The big distinguishing factor has long been Netflix's subscriber driven business model: if they're not growing in subscribers then the company appears to be "fa

The big distinguishing factor has long been Netflix's subscriber driven business model: if they're not growing in subscribers then the company appears to be "failing" or stagnant to investors/shareholders. Netflix's original productions are for retention, but moreso for getting new subscribers to boost the subscription numbers (hence their hard push into Asia). Netflix's problem is that it doesn't have the niche of another service using the same business model, something like HBO which makes "HBO shows" (Nudity, violence, swearing, "prestige" productions). Without a distinct house style or niche aesthetic, Netflix has adopted the firehose method. Blast as much money at as many scripts as possible with the hopes that one will turn gold. The BBC, through the licensing fee, kind of evades that business model and the ramifications of it; the BBC can choose to not aim for "hits", but for cultural content as such. Creators are free to create cultural content without a direct profit motive and that really allows the BBC to retain some very high quality documentarians, screenwriters, producers, and directors. The licensing fee is a tax, but it is a tax that keeps the profit motive from dominating media production.