I've had Netflix streaming service for a long time. Pretty much since I got my Nintendo Wii and later when I got a Roku. So that's like 8 years or so I'd say. I kept it even when I was out west and homeless because I could still use it on my laptop or places where I could use my Roku.
But now I'm finally pulling the plug on Netflix. It simply isn't worth $10/month anymore for the simple reason that they're losing a lot of the content I liked to watch.
A good example is this holiday season. I want to watch my favorite American Dad holiday episodes? They lost that series months ago. I want to watch South Park holiday episodes? They haven't had that show for years. I want to watch the one It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia holiday episode? Nope, they lost that too. So I ended up watching them on Hulu. Pretty much everything except Netflix originals that I want to watch is either on Hulu or Amazon. And I got a deal on Hulu for $5.99/month, so why am I staying with Netflix? For the occasional season of Marvel shows, Voltron, or Bojack Horseman? I can't even watch House of Cards anymore thanks to the Kevin Spacey scandal.
I suspect this is going to be a growing problem for Netflix as more and more networks pull shows off their service for their own streaming options. (So long as the overturn of Net neutrality doesn't bring the whole Internet crashing down.) Netflix is trying to compensate with their original offerings, pouring more and more of subscriber money into these. Like $90M for Bright? $40M for Cloverfield Paradox? Seriously? Not even a Super Bowl ad costs that much for a commercial and since they aren't directly charging for people to watch it, that's pretty much what it is. I know my $119.88/year is a pittance by comparison, but it seems pretty irresponsible on their part. OK, maybe Netflix didn't actually pay all of that, but they still pay a hell of a lot for what's basically a commercial.
The thing about original content is that it's not enough to spend $10/month. Not for Netflix or Hulu or CBS All Access or whatever else they come up with. I mean if you think practically you can just subscribe for one month a year, binge all the original content you want, and then just quit. Or maybe in a two-week free trial if you have enough time.
I've done a similar thing the last 3 years with Sling TV. Basically I just sign up in August or September and quit in January so I can watch college football and stuff on the ESPN channels and maybe some Adult Swim or Walking Dead or something like that. I actually got both of the Rokus I use from Sling promotions where you sign up for 2-3 months and you get the Roku "free." Since I was going to sign up for a few months anyway, why not get a better Roku while I'm at it? The first time my one Roku was dying anyway, so it killed 2 birds with 1 stone. Maybe if Netflix runs a promotion like that I'd sign back up with them.
4 comments:
I keep Netflix for the kids crap but I often put Hulu on hold for a couple months at a time when there's not new content; Hulu has a really easy way to do it, too. I love I can just suspend it without losing my subscription. I did the CBS AA for Discovery although I got a month and a half for free over and canceled it during December so only really paid for two months of it and once the current month expires I'll cancel it, too.
And then there will soon be a Disney streaming channel, which will drop even more content from Netflix (and Hulu I imagine) and I have a feeling that's the tip of the iceberg; everyone will want to do it soon enough and then it will be impossible to get decent content from one place
I know people who rotate between Netflix, HBO now, Amazon Prime and others. You'll probably come back to it someday when they get a series you really want to see.
Yeah it's sad that Netflix is getting squeezed out by competition. I subscribe to that and Hulu Plus. But I watch Netflix less and less these days. I dropped Sling because of it's single device requirement. I don't know what I'm going to do when Disney launches their service. Kids gotta have Mickey Mouse.
I've wondered about the value I get from Netflix as well. I like some of the Marvel shows, but how soon will they no longer be allowed to make them with Disney getting its own streaming platform? Meh. I may follow you out the door on the whole Netflix thing.
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