Why Netflix canceled your favorite show
Like a third season of a Netflix show. - There's a good chance that one of your favorite shows onNetflix is already canceled. Netflix is facing a series of issues that they didn'tface even five years ago. They've got looming competition from some of the biggestplayers in entertainment today. They also just announced that they lost subscribers in the United States for the first time in nearly a decade. And because of all this Netflix has to do something thatit really didn't have to up until now, start actinglike a cable network and cancel shows. Remember when Netflixwas like super exciting? Every show that came out feltlike a blockbuster release because everything about itfelt really cool and unique. Netflix came in and essentially Beyonced the heck, can I say hell? Beyonced the hell out of TV by dropping entire seasons at once.
This is something that only a network on the internetcould do, no one else could. By 2015, Netflix was likethis hotbed for creators. Everyone wanted to work with them 'cause Netflix was doing some cool things. - Orange is the New Black. - Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, and even Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt were being nominated for and winning Emmy's. The company's content budgetgrew every single year, which let them take chances on weirder projects. The Wachowski sisters,best known for The Matrix, had a Sci-Fi series, which reportedly cost Netflixnearly nine million dollars an episode. That's on par with some ofGame of Thrones episodes. Netflix had one major advantage, it was the only player in the game. Most importantly, ifNetflix was winning Emmy's, it proved to everyone, including major networks with ABC and CBS, and also prestige networks like HBO, that internet TV was actually a thing people should pay attention to. But that's simply not good enough anymore. By 2020, Netflix is gonnahave major competition from some of the biggestcompanies in the world. Apple, Disney, Comcast, NBC Universal, and AT&T's Warner Media are all launching streaming services. And in order for themto compete with Netflix, they're removing theirown content from Netflix, meaning if you wanna watch Friends, you have to go to HBO Max, Warner Media's streaming service, in order to do it. - I can't even begin to explain to you how much I am gonna miss you. - With less licensed shows, Netflix has to investin more original content in order to keep subscribers. Netflix relies on somethingcalled the efficiency metric. Basically, Netflix puts more of an emphasis on shows that can bring in new subscribers or keep those who areat risk of canceling. That makes it harder tojustify renewing a series. How many people are gonnasubscribe to Netflix for a third season of the OA if not many people watchedthe first two seasons? The way executives see it that money would probably bebetter spent on a new series, particularly in an emerging market that's not the United States. Basically, the UnitedStates is over saturated.
Everyone in the U.S. who'sgoing to have Netflix probably already does. But there are huge markets in East Asia or South America that are clamoring to sign up for the service. That might explain why you're also seeing more Bollywood films or South American soapoperas on your service. But Netflix's investment in other series doesn't stop fans from hurting when their favorite show gets canceled. Take Tuca & Bertie. That show is critically adored and had a dedicated fan base, but unfortunately itjust wasn't big enough. Creator Lisa Hanawalt even tweeted that it just didn't have the sizeable viewership it neededfor Netflix to renew it. What's interesting and unique to Netflix is that Hanawalt blamed the algorhithim. It's unclear just how many people were actually served theshow on their homepage.
Unlike traditional cable, which slots shows into onespecific spot every week, Netflix is more like YouTube. There are so many shows, movies and specials that Netflix relies on a recommendation algorhithim to try and pair viewers withthings they'd be interest in. It doesn't always work. It's not like Netflix isn't interested in investing in creatorsor original shows, it's just about to get much more focused. The company's investing hundreds of millions of dollarsinto specific creators that they think candeliver guaranteed hits. You've got David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, who created Game of Thrones, coming to Netflix for $250 million. Ryan Murphy, the creator of American Horror Story, he's coming over for $300 million. And Shonda Rimes, the creator of Grey's Anatomy, one of my favorite shows, is coming over for $150 million. So it's not all bad news. Netflix still needs new shows and is clearly stillwilling to pay for them. There's a good chance that weird niche TV is still going to wind up on Netflix, it's just that based on everything we're reading and seeing, it's likely that it's gonna come from someone like J.J. Abrams. There are still shows thatcan make the case for renewal past the third season, but those are increasingly becoming the exception to the rule. One of those shows is Stranger Things, which third season sawmore than 40 million people watch it in just four days.
This is something that only a network on the internetcould do, no one else could. By 2015, Netflix was likethis hotbed for creators. Everyone wanted to work with them 'cause Netflix was doing some cool things. - Orange is the New Black. - Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, and even Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt were being nominated for and winning Emmy's. The company's content budgetgrew every single year, which let them take chances on weirder projects. The Wachowski sisters,best known for The Matrix, had a Sci-Fi series, which reportedly cost Netflixnearly nine million dollars an episode. That's on par with some ofGame of Thrones episodes. Netflix had one major advantage, it was the only player in the game. Most importantly, ifNetflix was winning Emmy's, it proved to everyone, including major networks with ABC and CBS, and also prestige networks like HBO, that internet TV was actually a thing people should pay attention to. But that's simply not good enough anymore. By 2020, Netflix is gonnahave major competition from some of the biggestcompanies in the world. Apple, Disney, Comcast, NBC Universal, and AT&T's Warner Media are all launching streaming services. And in order for themto compete with Netflix, they're removing theirown content from Netflix, meaning if you wanna watch Friends, you have to go to HBO Max, Warner Media's streaming service, in order to do it. - I can't even begin to explain to you how much I am gonna miss you. - With less licensed shows, Netflix has to investin more original content in order to keep subscribers. Netflix relies on somethingcalled the efficiency metric. Basically, Netflix puts more of an emphasis on shows that can bring in new subscribers or keep those who areat risk of canceling. That makes it harder tojustify renewing a series. How many people are gonnasubscribe to Netflix for a third season of the OA if not many people watchedthe first two seasons? The way executives see it that money would probably bebetter spent on a new series, particularly in an emerging market that's not the United States. Basically, the UnitedStates is over saturated.
Everyone in the U.S. who'sgoing to have Netflix probably already does. But there are huge markets in East Asia or South America that are clamoring to sign up for the service. That might explain why you're also seeing more Bollywood films or South American soapoperas on your service. But Netflix's investment in other series doesn't stop fans from hurting when their favorite show gets canceled. Take Tuca & Bertie. That show is critically adored and had a dedicated fan base, but unfortunately itjust wasn't big enough. Creator Lisa Hanawalt even tweeted that it just didn't have the sizeable viewership it neededfor Netflix to renew it. What's interesting and unique to Netflix is that Hanawalt blamed the algorhithim. It's unclear just how many people were actually served theshow on their homepage.
Unlike traditional cable, which slots shows into onespecific spot every week, Netflix is more like YouTube. There are so many shows, movies and specials that Netflix relies on a recommendation algorhithim to try and pair viewers withthings they'd be interest in. It doesn't always work. It's not like Netflix isn't interested in investing in creatorsor original shows, it's just about to get much more focused. The company's investing hundreds of millions of dollarsinto specific creators that they think candeliver guaranteed hits. You've got David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, who created Game of Thrones, coming to Netflix for $250 million. Ryan Murphy, the creator of American Horror Story, he's coming over for $300 million. And Shonda Rimes, the creator of Grey's Anatomy, one of my favorite shows, is coming over for $150 million. So it's not all bad news. Netflix still needs new shows and is clearly stillwilling to pay for them. There's a good chance that weird niche TV is still going to wind up on Netflix, it's just that based on everything we're reading and seeing, it's likely that it's gonna come from someone like J.J. Abrams. There are still shows thatcan make the case for renewal past the third season, but those are increasingly becoming the exception to the rule. One of those shows is Stranger Things, which third season sawmore than 40 million people watch it in just four days.
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