Bye Netflix

[TankTop5]

Just cancelled my subscription! I cancelled cable because I was forced to pay for tons of content that I had no interest in. Netflix with the overwhelming amount of foreign content has finally broke me. I have nothing against foreign films, dubbed movies or subtitles. My issue is almost half of new content is foreign, feels like they are padding their loss of content with cheap foreign movies to protect profits. Well I’m letting them know with my wallet that they’ve made the wrong decision.


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[shadyJ]

So you cancelled Netflix because they also produce content for people that are not you?

 

[TankTop5]

So you cancelled Netflix because they also produce content for people that are not you?

No, not at all what I said. They can produce all the content they want for others. Im here in the US, I pay for content marketed to me. They can even market foreign content to me but I’d like more than 50% of the content I’m paying for to be marketed for me. It’s very easy to send content geographically but that’s not what they are doing.


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[lovinthehd]

Don't watch it if you don't like it, but to be a drama queen about it, meh....why did you post at all other to complain about them damn furriners!? Still one of the best values out there for many of us in any case. Maybe not for someone as isolated and murican as you.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... but I’d like more than 50% of the content I’m paying for to be marketed for me. ...

For you? You want 50% of their content or new content to be marketed to you? Or, you want that 50% to be marketed for the USA?
Why is that? The world is their marketplace. You don't represent 50% of the world, do you? Not even 50% of the USA.
It is just an odd comment you posted. Of course you can vote with your wallet as anyone can.

 

[GO-NAD!]

I love the foreign content...in Canada, that would include American content too.

But seriously, I think it's great that we get to see so much well-produced programming from other countries. There are some fantastic programs from the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Israel, etc. I love it!

 

[TankTop5]

A couple of you are out there a bit. I said I like foreign films, Netflix, just like any other streaming service has categories that I can choose from and analytics to recommend movies based on what I watch. I want the availability of global movies if that’s what I choose to watch but there is a such thing as geographical content marketing. Netflix isn’t doing any of that, they are purchasing international shows cheap to compensate for the loss of domestic content, it’s a bad business strategy and they’re loosing subscribers fast. Cord cutters want to pay for the content they want not pay for what the corporation wants. 50% of Netflix subscribers are gen X and only watch Disney, Friends and the Office. Netflix is about to loose Disney and eventually people are going to get tired of reruns or just buy the box set, they aren’t going to suddenly get cultured because Netflix wants them to. The future shows will survive based on individuals wanting to pay to watch, not advertising dollars or boardroom executives.


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[TankTop5]

Think of it this way, cable raises their prices to pay for networks that most people don’t watch. That’s like the grocery store raising the price of Doritos because I don’t buy Lays. Netflix is going the same route and Cable companies, no thanks!


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[TLS Guy]

There is a very good reason that Netflix is investing heavily in Europe and especially the UK. They have been honest about this. The quality of actors, sound engineers, video staff, production staff right down the line is far more professional and better than what is available in the US.

The reason is that all of these individuals can receive rigorous didactic training in their respective crafts. Students have multiple options to receiver the best training in the world in their chosen avocation. In the US options a slim and rapidly getting slimmer. All options are now closed here in Minnesota. One of my nephews has just graduated after getting a degree in theater arts from RADA. This was a lot of hands on rigorous training.

It is for reasons like this that Netflix is going to expand there footprint in the UK. Netflix has just bought a large piece of property in Ashford Kent, UK and is planning a large production/studio complex.

I have found in just one aspect that is a movie has sound mixed in the UK the quality is head and shoulders above anything mixed in Hollywood.

The Bottom line is that Netflix are backing quality productions and now where to produce them.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

That's kind of funny; one of the main reasons I love Netflix is because of their large selection of foreign content. I don't care if I have to read subtitles, good movies are good movies and good shows are good shows. I would have missed out on much of the best entertainment of my life (movies and music both) if I limited myself to what was spoken in English.

They used to be the one-stop streaming shop, but now with so dang many options it was inevitable they would lose lots of stuff they licensed and did not own. I feel like the streaming market is going to oversaturate, and then contract when people become numb to it all. 3 or 4 will survive: Amazon, Netflix, and Disney, with room for possibly one more.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

There is a very good reason that Netflix is investing heavily in Europe and especially the UK. They have been honest about this. The quality of actors, sound engineers, video staff, production staff right down the line is far more professional and better than what is available in the US.

The reason is that all of these individuals can receive rigorous didactic training in their respective crafts. Students have multiple options to receiver the best training in the world in their chosen avocation. In the US options a slim and rapidly getting slimmer. All options are now closed here in Minnesota. One of my nephews has just graduated after getting a degree in theater arts from RADA. This was a lot of hands on rigorous training.

It is for reasons like this that Netflix is going to expand there footprint in the UK. Netflix has just bought a large piece of property in Ashford Kent, UK and is planning a large production/studio complex.

I have found in just one aspect that is a movie has sound mixed in the UK the quality is head and shoulders above anything mixed in Hollywood.

The Bottom line is that Netflix are backing quality productions and now where to produce them.

I know that Mark could be biased on this subject ;-), but I'm not. I've never been in the blightly.
That said British, North European and German video content is very often heads and shoulder above US made content. Netflix AND Amazon are both quick to realize this
I could make a very long list of UK alone original content worth watching.

In other news newest Netflix additions from Germany: "How to sell drugs on the Internet (fast)" and "Dark" both are exceptional and even include English dubbing. Money Heist is also a very good Spanish TV series, also include English dub.

