4 ms·

Disappointment can only come from your own expectations. Good doesn't last. I like to have a mindset of using these kind of things while they work for me, until

by neals 3y ago

Disappointment can only come from your own expectations. Good doesn't last. I like to have a mindset of using these kind of things while they work for me, until they don't, then leave and not look back. Don't get attached to commercial endeavours.

babypuncher 3y ago
I think some people's expectations of Netflix were downright unrealistic. When they started streaming, the platform was paying pennies to license shows that were already in syndication. Programs that had already made their money in first runs on network TV and cable. As streaming became the de facto distribution method for new content, of course the cost of licensing that content ewas going to go up. Streaming licensing fees are no longer just gravy to the studios, they are their primary source of income. The idea that Netflix could somehow afford to bankroll the entire entertainment industry on $15/mo subscriptions is ridiculous. There were three possible outcomes: 1. Netflix becomes the new cable and charges $100+/mo 2. The output of the entertainment industry shrinks until it is sustainable on $15/mo subscriptions 3. Competitors start popping up and fighting for market share
- Alupis 3y ago
  None of which says "Make a million garbage shows and movies that nobody asked for and few actually enjoy - then raise monthly rates to bankroll these pet projects". Here's an idea - quality over quantity. Make fewer, but better shows and movies.
  - babypuncher 3y ago
    That is Netflix trying to carve out their niche in timeline #3. They think they can compete with the other services by having a little of something for everyone. The poor average quality of their content is why I cancelled Netflix and switched to a mix of HBO, Hulu, and Paramount.
  - itsoktocry 3y ago
    >Here's an idea - quality over quantity. Make fewer, but better shows and movies. What an insight. But how do you determine what's "high quality" and what isn't? You don't think Netflix is trying to measure that?
    - Alupis 3y ago
      > But how do you determine what's "high quality" and what isn't? There's zero chance Netflix isn't aware they are peddling more junk than gold these days. It's a gamble to have more content than anyone else - and it seems to be slowly killing them. Everyone has a story about spending 45 minutes surfing Netflix trying to find something interesting to watch while dinner gets cold. Everyone has stories about how awful the latest Netflix Original is, etc. The amount of poorly dubbed foreign films is appalling, for instance. That's not a gripe against foreign films, it's a gripe about the utter lack of quality Netflix green-lit straight onto the front page of results. These things could be done well - but often are not.
    - 542354234235 3y ago
      I thought about listing all the popular, critically acclaimed shows that Netflix has cancelled on a cliffhanger or without a “final season”, but that is a long list and there are plenty of BuzzFeed type articles about it. Not every show is going to be a hit, but Netflix consistently abandons great shows after 1-2 seasons because they aren’t Stranger Things level popular. So now they have a catalog of great shows no one wants to watch or recommend because why would you start a show that you know ends after 1 season on a cliffhanger? How many shows could have been tentpole shows, but people are hesitant to start them when they know how cancel happy Netflix is? Netflix is shortsighted and myopically focused on tentpole shows that directly lead to “new subscribers” that join just to watch that show. All while ignoring having a strong catalog, since it is hard to measure how a cumulative collection of shows drives subscriptions.
  - usrusr 3y ago
    Quality over quantity completely ignores differences in taste. One person's best show in the universe is another's torturous crap they'd avoid like the plague even if they were paid for watching. It's perfectly possible to ignore that and still aim for some focused quality, but that's the path to becoming a niche operation. Might as well switch to pay per view. The main challenge streaming networks are facing is that there is no attention on-ramp now that nobody is zapping through linear tv anymore who might get hooked on an earlier iteration of the franchise. When I know that I am multiple installments behind in $franchise, my willingness to pay for the latest one is zero. And if earlier ones are the same price as the latest, they will feel overpriced. That's why the focused "I subscribe x because of some specific production y" that would be implied by quality over quantity doesn't have much future, they need habitual subscription where discovery just happens.
Jenk 3y ago
> Disappointment can only come from your own expectations. Reductionist victim blaming and, frankly, nonsense. Pessimism is not healthy. I supported their business (by paying) because I liked their operating model, and their campaign (for lack of a better word) to keep adverts out of the platform and to support "better" content. I am dissappointed that model has, apparently, failed and they are pivoting away into yet another low brow, low IQ, garbage distributor - even if it is an inevitability.
- itsoktocry 3y ago
  >Reductionist victim blaming Victim-blaming? What exactly are you the victim of here? Netflix not having shows you like. >Pessimism is not healthy. Your entire post was to complain that Netflix is failing. >I am dissappointed that model has, apparently, failed and they are pivoting away into yet another low brow, low IQ, garbage distributor Can't get much more elitist than this, can it? There is tons of good content on Netflix. And Orange is the New Black wasn't very good, imho.

