Netflix users are being left confused and angry. Over the course of a few years Netflix executives have been making the decision to cancel several series. These range from those of other channels and even their own originals. It leaves us viewers wondering what is happening at the Netflix headquarters while these decisions are being made?
Ted Sarandos, Netflix executive, claims “We have never canceled a successful show” in a Bloomberg interview. The meaning of success is subjective; in this case, Sarandos is measuring profit. Netflix eliminates shows from other networks that they can’t pay for. They do cancellations typically after the first season which means oftentimes shows don’t even get a chance. Netflix added 891 new originals in 2022, completely scrapping old ones that were barely given one season. They put a budget into farming new content, leaving the ones that didn’t pull enough money behind.
Fans aren’t happy with these decisions. They want to see a company that cares about their entertainment, not just the money that comes from them. Paying for something that doesn’t even have shows catered to the consumer seems unnecessary, and unfair. “X” user @tylerduran21 voices in a post “The society, The OA, I am not okay with this and Gotham all deserved better.” The heat is rising from viewers as they notice a pattern. Most users are complaining about finding a show, liking it, then finding out it hasn’t been renewed.
In order to track their viewership, Netflix counts hours watched divided by total runtime. This means they keep track of interest. These statistics are not currently available to the public for 2023. There are an estimated 240 million current subscribers of Netflix. It would help to see how many people are actively engaging with Netflix and their content monthly. If we take those 240 million viewers and multiply that by the lowest subscription price, their subscription revenue is at least 1.7 billion dollars a month. That’s just assuming everybody has the base-level subscription, and not including ad-free accounts. Netflix clearly rakes in a huge sum of money.
It definitely seems unfair to users. This doesn’t only affect users but could have an impact on Netflix as a company. By paying for a streaming service you are paying for their content. If the content doesn’t interest you, why bother? If you’re also upset about this, you are not alone. Luckily, there are plenty of other streaming services that can provide quality entertainment for those who can not be satisfied with Netflix.
