Netflix Gains 2.4M New Subscribers, Reversing Trend
wsj.com
wsj.com
Lots of corporate shenanigans going to artificially boost dying audiences
I know because we see the same thing in the mobile game world. I'm pretty sure just looking at usage numbers of the companies left that I contract with across America,Asia, Europe, and Brazil that we are in a global recession.
Subjectively, of course, I've found Netflix content as a whole has gotten much worse each year. I also feel they're padding numbers with a shitton of foreign content most people probably aren't interested in.
Then again, Stranger Things dropped in Q3 I believe, so it could have been a rush of month or two subscribers.
As for the reduction in mobile game usage, perhaps consumers are finally growing weary of the abomination that has become mobile gaming? Predatory, ad-filled, and micro transaction riddled treadmills. Having fun is an entirely secondary goal from evacuating funds from wallets.
Everyone seems to complain about Netflix content (though I think it has the best selection, but whatever) and I worry they are fighting a front they are unlikely to win. They are a tech company--not a film brand.
Netflix is almost certainly going to stay as one of those 3 major ones, with Disney as a 2nd. But unlike Coke/Pepsi or AT&T/Verizon/T-Mobile, you buy all 3 (or cycle through them) rather than sticking with just one.
And they're not a tech company anymore, because as you say the tech is now turning commodity. They're a content company that pioneered the data-driven approach. Their alpha is in hits like Stranger Things and Bridgerton.
The ones that will win are the ones that are supported by other businesses.
Amazon PrimeVideo can lose 100M viewers in a quarter, it doesn't matter, the money is still here, and it won't even make the stock price move by a tenth of a percent.
Netflix loses 10M subscribers in a quarter and its stock will be worth 0.
Netflix has literally no way to compete against the other giants. It's a one trick poney with a single revenue stream competing against companies that have virtually infinite money compared to it.
The ones that will remain are Amazon, Google and Apple. See you in 10 years.
My money is that the big three are going to be Netflix, Disney/Hulu, and then some strange consolidation of most of Paramount+, Peacock, Discovery+, etc. that maybe partners with Amazon for distribution but maybe not. Stuff like HBO and Apple TV+ is the premium part of the long tail that people dip into as their favorite shows come back on.
Nobody comes close to Netflix in video delivery and client robustness.
I’d say Netflix is many years ahead of its competitors in terms of technology.
They absolutely are, hands down, no question about it.
There’s just the pesky problem of diminishing returns.
Technology for things like gatcha games, streaming, card games, etc have been standardized.
Now you have to compete on brand, market factor, and hype.
10 years from now: rightsholders get desperate enough to let you purchase and download DRM-free TV shows and movies. Whoever re-invents iTunes gets on the cover of Forbes.
I wish we could find a way to disincentive the sort of collective short-term greed that sinks an industry. These periodic dry spells of accessible media content are inconvenient and unnecessary.
There needs to be greater backlash against this so Netflix is forced to either cut price closer to under $5, or match competitors with full HD.