like a differentiated curation strategy doesn't matter that much in this battle. It will come down to who is producing the most popular original content most consistently.

dclusin 6y ago
It feels to me like the balkanization of streaming services was inevitable and Netflix getting into the content game was just a logical response to remain relevant. If the catalog is what garners subscribers then a streaming service without its own catalog is basically fucked in the long term.
- nabla9 6y ago
  It's interesting that HBO reached agreement to stream trough Hulu (Disney) even when WarnerMedia is trying to push their own competitor HBO Max.
  - jrs95 6y ago
    It makes a lot of sense IMO. They can immediately make more money in the short term, and after their competing product is ready they can negotiate more favorable terms with Hulu or not renew their agreement, which will direct a portion of people that discovered their content through Hulu to their own platform.
- MaxBarraclough 6y ago
  This balkanization is a good thing. I'd far rather have the choice between many competing providers each offering a service at £8/month, than have the choice to take or leave a single expensive all-in-one subscription, like cable. It's also good that market forces are driving content-creation.
  - paulryanrogers 6y ago
    If only the prices were lower to reflect that competition. There seems to be a tacit agreement that streamers will pay 6-12 USD a month per service. Netflix began at $8 with almost all popular content available (which could be streamed). Edit: cut extra word
    - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
      The prices are much lower than a cable package.
      - lonelappde 6y ago
        Disney+ with Hulu, Netflix, HBO, Apple+, Amazon Prime, Starz, adds up if you want full coverage.
        dgellow 6y ago
        Can you even watch that much content? I would expect that you only keep 1-3 subscriptions at the same time, and juggle between the different platforms when you want to watch some exclusive content. Like, Netflix for 1-2 month to watch some exclusives, then you cancel until the next time something seems interesting enough.
        toast0 6y ago
        I don't want to have to manage it on this level, the metagame kills the experience. I wish movies and tv had compulsory licensing like music, because the pick your music service and they have access to almost everything is much better for consumers.
        MaxBarraclough 6y ago
        Somewhat related: it's curious that Netflix are so coy about their catalogue. Without signing in, they refuse to show what they offer in your region. You have to make do with a third-party listing site like JustWatch.com
adrr 6y ago
They produced 371 tv shows and movies last year. Combine that with previous years, it’s a lot of content that they own.
- Hamuko 6y ago
  Yeah but how many of them are good? I can probably count the amount of Netflix original movies that I've heard discussed with one hand. And when it comes to stuff like Bird Box, the talk doesn't really even go with the quality.
  - adrr 6y ago
    Good is subjective. That’s why they have a personalization engine to make recommendations.
    - Zenbit_UX 6y ago
      I don't think it is as subjective as you might think. If it was you'd expect lists like the imdb top movies of all time to be constantly in flux. Instead, they're remarkably stable. If you would have said one individual's taste is subjective or subject to more variance I might be able to agree, but with more data points it seems humans are able to more or less define good from bad objectively. Anything with 10,000 or more votes on imdb is likely within 5% of its final value with very few exceptions. Personally I find anything over 7.4 on imdb watchable, over 7.8 quite good, over 8.4 incredible, and if it hits 8.9 or higher it's likely one of the best movies of all time. So my definition of "good" is somewhere above a 7.4.
      - adrr 6y ago
        Duck Dynasty is widely popular with almost 9mm viewership. It has a rating of 6.3. Breaking Bad has 1.5mm viewership and an IMDB score of 9.5. If you're Netflix, do you make invest money into a show like Duck Dynasty or like Breaking bad.
        6y ago
LiquidSky 6y ago
That's very odd, because my experience and everyone I've ever seen commenting on it is the exact opposite: it seems like there's 80 new shows a week on Netflix and it's impossible to keep up. Every time I hear about a new show that's interesting there are 5 other ones up by the time I get around to watching it.
laumars 6y ago
That's not been my experience. My recommendations (mostly Anime and Sci-Fi) is vastly different to my wife's (mostly American comedies with a strong emphasis on romcoms). The kids have a children's profile so theirs is vastly different again. It's fair to say our individual viewing habits are vastly different to the others. Maybe if there was more overlap you might not notice any difference with the recommendations.
antimora 6y ago
I am suspecting this strategy is a profit maximizing move. Instead of recommending 3rd party movie that cost high licence fees, Netflix is directing its users to its own content, where the cost is fixed. Netflix wants vast library to attract users but Netflix doesn't want them watch and only pay subscription.
ecmascript 6y ago
Not to mention the utter crap they produce. Seriously, I can't say I have endured more than 3-5 good series or movies they have produced. I have started to watch a lot of them but instantly the low quality is a clear indication on what's to come. Most of the stuff they produce are super political when they don't have to be, very bad writing or acting often with a great base story that could have been something great but filled with characters doing completely stupid things. Some also have a really fucked up message due to the extreme woke-ness like "In the Shadow of the Moon". A movie which starts of pretty good and interesting and then quickly enters a downhill path to the extreme ideologies that seems to fuel companies like Netflix.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
wodenokoto 6y ago
> They just show the same new Netflix originals over and over in ever category. Try watching a bunch of Bollywood, K-drama or anime and you’ll see that the recommendations change drastically. But yeah, they aren’t exactly trying to challenge their viewers to try something different.

