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Netflix Eyes Cheaper, Ad-Supported Plan; How About Those Binge Dumps?

Published Tue, 19 Apr 2022 18:11:12 -0500

Who knows? Maybe "mandatory binge drops" could be next? In what was a surprising announcement from Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings during the company's Q1 earnings interview, the streamer looks to be getting into the business of offering lower-cost, ad-supported subscription packages. "Those who have followed Netflix know that I have been against the complexity of advertising, and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription. But as much as I am a fan of that, I am a bigger fan of consumer choice. And allowing consumers who would like to have a lower price, and are advertising-tolerant get what they want, makes a lot of sense," Hastings explained, while also revealing that the streamer should have its ad-supported gameplan in place "over the next year or two," adding that the streamer is committed to being able to offer "even lower prices with advertising as a consumer choice." No specific details on cost were discussed; currently, the standard two-stream HD plan costs $15.49/ month in the U.S. So now that they're re-examining their pricing plans, maybe they could reconsider their "binge dump" policy?

Okay, hear me out! I'm not saying get rid of binge dumps and replace them with weekly releases or hybrid releases (where the first few eps drop at first and then the remainder drop weekly). But how about this? Let's leave the decision on how a series gets released up to the creators and producers (obviously, Netflix needs to keep its interests in mind, too). Because unless you're a big show like The Umbrella Academy, The Witcher, or Stranger Things, it's hard to make the argument that a smaller series could benefit from the extra time to grow and cultivate its audience. Just look at HBO Max's success with James Gunn's Peacemaker. That went with a hybrid release, and then made sure that they kept their viewers "a part of the party" in-between the weekly episodes that it made the wait feel minimal. And look, hasn't Netflix already gone down that route? In the past, we've seen reality shows and some foreign content go with more staggered releases. And then we have Ozark and Stranger Things, which have both split their seasons. Okay, it's not exactly a weekly release schedule but just imagine how folks are going to feel when the Duffer Bros. hits them with a major pre-break cliffhanger. So now that Netflix is looking to put the power of choice back in the hands of the consumers, maybe it's also time to put some of the business-related creative decisions back in the hands of those who make the shows. Or at least let them have more of a say in their show's destiny.

And don't get us started on those efforts to stop password-sharing. Ugh.

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