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I wonder if Netflix would consider not charging you when you don't use their service. Then there would be no reason to cancel and your subscription payments cou

by gfody 5y ago

I wonder if Netflix would consider not charging you when you don't use their service. Then there would be no reason to cancel and your subscription payments could just resume whenever Netflix has content you're interested in. Netflix then would have a more natural incentive to focus on quality content as well.

deleted 5y ago
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zethus 5y ago
Not sure how that incentivizes them to produce higher quality content? The existing loop today is still for users to resume their billed subscription when something of interest is released.
- gfody 5y ago
  I'm assuming that practically nobody actually cancels their Netflix whenever there's nothing to watch and resubscribes when there is and so they probably consider existing subscribers money-in-the-bank and mostly try to acquire new subscribers. If they were instead trying to get their existing subscribers to use the service every month then they should focus on content (not necessarily Netflix original content, maybe just buy a blockbuster now and then, w/e).
sp527 5y ago
Charging you when you’re not using it is literally what makes the business model work. There’s a certain level of average utilization that, if achieved, would sink the business.
- sebazzz 4y ago
  That is really why every company has a subscription service: there are so many sleeping subscriptions, and no set moment to evaluate if a new purchase is worth it
mongol 5y ago
Really interesting idea. If I was analyst at Netflix, I really would like to explore that.
drstewart 5y ago
I wonder indeed https://www.wired.com/story/netflix-auto-cancel-subscription/ https://www.wired.com/story/netflix-auto-cancel-subscription...
- kevincox 4y ago
  That is talking about after 2 years. That is very different from what I pictured GP proposting. I thought they were proposing something like "any month where you don't play a single video you aren't charged" or a similar scheme. The upside is that you always have your account "active" and ready to go. There is no friction to playing a video, browsing the catalog. Just hitting play and you are a paying customer again. If you are going to be charged for two years there is definitely incentive to cancel your account, adding friction to any decision to resubscribe. The downside is likely that it adds mental friction to that first video every month. It takes it from "well I already paid" to "is it worth it? I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks and won't watch much, maybe I'll skip this month" which negates the mental relief that "unlimited" monthly subscriptions rely on.

by gfody 5y ago

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

zethus 5y ago

Not sure how that incentivizes them to produce higher quality content? The existing loop today is still for users to resume their billed subscription when something of interest is released.

gfody 5y ago
I'm assuming that practically nobody actually cancels their Netflix whenever there's nothing to watch and resubscribes when there is and so they probably consider existing subscribers money-in-the-bank and mostly try to acquire new subscribers. If they were instead trying to get their existing subscribers to use the service every month then they should focus on content (not necessarily Netflix original content, maybe just buy a blockbuster now and then, w/e).

sp527 5y ago

Charging you when you’re not using it is literally what makes the business model work. There’s a certain level of average utilization that, if achieved, would sink the business.

sebazzz 4y ago
That is really why every company has a subscription service: there are so many sleeping subscriptions, and no set moment to evaluate if a new purchase is worth it

mongol 5y ago

Really interesting idea. If I was analyst at Netflix, I really would like to explore that.

drstewart 5y ago

I wonder indeed https://www.wired.com/story/netflix-auto-cancel-subscription/ https://www.wired.com/story/netflix-auto-cancel-subscription...

kevincox 4y ago
That is talking about after 2 years. That is very different from what I pictured GP proposting. I thought they were proposing something like "any month where you don't play a single video you aren't charged" or a similar scheme. The upside is that you always have your account "active" and ready to go. There is no friction to playing a video, browsing the catalog. Just hitting play and you are a paying customer again. If you are going to be charged for two years there is definitely incentive to cancel your account, adding friction to any decision to resubscribe. The downside is likely that it adds mental friction to that first video every month. It takes it from "well I already paid" to "is it worth it? I'm going on vacation for 2 weeks and won't watch much, maybe I'll skip this month" which negates the mental relief that "unlimited" monthly subscriptions rely on.