Netflix

[Hitcher]

So Netflix lost 0.2% subscribers at the start of the year and are predicted to loss 2m more now they've increased the price. Their answer to this loss is to crackdown on account sharing. Don't they realise this won't make more people signup but instead probably piss them off enough to cancel?

[englishbob]

As I currently have the most expensive plan for the 4K content I'd like them to actually bother to upload/license 4K films that aren't made by Netflix 

[Monkeyboy]

They’re looking at a cheaper subscription with advertising as well.
 

I’ve come close to cancelling a number of times over the last year, but my mum shares my account so I’ve not bothered.

[englishbob]

When my daughters where hassling me to sign up for it a few years ago I found that it was impossible to actually browse what programmes and films they had to offer. The only way was to sign up for an account, and that sign up (IIRC) demanded your payment details - and at those points I backed out, many times! Maybe they should do something to improve that experience of what they have to offer to attract new accounts? I must admit that had I really known how poor the film content actually was, and that it rotated frequently, I'd have probably given it a miss - but my family get the most enjoyment out of it from TV shows - me, not so much - I like films

[Mogster]

I've come close to cancelling a few times, but there always seems to be something there either I or my wife want to watch. I might set my sub not to auto-renew and see what happens.

[Garwoofoo]

The pricing for the Netflix 4K tier is taking the absolute piss now, if they crack down on sharing it'll be completely unjustifiable and I'll probably cancel. If they end up losing Star Trek to Paramount+, which looks almost inevitable at this point, it's definitely getting the chop.

 

Their latest trick of "here's the new season of something you've been waiting for but we're only going to release half the episodes" is pissing me off enough as it is.

 

We watch more stuff on Disney+ these days anyway. A steady stream of decent new content, 4K/HDR on loads of things, great documentaries and an increasingly great back catalogue of classic movies. And it's half the price.

[AK Bell]

1 hour ago, Garwoofoo said:

The pricing for the Netflix 4K tier is taking the absolute piss now, if they crack down on sharing it'll be completely unjustifiable and I'll probably cancel. If they end up losing Star Trek to Paramount+, which looks almost inevitable at this point, it's definitely getting the chop.

 

The HD isn't much cheaper. I just had a look hoping it would be a fair chunk off and it's only £3 less than 4k, and still £3 MORE than Disney or Amazon at 4k/HDR.

 

I might still drop down as there isn't that much good 4k stuff anyway except the odd original you want to watch. Do I need to watch Nailed It in 4k? It's 90% used for Star Trek and Paw Patrol anyway. 

 

But more likely I'm going to put it in my chop and change pile of subscriptions, switching it out each month for another one like Britbox, Starz, Acorn TV, etc 

 

EDIT: blimey, I didn't even know about the 4k going up in price. I need to read this thread more carefully. That's Standard set. 

[Hawklord]

I cancelled mine this month. What gets me is that I only ever watch this on the TV in the living room and occasionally on my tablet if I'm away. But they want £16 for 4k and to watch on 4 screens at the same time. I don't need 4 screens! If they added a cheaper 4k tier with less screens I'd probably renew

[Huz]

I bumped up to Premium just to watch Better Call Saul in 4k, and got this email:

But I'm guessing they will be charging me £15.99 despite that (it's certainly what I agreed to on the website!)

[TehStu]

You know, it's no longer doing the numbers and I'm honestly OK with Netflix not being renewed for season 3.

[Darwock]

They deserve whatever they get for dropping the Dark Crystal.

[Garwoofoo]

11 minutes ago, Darwock said:

They deserve whatever they get for dropping the Dark Crystal 

 

The OA is the one that really hurts, still.

 

It feels like they're not remotely as invested in their Originals as they were a few years back. They've cancelled so many things after a season or two, they've lost all their Marvel content, and big hitters like Ozark and Better Call Saul are coming to an end now. I get this stuff is expensive to make but it's also the reason I subscribed to the service in the first place. Apart from The Witcher and maybe The Umbrella Academy I can't think of anything they're currently making as an ongoing concern that I'm actually invested in.

 

These days it seems to be primarily trashy reality shows, crime and baking. So many shows about cake.

[davidcotton]

Netflix has basically become victims of their own success.  

[SuperFamiTom]

I'm paying for the premium tier but only because I can currently let my mum and dad use the account too.

 

If they crack down on password sharing then I'll be cancelling and yarr'ing the odd thing I want to watch.

[Silent Runner]

12 minutes ago, SuperFamiTom said:

I'm paying for the premium tier but only because I can currently let my mum and dad use the account too.

 

If they crack down on password sharing then I'll be cancelling and yarr'ing the odd thing I want to watch.

I’m in the exact same situation. My nephews and sister use my login, as soon as the password sharing block comes in I’ll be cancelling. Unless they bring in some reasonable family share thing like Spotify.

[SuperFamiTom]

Yeah I’m more than happy to pay for the content I watch but I don’t watch anything like enough to make it worth the £16.99 

However letting my mum and dad watch the odd thing too does make it worth the price. 