dclusin 6y ago

It feels to me like the balkanization of streaming services was inevitable and Netflix getting into the content game was just a logical response to remain relevant. If the catalog is what garners subscribers then a streaming service without its own catalog is basically fucked in the long term.

nabla9 6y ago
It's interesting that HBO reached agreement to stream trough Hulu (Disney) even when WarnerMedia is trying to push their own competitor HBO Max.
- jrs95 6y ago
  It makes a lot of sense IMO. They can immediately make more money in the short term, and after their competing product is ready they can negotiate more favorable terms with Hulu or not renew their agreement, which will direct a portion of people that discovered their content through Hulu to their own platform.
MaxBarraclough 6y ago
This balkanization is a good thing. I'd far rather have the choice between many competing providers each offering a service at £8/month, than have the choice to take or leave a single expensive all-in-one subscription, like cable. It's also good that market forces are driving content-creation.
- paulryanrogers 6y ago
  If only the prices were lower to reflect that competition. There seems to be a tacit agreement that streamers will pay 6-12 USD a month per service. Netflix began at $8 with almost all popular content available (which could be streamed). Edit: cut extra word
  - MaxBarraclough 6y ago
    The prices are much lower than a cable package.
    - lonelappde 6y ago
      Disney+ with Hulu, Netflix, HBO, Apple+, Amazon Prime, Starz, adds up if you want full coverage.
      - dgellow 6y ago
        Can you even watch that much content? I would expect that you only keep 1-3 subscriptions at the same time, and juggle between the different platforms when you want to watch some exclusive content. Like, Netflix for 1-2 month to watch some exclusives, then you cancel until the next time something seems interesting enough.
        toast0 6y ago
        I don't want to have to manage it on this level, the metagame kills the experience. I wish movies and tv had compulsory licensing like music, because the pick your music service and they have access to almost everything is much better for consumers.
        MaxBarraclough 6y ago
        Somewhat related: it's curious that Netflix are so coy about their catalogue. Without signing in, they refuse to show what they offer in your region. You have to make do with a third-party listing site like JustWatch.com

adrr 6y ago

They produced 371 tv shows and movies last year. Combine that with previous years, it’s a lot of content that they own.

Hamuko 6y ago
Yeah but how many of them are good? I can probably count the amount of Netflix original movies that I've heard discussed with one hand. And when it comes to stuff like Bird Box, the talk doesn't really even go with the quality.
- adrr 6y ago
  Good is subjective. That’s why they have a personalization engine to make recommendations.
  - Zenbit_UX 6y ago
    I don't think it is as subjective as you might think. If it was you'd expect lists like the imdb top movies of all time to be constantly in flux. Instead, they're remarkably stable. If you would have said one individual's taste is subjective or subject to more variance I might be able to agree, but with more data points it seems humans are able to more or less define good from bad objectively. Anything with 10,000 or more votes on imdb is likely within 5% of its final value with very few exceptions. Personally I find anything over 7.4 on imdb watchable, over 7.8 quite good, over 8.4 incredible, and if it hits 8.9 or higher it's likely one of the best movies of all time. So my definition of "good" is somewhere above a 7.4.
    - adrr 6y ago
      Duck Dynasty is widely popular with almost 9mm viewership. It has a rating of 6.3. Breaking Bad has 1.5mm viewership and an IMDB score of 9.5. If you're Netflix, do you make invest money into a show like Duck Dynasty or like Breaking bad.
      - 6y ago

LiquidSky 6y ago

That's very odd, because my experience and everyone I've ever seen commenting on it is the exact opposite: it seems like there's 80 new shows a week on Netflix and it's impossible to keep up. Every time I hear about a new show that's interesting there are 5 other ones up by the time I get around to watching it.

laumars 6y ago

That's not been my experience. My recommendations (mostly Anime and Sci-Fi) is vastly different to my wife's (mostly American comedies with a strong emphasis on romcoms). The kids have a children's profile so theirs is vastly different again. It's fair to say our individual viewing habits are vastly different to the others. Maybe if there was more overlap you might not notice any difference with the recommendations.

antimora 6y ago

I am suspecting this strategy is a profit maximizing move. Instead of recommending 3rd party movie that cost high licence fees, Netflix is directing its users to its own content, where the cost is fixed. Netflix wants vast library to attract users but Netflix doesn't want them watch and only pay subscription.

ecmascript 6y ago

Not to mention the utter crap they produce. Seriously, I can't say I have endured more than 3-5 good series or movies they have produced. I have started to watch a lot of them but instantly the low quality is a clear indication on what's to come. Most of the stuff they produce are super political when they don't have to be, very bad writing or acting often with a great base story that could have been something great but filled with characters doing completely stupid things. Some also have a really fucked up message due to the extreme woke-ness like "In the Shadow of the Moon". A movie which starts of pretty good and interesting and then quickly enters a downhill path to the extreme ideologies that seems to fuel companies like Netflix.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

wodenokoto 6y ago

> They just show the same new Netflix originals over and over in ever category. Try watching a bunch of Bollywood, K-drama or anime and you’ll see that the recommendations change drastically. But yeah, they aren’t exactly trying to challenge their viewers to try something different.