by neals 3y ago

babypuncher 3y ago

I think some people's expectations of Netflix were downright unrealistic. When they started streaming, the platform was paying pennies to license shows that were already in syndication. Programs that had already made their money in first runs on network TV and cable. As streaming became the de facto distribution method for new content, of course the cost of licensing that content ewas going to go up. Streaming licensing fees are no longer just gravy to the studios, they are their primary source of income. The idea that Netflix could somehow afford to bankroll the entire entertainment industry on $15/mo subscriptions is ridiculous. There were three possible outcomes: 1. Netflix becomes the new cable and charges $100+/mo 2. The output of the entertainment industry shrinks until it is sustainable on $15/mo subscriptions 3. Competitors start popping up and fighting for market share

Alupis 3y ago
None of which says "Make a million garbage shows and movies that nobody asked for and few actually enjoy - then raise monthly rates to bankroll these pet projects". Here's an idea - quality over quantity. Make fewer, but better shows and movies.
- babypuncher 3y ago
  That is Netflix trying to carve out their niche in timeline #3. They think they can compete with the other services by having a little of something for everyone. The poor average quality of their content is why I cancelled Netflix and switched to a mix of HBO, Hulu, and Paramount.
- itsoktocry 3y ago
  >Here's an idea - quality over quantity. Make fewer, but better shows and movies. What an insight. But how do you determine what's "high quality" and what isn't? You don't think Netflix is trying to measure that?
  - Alupis 3y ago
    > But how do you determine what's "high quality" and what isn't? There's zero chance Netflix isn't aware they are peddling more junk than gold these days. It's a gamble to have more content than anyone else - and it seems to be slowly killing them. Everyone has a story about spending 45 minutes surfing Netflix trying to find something interesting to watch while dinner gets cold. Everyone has stories about how awful the latest Netflix Original is, etc. The amount of poorly dubbed foreign films is appalling, for instance. That's not a gripe against foreign films, it's a gripe about the utter lack of quality Netflix green-lit straight onto the front page of results. These things could be done well - but often are not.
  - 542354234235 3y ago
    I thought about listing all the popular, critically acclaimed shows that Netflix has cancelled on a cliffhanger or without a “final season”, but that is a long list and there are plenty of BuzzFeed type articles about it. Not every show is going to be a hit, but Netflix consistently abandons great shows after 1-2 seasons because they aren’t Stranger Things level popular. So now they have a catalog of great shows no one wants to watch or recommend because why would you start a show that you know ends after 1 season on a cliffhanger? How many shows could have been tentpole shows, but people are hesitant to start them when they know how cancel happy Netflix is? Netflix is shortsighted and myopically focused on tentpole shows that directly lead to “new subscribers” that join just to watch that show. All while ignoring having a strong catalog, since it is hard to measure how a cumulative collection of shows drives subscriptions.
- usrusr 3y ago
  Quality over quantity completely ignores differences in taste. One person's best show in the universe is another's torturous crap they'd avoid like the plague even if they were paid for watching. It's perfectly possible to ignore that and still aim for some focused quality, but that's the path to becoming a niche operation. Might as well switch to pay per view. The main challenge streaming networks are facing is that there is no attention on-ramp now that nobody is zapping through linear tv anymore who might get hooked on an earlier iteration of the franchise. When I know that I am multiple installments behind in $franchise, my willingness to pay for the latest one is zero. And if earlier ones are the same price as the latest, they will feel overpriced. That's why the focused "I subscribe x because of some specific production y" that would be implied by quality over quantity doesn't have much future, they need habitual subscription where discovery just happens.

Jenk 3y ago

> Disappointment can only come from your own expectations. Reductionist victim blaming and, frankly, nonsense. Pessimism is not healthy. I supported their business (by paying) because I liked their operating model, and their campaign (for lack of a better word) to keep adverts out of the platform and to support "better" content. I am dissappointed that model has, apparently, failed and they are pivoting away into yet another low brow, low IQ, garbage distributor - even if it is an inevitability.

itsoktocry 3y ago
>Reductionist victim blaming Victim-blaming? What exactly are you the victim of here? Netflix not having shows you like. >Pessimism is not healthy. Your entire post was to complain that Netflix is failing. >I am dissappointed that model has, apparently, failed and they are pivoting away into yet another low brow, low IQ, garbage distributor Can't get much more elitist than this, can it? There is tons of good content on Netflix. And Orange is the New Black wasn't very good, imho.