[KartoffelKopf]

What exactly are they proposing? Surely not that people in the same household need sperate accounts? It's more for the milkman's nan's dog breeder's brother type stuff right?

 

I was a bit pissed off when I got the price hike email but I have 5 accounts on my Netflix (wife, 2 kids and MIL) and they are all used every day and a significant amount of content consumed. Compared to what I pay for Virgin, that literally nobody uses, it's a steal.

 

Having said that, YouTube is by far the most consumed platform in our house and I would never consider paying for that. No idea why, seems weird but the ads on there are the most obtrusive. When my 9 year old wants to watch a 3 minute Roblox tutorial and he has to sit through a 30 second ad for Tampax or motherfucking Huel, I have to wonder about Google's algorithms.

 

I can feel a streaming implosion coming on.

[ZOK]

Lucius Modestus works for Nintendo?!

 

[Bazjam]

On 09/04/2022 at 20:35, ZOK said:

There's a cracking docuseries on at the moment called The Andy Warhol Diaries, which is about the diaries of...wait for it...Andy Warhol! Anyway it's basically amazing, the footage is just incredible and the interviews with everyone around Warhol at the timer are terrific. Each episode is like relaxing into a warm bath of Warhol's life. If you've got even the vaguest interest in him or his work it's essential. Some of the nicest intro credits I've seen too.

Have you watched Songs For Drella on MUBI? Don’t know if your into their music, but it’s a live version of the album that Lou Reed and John Cale wrote about Warhol’s life after he died. It’s a stunning piece of work and a heartfelt send off to their former friend.

[TehStu]

What if I'm watching on data and internet at home because I pay extra for more multiple streams? Or my daughter at university is using it while we do? Or I'm traveling with work? There are so many use cases for something which looks like password sharing that they're in for a reckoning if they crack down on this. Their prices and perpetual need for growth, and what that means for content, are off putting enough as it is.

 

Meanwhile, we should all normalize turning off a subscription when we're not actively using it.

[Bazjam]

Doesn’t limiting how many screens can be watched at one time, already tackle the password sharing issue?

[frumious]

If you stop paying for Netflix and then come back later, does it keep your lists and likes and current episodes and so on?  Not that that would matter too much if you were rinsing the good stuff each time you paid up!

[Hitcher]

Yes, as long as you use the same account.

[Mogster]

17 hours ago, KartoffelKopf said:

What exactly are they proposing? Surely not that people in the same household need sperate accounts? It's more for the milkman's nan's dog breeder's brother type stuff right?

That's my understanding, yes. Although as others have said I'm not sure how they can define what's legitimate and what's not. I can only assume they'll monitor accounts used consistently from multiple locations.

 

You'd hope they'd view occasional use, while travelling for instance, wouldn't flag anything up. After all they provide mobile apps. As for this:

 

12 hours ago, TehStu said:

Or my daughter at university is using it while we do?

It depends how lenient they are. Maybe if they the same devices used at home they might allow this. You wouldn't be allowed to share a TV license in this scenario for instance.

 

It's funny how new tech companies gradually become more and more dickish as they mature. I remember when Netflix used to permit VPN usage to access different regional libraries, until they found it was stopping them launching in a while bunch of new countries.

[Mogster]

12 hours ago, frumious said:

If you stop paying for Netflix and then come back later, does it keep your lists and likes and current episodes and so on?  Not that that would matter too much if you were rinsing the good stuff each time you paid up!

It does for a while. If you click on the cancel option it says they'll keep your watch history, likes and stuff for 12 months or something, then ditch it.

[Monkeyspill]

After this last season of BCS, I’m going to cancel for a while, at least until there’s enough stuff worth watching. Most Netflix originals are dire, and they don’t have a great amount of choice of other stuff.

[ZOK]

1 hour ago, Monkeyspill said:

Most Netflix originals are dire

People say this, but I’ve lost count of the amazing / well worth watching Netflix originals I’ve seen. 

[fasteasyfree]

17 hours ago, TehStu said:

What if I'm watching on data and internet at home because I pay extra for more multiple streams? Or my daughter at university is using it while we do?

From my understanding, they only classify a household as individuals living at the same physical address. So your daughter living away at uni? Pony up, please.

 

I think it's an absolutely stupid move. We have the 4K plan, and have signed in down the inlaws' so that the kids can watch it there after school. I have no idea if this technically means we're breaking the ToS, but I can absolutely guarantee something: If they charge us more I'll be cancelling, and just grabbing shows for the kids off torrent.

 

Suppose this is what happens when you're ultimately beholden to the ponzi scheme that is shareholders and the concept of infinite growth.

[TehStu]

I suspect the best thing we can all do is vote with our wallets. See: CNN+.

[Gambit]

I don't when they got added but I've noticed a bunch of Japanese films called "High & Low". The little snippet that plays before you watch them almost makes the? like look movie adaptations of the Yakuza games. Anyone watched?