The Streaming of Insecure and Six Feet Under: Netflix’s Programming Problem and How it Was Observed by Its Fans
The combined reach, recommendations, and fan base of the two companies will give members more joy and value. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”
Last year, that tide turned back. The shows Insecure and Six Feet Under were licensed by Warner Bros. Discovery. Disney also licensed some shows to the streamer. And Netflix needed them. Netflix spends roughly $17 billion on content, both original and licensed, per year, but a great deal of the hours spent watching are still spent on licensed properties. Netflix originals have gained ground in recent years, comprising 53 percent of total series viewing time on the platform in 2022, up from 22 percent in 2017. But original content is more of a gamble than a known quantity like Suits, and Netflix-produced movies in particular have had a mixed record of success.
But prices are rising. Netflix currently costs $6.99 for two screens, 1080p, and ads, and a whopping $15.49 for two screens and no ads. If there’s a choice between spending that on Netflix’s giant grab bag of stuff and Apple TV’s pretty pristine library of well-made science fiction shows… a science fiction nerd might go with Apple TV as it’s just $9.99. Or they might go with Amazon, because they get Thursday Night Football and Prime TV is included with Amazon Prime; or Disney because they have children and it starts at $7.99 with ads, but costs just $13.99 for no ads; or Paramount Plus because they have lingering fantasies of being a cowboy and want to spend only $11.99.
This all also seems to confirm an issue I’ve been noticing with Netflix for a while now. There is a programming problem. In its bid to be the best streamer, it didn’t focus on specific audiences as most other streamers did. Instead, Netflix has tried to reach every audience. The first thing to do was buying up the streaming rights to things. The adaptation of Avatar has been delayed and troubled. The Last Airbender is, also, Young Sheldon and Suits, and there is a lot of foreign language programming.
It is a shame that while every other streaming service is fighting for your limited dollars, they have the same top 10 list. But it also feels like that might be Netflix’s plan. Just today, it announced it was going to be the new official home of one of basic cable’s crown jewels: WWE Monday Night Raw. And yesterday, the company announced the departure of Scott Stuber, who oversaw Netflix film’s three consecutive years as the most nominated film studio at the Academy Awards.
This last weekend I was sitting in a hotel room in Memphis, staring out at the parking lot turned ice skating rink, wanting to just have a couple of hours with my brain turned off. I opened Netflix hoping to find a movie that would give me an evening’s respite. I scrolled down to see who were in the top 10 in 2010 and 2020. Cowboy & Aliens, the 2011 flop with a great cast, was on the list. Queenpins, the 2021 flop with a great cast, was also there. At the top of the list was The Legend of Tarzan, a 2016 flop with a great cast. Rounding out the top 10 was a Sylvester Stallone flick from 2019 and a handful of new releases I’d heard nothing about until I saw them in the top 10 list.