Netflix has changed dramatically from what it was originally. It appears as though 90% of their content is Netflix Original content, but only 37% of what customers stream is their content. It appears to me to be a recipe for a dramatic loss of subscribers. Some of the original content is good, but the majority IMO is trash not worth the time to watch. They put up new TV Series by the dozens. The vast majority only ever have one season because they suck.
Amazon Prime has gone downhill as well. You used to be able to rent practically any movie you wanted if it wasn’t Prime. Now, many movies don’t even have a rent option. You have to subscribe to a premium channel like HBO to be able to see a movie.
I only watch Japanese anime now, because 100% of the stuff that comes from Western sources insults my intelligence.
I was talking to a friend in the industry recently. He says that Netflix has two problems. One is that the studios that once licensed their content to them (and Amazon) are taking it away, with plans to start their own streaming services (Disney and Warner Bros. are the two main ones). That leaves Netflix trying to make up the difference by creating their own content, or buying content from overseas. That’s raising their costs, while they’re finding resistance to raising their prices. So they’re piling on debt, which is the second problem. They currently owe something like $20 billion. The way out of this trap is to sell out/merge with someone else who wants an off-the-shelf streaming service. What my friend was saying was that the most likely partner for Netflix, the big company that wants to get into the video streaming business to compete with Amazon and Google (who are creating a YouTube subscription service), is Apple.
I believe they call it original content, but many of the programs they label as that are produced in conjunction with other production companies, and Netflix has the international distribution rights. I know a lot of the British programs they claim are original content are produced in conjunction with the BBC and other British networks. A lot of the British programs they eventually air, I've already downloaded from British torrent sites, and watched, because they air in the UK first, then go to Netflix.
Amazon Prime has gone downhill as well...............
Agreed and am not renewing come January. And really pretty much because their video content went downhill. At this point the only thing I will miss will be next season of Bosch. What a great series and highly acted I got no complaints!