It’s been a long day of school, homework and chores, and the only thing to help lighten your load is a good binge-worthy Netflix show. Expectantly, you click onto the app, getting comfortable on your couch with your blanket and snacks ready to go. Upon logging into your account, you’re met with a shocking disappointment. On the cover image of your favorite show, with a big red border around it, are the words leaving soon.
According to Forbes, Netflix has been and remains the most popular streaming platform in the world, however it isn’t what it used to be. It’s not news to many that Netflix has been removing shows and movies left and right, while simultaneously cancelling or taking years to film and release their original content.
Netflix used to be home to not only their original productions, but also fan favorite movies that were available on multiple streaming services. With Netflix being the most popular one, it would be expected that they cater to most audiences and keep popular content on the app, such as “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Karate Kid,” “The Maze Runner” trilogy and “Kung Fu Panda,” all movies that are appropriate for multiple different audiences. According to Newsweek Entertainment, since Jan. 1 of this year, these films along with many others have been removed from Netflix.
Along with the removal of popular shows and movies, Netflix recently wrapped up one of their most watched shows, “Stranger Things.” Volume One debuted with 8.2 million views according to Deadline, and the other four seasons spiked in views as well. However, the show faced plenty of online discourse, mainly because the show took 9 years to film and release 5 seasons of content, with the first season premiering in mid 2016 and the season finale on Dec. 31, 2025. To put this into perspective, Tik Tok didn’t exist when “Stranger Things” was first released, the entirety of popular Amazon Prime Video series “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” was released between the fourth and fifth season of “Stranger Things” and the entire global pandemic took place before the show wrapped. Netflix’s dragged out film and release schedule is an issue with several other shows, such as “Bridgerton” with two year gaps in between each season. There has consistently been a dramatic rise in subscribers whenever a hit TV show is releasing a new season, but as these shows come to an end, Netflix will continue to lose engagement as other streaming services do a better job of providing for their consumers.
Take Prime Video as an example. Typically, if you can’t find what you’re looking for on Netflix, it will be on Prime Video, a few examples being their original “Lord of the Rings” series coined “Rings of Power,” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” a show of high critical acclaim. Prime Video does a much better job of releasing projects on a timely schedule, and not only that, but their subscription costs less than Netflix, with Prime Video’s ad free subscription being $14.99, and Netflix’s being $17.99, which adds up over time.
As stated previously, Netflix is a major culprit of subscription inflation. When paying for a streaming service, it is expected that advertisements shouldn’t be an issue, but Netflix’s ad free plan is over double the cost of their standard with ads subscription. Consumers should not have to pay for a subscription that interrupts them while they watch a show or movie, and paying 10 extra dollars for a service just to get rid of ads is unnecessary.
Not only does Netflix remove several fan favorite movies and shows, but they also have an excess of “Netflix Originals,” and the addition of mobile games in November 2021. Netflix offers a library of mobile games, accessible with any subscription, featuring popular titles like Hades and Red Redemption. To be frank, nobody asked for games on Netflix, and the money spent producing them can go towards keeping more popular films on the website, instead of crowding the platform with a surplus of “Netflix Originals.”
Some may claim that Netflix is the best streaming platform, and the extra money and long wait for each project is worth the final product. However, Netflix can be majorly improved if they make simple timeline adjustments, and put funds towards renewing licenses for other content to be kept on the platform.
Over the years, Netflix has had its ups and downs, and while at the end of the day their subscriber count will remain high, it is definitely experiencing a downfall as of lately. As more of their popular shows begin wrapping up, they will experience a loss of subscribers if they continue to get rid of the most sought-after films, raise prices and keep up their lengthy production timelines.
