Netflix's motivations align better with the end user.
You pay netflix a monthly subscription, and in order to keep you paying it is in Netflix's interest to provide a variety of high quality content that people want to watch.
On the other hand, regular TV channels main income stream is ads, so their main motivation is to provide low quality keep--you-watching style content that comes with some kind of artificial teaser every 10 minutes so they can trick you into sitting through an ad break. "......And the winner..... of [dance/sing/pop/talent]-factor 2015.............[dramatic tension music]........ Will be revealed after the break."
In the same way that we are seeing many 'news' websites just become click-bait content to get the most eyeballs for their ads with the quality of that content getting lower and lower, regular TV is becoming optimized to provide the highest possible ad/content ratio without losing the viewer.
Netflix UK content is average at best, with a slew of B films and TV series with missing seasons. I've given up searching for films I'd like to see (these are not even recent releases).
Actually, Netflix in the US is largely like that for me as well. I never get on expecting to find a specific movie I want to watch. However, I believe Netflix's original content (House of Cards, Daredevil, Chef's Table, Orange is the New Black, and Print the Legend to name a few) are high quality content, meaning that when Netflix has to get its hand dirty, it shoots for quality unlike many cable television providers. I think this may be what the parent comment is referring to.
I'm in the US, and the biggest appeal for me and many people that I know is having entire TV series. There are also big movies that come and go. Sometimes just before a big sequel comes out the previous movie will show up for a while.
> I've given up searching for films I'd like to see (these are not even recent releases).
That's the wrong way to Netflix, at least for streaming content. You have to treat it more like a TV channel, except you decide when you want to watch the programs. So browse around and see what they happen to have available rather than deciding what you want to see ahead of time and then finding out if they have it (they usually don't).
If you treat Netflix this way, you'll have a better idea what what to expect from the service. You may still decide that Netflix isn't worth paying for, particularly if you already have cable or satellite TV with a good DVR. I watch about seven or eight hours of TV per week, so the limited selection I get from Netflix is sufficient.
That's no I use Netflix, too. Generally speaking, if Netflix releases one or two good shows per month, the subscription is worth it to me. Before Netflix had original content, I didn't feel a subscription was worth it.
Shows I've recently enjoyed on Netflix => Sense8, Daredevil, Bloodline, The Fall. I just like these shows better than 95% of stuff that is normally aired on commercial TV.
You are probably right. The original content is outstanding- and I should probably consider the film catalog as a nice to have. Some TV series have seasons missing (presumably due to licensing issues) which can be a frustratring (this was the case for the excellent 'Justified' and 'Peaky Blinders' in the UK).
That's basically Netflix to me as well, and I am in the US. I wouldn't pay for it because I don't see much value in it, but there seems to be more on it that appeals to my wife so at least it gets used.
They are trying their best to do away with the region-restricted content and are trying to provide all their content anywhere in the world, so sit tight and subscribe again when they do! :-)
Its also in their interest to stop paying to license certain things and assume subscribers have watched them and had their fill, even if they have not.
Scripted shows work the same way with their act breaks and cliffhangers. The incentives are the same, keep the viewer watching (hooked) until the season/series ends. Reality shows do take it to a new micro level of irritance, while scripted shows are more macro. And I wouldn't necessarily assume Netflix would never greenlight a reality series. The people who enjoy reality shows probably think of them as high quality content too. Also, there are several Emmy categories for reality TV.
You pay netflix a monthly subscription, and in order to keep you paying it is in Netflix's interest to provide a variety of high quality content that people want to watch.
On the other hand, regular TV channels main income stream is ads, so their main motivation is to provide low quality keep--you-watching style content that comes with some kind of artificial teaser every 10 minutes so they can trick you into sitting through an ad break. "......And the winner..... of [dance/sing/pop/talent]-factor 2015.............[dramatic tension music]........ Will be revealed after the break."
In the same way that we are seeing many 'news' websites just become click-bait content to get the most eyeballs for their ads with the quality of that content getting lower and lower, regular TV is becoming optimized to provide the highest possible ad/content ratio without losing the viewer.