For the past several years, I’ve been dishing out monthly fees for access to Netflix’scatalog of films and TV shows, and for the most part, I haven’t thought twice about it. My blasé attitude began to change, however, when the company started toraise its pricing tierson a more frequent basis.
More recently, I became frustrated by the fact that most of the classic sitcoms I love to watch on repeat – including Friends and How I Met Your Mother – simply weren’t available on the platform at the time when I wanted to binge a few episodes.
These gripes ultimately led me to my decisionto cancel my Netflix subscriptionaltogether: my plan was to take a break from the platform, at least for the short-to-medium-term future. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was to come away realizing that I never needed Netflix in the first place.
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Netflix is a global streaming service offering on-demand access to movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. Founded in 1997 as a DVD rental service, it transitioned to streaming in 2007 and now operates in over 190 countries.
It isn’t 2010 anymore
These days, online streaming options are aplenty
The cold and hard truth is that the media streaming landscape has drastically evolved in recent years. In its earlier days as an online streamer, Netflix enjoyed a near monopoly on content availability – it was a one-stop shop for both blockbuster movies and all the very best TV shows.
More recently, we’ve seen a democratization of the streaming landscape. One by one, intellectual property (IP) owners have pulled their shows and movies off of Netflix, opting instead to launch their own on-demand streaming services.
From my vantage point, Netflix losing out on previously available content makes the platform less appealing on the whole.
There’s an argument to be made that this recent phenomenon is a wholly negative development – streaming platforms have flooded the market, turning the online streamer spaceinto a sort of ‘cable 2.0’ as it were. Of course, that’s neither here nor there. From my vantage point, Netflix losing out on previously available content makes the platform less appealing on the whole.
Apple TV+ just beat Netflix and this could be the start of a trend
Apple TV+’s Severance has overtaken Netflix in weekly streaming charts.
Physical media is king
I’ve mended my broken relationship with Blu-ray, DVD, and even VHS
After initially parting ways with Netflix, I spent some time perusing some of the exclusive content available on competing streaming services. I found that the likes of Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and others offer a broad range of content that I wasn’t privy to when I was self-imposingly shackled to Netflix.
I also began using free streaming services likeTubion a more regular basis. Without the need for recurring subscription costs, Tubi has provided me with a treasure trove of entertaining content (and most recently, evenfree access to Super Bowl LIX).
However, it was the rekindling of my love for physical media that was the most profound development in my experiment of living a Netflix-less lifestyle. I had forgotten the joy of enjoying the artwork onBlu-raycovers, as well as the tactility of holding an optical disc in my hand.
…it was the rekindling of my love for physical media that was the most profound development in my experiment of living a Netflix-less lifestyle.
With all the extra time on my hands, I even went as far as to pull out a long-forgotten box filled with VHS tapes. To my surprise, the fuzzy image quality and the need to rewind the filmstrip felt both nostalgic and comforting.
There’s also something to be said about real, physical ownership of a media collection. In 20 years' time, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to watch Squid Game on Netflix – I’ve been paying hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over the years for a license to access content, with no ownership or physical piece of property to show for it.
Netflix raised prices and canceled your show, but at least you’ll be able to play more games
Netflix is looking to expand its cloud gaming portfolio to include couch co-op and party games.
First-party IP and exclusive livestreams are the logical way forward for the company
In my case, I thought that giving up on Netflix would prove at least somewhat difficult, but this simply wasn’t the case. I was operating within my comfort zone, thinking I needed to stay on board simply because I’d always done so in the past.
In actuality, my decision to part ways with the streamer led to a personal renaissance in appreciating and collecting physical media. My lack of access to Netflix also incentivized me to leverage alternative streaming platforms more often, and to check out shows and movies that I’d neglected in the past.
I don’t think there has to be a sense of doom and gloom when it comes to Netflix.
That being said, I don’t think there has to be a sense of doom and gloom when it comes to Netflix; I see a path forward for the company – and no, it’s not venturinginto the world of mobile gaming.
Rather, it’s the acceleration of developing exclusive content, driven by first-party intellectual properties, that’ll save Netflix from falling into obscurity. The company needs to continue prioritizingNetflix Originalslike Squid Game, Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Orange is the New Black. These are all examples of content that you won’t find anywhere else, and it gives people like me a compelling reason to return to the platform.
…it’s the acceleration of developing exclusive content, driven by first-party intellectual properties, that’ll save Netflix from falling into obscurity.
The other piece of the puzzle, exclusive live content, is equally important. We’ve seen Netflixjump head-first into live-streaming, including with its exclusive coverage of theMike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match, and the Beyoncé Christmas NFL halftime show, to name just two examples.
Netflix seems to be covertly positioning itself as a live TV powerhouse
Netflix’s foray into live sporting events appears to be paying off, with its debut episode of WWE Raw attracting 4.9 million viewers.
