# Netflix is raising their rates while their quality goes down **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 16, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649 "2019-04-16T23:22:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/41 "2019-04-17T19:48:56Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > What’s the best way to stream the kind of archaic, pretentious, B&W shit I like? There’s got to be SOMETHING out there for people like me. [https://www.criterionchannel.com](https://www.criterionchannel.com), perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2019, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/42 "2019-04-17T23:53:40Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I’m waiting for someone to get the idea of: “hey I can put all of these on a box/chip all at once and then figure out a way they can pay me every month for it then I can figure out how to get them to lease access to me for the various sites…” > > And someones going to make millions for guess what? > > flippin reinventing the cable company and no one will realize it for about 15 or so years … I read your first paragraph and was about to reply “that’s how cable TV works” before I read the end. I don’t think it’s that unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/43 "2019-04-18T00:12:48Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > Exclusive content across a wide range of services will push people back to piracy. Most of the news articles which discuss the explosion of streaming services, and the consumer frustration with them, fail to acknowledge that one of the biggest competitors the streaming services face is pirating. [Bittorrent traffic is already up](https://www.engadget.com/2018/10/03/streaming-exclusives-may-have-revived-piracy/), quite probably due to exclusive content across too many platforms. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/44 "2019-04-18T01:01:00Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Hey, pal, do you really want to admit you can’t find free porn on the internet?😉 Well, like my cinematic choices, my taste in porn is, shall we say, _rarefied._ ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/45 "2019-04-18T01:13:40Z")
Think Zasu Pitts in a Regency gown, tea tree oil, a cricket bat, and a firehose. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/46 "2019-04-18T01:30:00Z")
It just doesn’t make any sense to me why the autoplaying video would encourage people to watch. It’s not like it’s an actual ad that tells you about the show. It’s just a clip of the show played out of context, so you don’t know what the hell is going on, and thus have no reason to check it out. I can only think it’s not designed for that at all. I think it’s just to look flashy. “Look at how advanced our site is! Isn’t it worth your money?” ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/47 "2019-04-18T03:35:10Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Right now Hulu can’t compete (at least on movies, Hulu TV selection is better though) but who knows what’ll happen in the future. Hulu’s smaller movie selection is actually pretty decent; they’ve got movies I’ve actually heard of. Remember the Onion article from 2014, “[Netflix Instant Thinking About Adding Good Movie](https://www.theonion.com/netflix-instant-thinking-about-adding-good-movie-1819576005)”? Well, all those crap movies are still there, but they’re hidden behind a wall of Netflix Original Content. Besides the autoplaying, another thing that frustrates me about browsing Netflix is its extreme personalization: it only shows you things they _think_ you’d like. Browsing Netflix at the home of a friend or relative is quite an eye-opener; you’ll see things that you had _no idea_ were available on NF. I don’t want to be the prisoner of my own viewing history. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/48 "2019-04-18T03:54:13Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > Hulu’s smaller movie selection is actually pretty decent; they’ve got movies I’ve actually heard of. Remember the Onion article from 2014, “[Netflix Instant Thinking About Adding Good Movie](https://www.theonion.com/netflix-instant-thinking-about-adding-good-movie-1819576005)”? Well, all those crap movies are still there, but they’re hidden behind a wall of Netflix Original Content. > > Besides the autoplaying, another thing that frustrates me about browsing Netflix is its extreme personalization: it only shows you things they _think_ you’d like. Browsing Netflix at the home of a friend or relative is quite an eye-opener; you’ll see things that you had _no idea_ were available on NF. I don’t want to be the prisoner of my own viewing history. And keep in mind if you play something, even just for a minute or two (clicked by accident, changed your mind etc) it’ll factor that show/movie into your suggestions. On the other end, another very, very easy fix would be for them to stop asking if I want to finish a movie when there’s less than a few minutes left in it. If I stopped a movie when the credits started, I’m not likely to ‘finish’ it. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/49 "2019-04-18T04:32:10Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > I’m waiting for someone to get the idea of: “hey I can put all of these on a box/chip all at once and then figure out a way they can pay me every month for it then I can figure out how to get them to lease access to me for the various sites…” > > And someones going to make millions for guess what? > > flippin reinventing the cable company and no one will realize it for about 15 or so years … Things like Roku are basically that already. They don’t charge a monthly fee but I’m sure they get a cut of whatever streaming is bought through them. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/50 "2019-04-18T04:52:55Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > Besides the autoplaying, another thing that frustrates me about browsing Netflix is its extreme personalization: it only shows you things they _think_ you’d like. Browsing Netflix at the home of a friend or relative is quite an eye-opener; you’ll see things that you had _no idea_ were available on NF. I don’t want to be the prisoner of my own viewing history. It was a revelation to me to discover that you don’t have to browse TV shows or movies by “Suggestions for You,” but you can instead select browsing by lists A-Z (or Z-A) or by year released. I went through the entire catalog that way and added lots of things to My List that had never been suggested to me. I found a lot of good stuff, particularly documentaries. > [@Joey\_P](#): > > And keep in mind if you play something, even just for a minute or two (clicked by accident, changed your mind etc) it’ll factor that show/movie into your suggestions. On the other end, another very, very easy fix would be for them to stop asking if I want to finish a movie when there’s less than a few minutes left in it. If I stopped a movie when the credits started, I’m not likely to ‘finish’ it. You can take those things off your list of suggestions by going to “My Profile” and selecting “Viewing Activity.” It will show a list of everything you’ve watched and you can remove things from your viewing history by clicking the circle/slash symbol at the right of the line. It will no longer appear as a show you have watched and won’t be used to make recommendations. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/51 "2019-04-18T04:58:18Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Well, like my cinematic choices, my taste in porn is, shall we say, _rarefied._ > [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Think Zasu Pitts in a Regency gown, tea tree oil, a cricket bat, and a firehose. Then I don’t think you would like my recommendations.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/52 "2019-04-18T05:27:06Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > Besides the autoplaying, another thing that frustrates me about browsing Netflix is its extreme personalization: it only shows you things they _think_ you’d like. Browsing Netflix at the home of a friend or relative is quite an eye-opener; you’ll see things that you had _no idea_ were available on NF. I don’t want to be the prisoner of my own viewing history. > [@Colibri](#): > > It was a revelation to me to discover that you don’t have to browse TV shows or movies by “Suggestions for You,” but you can instead select browsing by lists A-Z (or Z-A) or by year released. I went through the entire catalog that way and added lots of things to My List that had never been suggested to me. I found a lot of good stuff, particularly documentaries. Y’all need to learn about [browsing Netflix by category codes](https://www.zmonline.com/random-stuff/here-are-the-secret-netflix-codes-that-unlock-tons-of-hidden-movies-and-shows/)… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/53 "2019-04-18T05:36:03Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Y’all need to learn about [browsing Netflix by category codes](https://www.zmonline.com/random-stuff/here-are-the-secret-netflix-codes-that-unlock-tons-of-hidden-movies-and-shows/)… I’m aware they exist and have used them on occasion. I just have never found them particularly useful compared to simply searching by genre. For the genres I’m interested in, it’s easy enough to browse the whole category rather than looking up some long string of numbers to find some small subcategory. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/54 "2019-04-18T05:41:20Z")
reminds me my favorite “type” i have seen on a friends phone was “steamy lesbian movies” except she was a Pentecostal minister’s wife… I found her phone outside where she dropped it … I said"dont worry it paused the movie" she just turned pink and said thanks… ---
**Author:** ![GreedySmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a698b9/32.png) [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/55 "2019-04-18T09:45:11Z")
To the OP, the switch to original content is a very deliberate and well thought out strategy, with a couple of key advantages. 1. The media rights market remains a ‘territory’ driven system, so for a global player like Netflix to acquire the global rights to a property can be a lot of work and expensive. Presuming they haven’t been gazumped in a particular territory. 2. Original content gives them greater editorial control, even down to episode length, number of episodes, etc. The style of Netflix delivery gives them very deep analytical data on what and how people watch, what’s popular, what drives new subscribers, etc. The current situation, with a burgeoning number of streaming businesses, is par for the course in a new sector. I wouldn’t be surprised to actually see another one or two other players enter the market. Followed by an inevitable contraction as companies are either bought out or outright fail and have their libraries snapped up by someone else. I suspect over the next day 5-7 years we’ll wind up with 2 to 3 major players left standing. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/56 "2019-04-18T14:56:35Z")
> [@GreedySmurf](#): > > 1. The media rights market remains a ‘territory’ driven system, so for a global player like Netflix to acquire the global rights to a property can be a lot of work and expensive. Presuming they haven’t been gazumped in a particular territory. Right. One of the annoying things about Netflix here in Panama is that I can’t get the same content as in the US, presumably due to licensing agreements. For example, _The Walking Dead_ Season 8 was available on Netflix in the US long before it was available here. (It seems finally to be available here now.) Although I use exactly the same account, there are movies and shows I can access when I am in the US that I can’t access here. As far as I can tell, Netflix original content is available anywhere. (It’s also somewhat frustrating that I can’t access Amazon Prime or Hulu in Panama, although there isn’t so much on them that I would be likely to subscribe long-term on that basis.) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/57 "2019-04-18T22:02:29Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Great. Thirteen bucks a month and now I have to make my own fuckin’ movies. Or is it just a live webcam feed of me watching myself watching Netflix? > > Still, pretty good value. I’d watch. Oh hell, who am I kidding. I DVR that shit. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/58 "2019-04-18T22:25:22Z")
They heyday of Netflix streaming value was brief and will not be repeated. It was based on Netflix being able to lock up streaming rights for really cheap movies before everyone else realized what they were worth. Now everyone realizes what they’re worth, and particularly what it’s worth to be the portal that everyone streams video through, so they’re never going to license everything to Netflix for a song again. So, yeah, the quality is going down, but it was unsustainably high for a while due to missteps by other rights holders and cleverness on Netflix’s part. Even with the smaller library, Netflix is still really good value. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2019, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/59 "2019-04-18T22:45:41Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > So, yeah, the quality is going down, but it was unsustainably high for a while due to missteps by other rights holders and cleverness on Netflix’s part. Even with the smaller library, Netflix is still really good value. I agree. Even at 13 bucks Netflix is good value. I may watch up to 20 movies or TV episodes a week. I have over 200 items on “My List.” Even if they might not be the top things I would watch if I could select anything at all, they are watchable. This is way better value than my cable subscription, which costs me a lot more per month and offers many fewer things I want to watch, especially at times I want to watch them. ---
**Author:** ![vperry1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ee7513/32.png) [@vperry1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vperry1)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649/60 "2019-04-21T02:08:02Z")
Edit: Was meant as a reply to Tamerlane’s comment: _I believe we’re moving towards a more a la carte business model in streaming services. And contrary to some predictions from those clamoring for greater choice( “down with cable packages!” ), I strongly suspect it is going to end up biting the average consumer in the ass_. Right as rain. [This backs your comments](https://www.wimp.com/media-companies-are-turning-streaming-back-into-cable/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-is-raising-their-rates-while-their-quality-goes-down/832649.md?page=4)