One thing I agree with TankTop is that Netflix's recommendation system was significantly overly simplified to the point of being barely useful.

 

[panteragstk]

One thing I agree with TankTop is that Netflix's recommendation system was significantly overly simplified to the point of being barely useful.

I guess that's what the issue is then. I don't get a lot of foreign shows in my recommendations, but there are some. I don't really think about it I guess. I just watch shows if they're good. Dubbing would drive me nuts. I'd rather watch subtitled films.

I also don't watch a ton of Netflix shows either. Plenty of them are fantastic, but I get stuff from all over the place.

 

[snakeeyes]

Netflix and Prime have always had filler of mediocre or unwanted content. I don’t like reading subtitles either so those movies I usually don’t watch except for the occasional horror flick.

 

[TankTop5]

I will take the advise of some here and check out a little more of Netflix foreign content as my subscription expires on the 28th. I hadn’t looked at it in the way some of you had illustrated, thank you!

The cable TV business model has been controlled by advertising dollars and network contracts with the sacrifice of quality programming. Amazon buying The Expanse at the behest of fans was a glimmer of hope for quality of shows driven by viewers. U fortunately we see networks trying to adapt to the streaming model but they still have a death grip on their control of content, that is what I detest!


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[lovinthehd]

Sure, the available content has changed a lot over the years (I've been with Netflix from the start and still have my disc rental subscription as well as streaming). Beats hell out of DirectTV in general for far less $ (I just cut DirecTV off recently). Content may shift to other streaming services due to content ownership and rental arrangements....soon you may need more subscriptions to more services to equal what Netflix had without the competition. Netflix is producing their own content to help fill that void and it includes more of the world which works for me. As to their algorithm to point me at programming, I've never found their recommendations useful.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Dubbing would drive me nuts. I'd rather watch subtitled films.

So do I prefer the original language, but some people are "literally can't even" be bothered to read subtitles. Dubbing as an optional audio track is making these more accessible to such a crowd.

 

[Kai]

Tried watching "dubbed" and "subtitled" movies/shows...lost interest quickly but perhaps that is my mindset which at 64 years old means watching dreadful kung fu movies in the 60's and loving the action but cracking up laughing over the sub.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Tried watching "dubbed" and "subtitled" movies/shows...lost interest quickly but perhaps that is my mindset which at 64 years old means watching dreadful kung fu movies in the 60's and loving the action but cracking up laughing over the sub.

Try watching Kung-fu Hussle

 

[TLS Guy]

I will expand my thoughts on Netflix. A new series has just started. It is the 'The Last Czars". My wife and I watched the first episode last night. It is an original Netflix production and superb. The audio was perfectly balanced with excellent speech quality. This series will cover an important and significant number of events that shaped so much of the twentieth century and continues to shape this new century.

One of the good things about Netflix, is that if you use it properly its AI gets better and better at offering what is of interest to you. I think it an excellent service and getting better.

One series I highly recommend on Netflix is Dad's Army. It ran from 1968 to 1977 on BBC. It chronicles a Home Guard unit through WW II. Not only is it incredibly funny, many have told me that it actually captures the flavor and spirit of the times better then anything else. Start at the beginning and follow it through the war. the first few episodes are black and White. Netflix have done a wonderful job of restoration of these tapes.

My grandfather who sadly died when I was one year old, was the company commander of his local platoon. My father and my uncle John were in the platoon as teenagers. My father always told me he could relate very well to many of the incidents. Give it a try and give yourself a few episodes to get into it.

 

[Irvrobinson]

There is a very good reason that Netflix is investing heavily in Europe and especially the UK. They have been honest about this. The quality of actors, sound engineers, video staff, production staff right down the line is far more professional and better than what is available in the US.

The reason is that all of these individuals can receive rigorous didactic training in their respective crafts. Students have multiple options to receiver the best training in the world in their chosen avocation. In the US options a slim and rapidly getting slimmer. All options are now closed here in Minnesota. One of my nephews has just graduated after getting a degree in theater arts from RADA. This was a lot of hands on rigorous training.

It is for reasons like this that Netflix is going to expand there footprint in the UK. Netflix has just bought a large piece of property in Ashford Kent, UK and is planning a large production/studio complex.

I have found in just one aspect that is a movie has sound mixed in the UK the quality is head and shoulders above anything mixed in Hollywood.

The Bottom line is that Netflix are backing quality productions and now where to produce them.

This is a very interesting perspective, Mark, but probably not anything like reality. Netflix's statements about production facilities in the UK have more to do with needing to produce more UK-based content to support their leading market share in the UK for streaming. Amazon is in second place. Since Netflix's subscriber growth rate outside the US is growing far faster and is much larger than the US subscriber growth rate, it is logical that non-US content must and will increase to fend off local competition. Also, UK produced content is popular in the North American market too, because, ahem, the actors tend to be native English speakers.

Oddly, Netflix's biggest production investment is going to New Mexico, not exactly a place where you'd think there's a lot of product development talent that you discuss, though John Wayne used to like making movies about Texas there...

(I keep a pretty close eye on these guys because I'm a stockholder, and their competitive moat doesn't strike me as all that wide or deep. And they since their stock performance over the past year has not been stellar, and they compete against the likes of Amazon and Disney, I keep wondering if I should just sell. I do think Reed Hastings is a great CEO though, which is why I bought in a few years ago.)