Netflix May Be Losing Its Spark

Has your favorite series been a victim of Netflix’s mass cancellations? If so, you’re not alone. The popular streaming service has stopped the production of dramas like The Society and sitcoms like One Day at a Time—and fans are outraged. 

There is a trend going around with the tag “#CancelNetflix” where people post why they’ll be ending their subscriptions. Some reasons surround the controversial policies they recently announced (including no password sharing and advertisements). Others are because of their frustrating habit of canceling well-loved shows and removing popular items from their selection. Let’s take a look at what these new rules mean for us.

Starting this February, Netflix customers in countries including Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, and Spain will not be allowed to share their account passwords with people who live outside of their homes. 

You must now set up a “primary location” for your account and connect it to your home wifi. After 31 days, if a device is not logged in on the primary location wifi, it will be logged out. This has upset many Netflix users including college students who still use their family’s accounts, people who travel for work, and people who don’t have wifi access. If customers wish to continue sharing their password after this policy is put in place, they will be charged for an “extra member”. 

Even though password sharing isn’t coming to the US yet, advertisements are. Their least expensive subscription pack is now called “Basic with ads” and is $6.99/month.

People are also upset with Netflix over their continued cancellations and constant changes in their viewing selection. In 2022 alone, the company canceled twenty original series and took off countless popular movies and shows. They just can’t seem to hold onto anything and it’s causing issues for their business.    

I wanted to get a Waukee perspective so I asked students here their opinions on the company. 

First I talked to sophomore Ady Campos, who talks about her disappointments. She says, “Netflix used to have a good selection, but over the years it has gotten worse because they keep taking good shows off.” She continues, “The Vampire Diaries was taken off and I was in the middle of watching it. They are now taking Jane the Virgin off and that show is super good.”

Next, I interviewed junior Maddie Kinney who gives a differing opinion. She says, “I do like all the shows they have on there, the only thing that upset me was the fact that they took Criminal Minds off.”   

Lastly, I spoke with senior Lauren Bille. She gives her thoughts on the new policies by saying, “I don’t like the higher prices, and it’s not right to start enforcing no password sharing.” She continues, “If we’re already paying for a service, I don’t understand why they have ads.”

In terms of customer satisfaction, Netflix is failing. They seem ignorant to the fact that they’re no longer “the” streaming service and now have competition with newer companies such as Paramount+ and HBO Max. They need to be conscious of subscription prices and viewing selection in a way they never had before—or their customers will get bored. The question is, though, will Netflix be able to keep up with the pressure? Or, will 2023 be the end of the usually popular company?