JUNE 2022 T 3 27
Opinionhere’s a lot of talk
about so-called ‘cancel
culture’ these days, but
the main thing that is
being cancelled seems to be
Netflix. There’s no doubt that we
are living in a period that it would
be an understatement to describe
as ‘tumultuous’. Even so, it is still
quite shocking to see the brand
go from hero to zero overnight.
Okay, that’s a teensy bit of an
overstatement, but Netflix just lost
200,000 subscribers and more
look likely to follow. In the great
scheme of things, 200 ,000 might
not sound like a huge loss but it
must be said that Netflix had said it
expected to gain 2.5 million viewers
during the same period. So okay,
viewed in that context, I can see
that is quite bad.
However, in a bid to cheer Netflix
up, I would like to hereby announce
that I am NOT cancelling Netflix.
Yet. Yes, I will continue to use it, at
least as long as my electric bill
remains in only three figures per
month, and I am not having to pay
£200 for a bag of plain flour and a
handful of mouldy turnips.
The problem is that I am
probably completely the wrong
type of customer, as far as the
floundering streaming service is
concerned. I only use it to watch
violent old films and gently
maturing TV shows that I already
saw on the BBC in the early ’00s.
I would go so far to say that I was
way ahead of the curve when itcomes to Netflix’s original content,
because I have always thought it
was pretty mediocre.
Now the rest of the world has
caught up with me, with Johnny-
come-latelies queuing up to join my
not-watching-Netflix-original-
content bandwagon. But let me tell
you: I was into not liking Netflix’s
own stuff way before you were.
There’s no doubt that the media
and social media frenzy that’s
accompanied Netflix’s recent iffy
results has greatly amplified the
extent of its problems. It’s almost as
if people have been waiting to giveare
clamouring to
have adverts, so they can pay less
for their subscription.
I also can’t help but feel a little
sorry for Netflix that they get so
much hate for trying to stop people
sharing their log-in details with
their parents, kids and friends.
Although perhaps they should have
realised, as they knowingly ignored
their own rules as they went
hell-for-leather for growth, that if
you let people have something for
free, they love it a lot more than if
they have to pay £1 5 a month for it.
Presumably if more and more
people unsubscribe from Netflix,
there will eventually come a point
where they will make fewer new
shows, and on lower budgets.
Eventually, the once bright and
shining star of streaming video will
be reduced to a state rather like
1990s British TV. Stale, cheap,
weekly shows with ad breaks, made
to appeal to the broadest and most
undiscerning audience feasible, on
the lowest budget possible.
However, so long as I can watch
the likes of Carlito’s Way, Heat, Life
of Brian and The Who’s Tommy in
pristine HD or sometimes even 4K,
I’ll be just happy enough to not
quite be able to be bothered to
cancel. The brand that redefined
broadcasting will be reduced to
The Movies For Dads Channel. Sad.Let me tellyou: Iwas intonotlikingNetflix’s ownstuff waybeforeyouwerethe brand a kicking. The sad thing
for Netflix is a lot of the things users
and commentators are now
complaining about are exactly what
made it great in the first place.
Suddenly, nobody likes that
Netflix places entire series online in
one bingeable go, rather than
rationing out episodes weekly. Now
it’s a bad thing that it relentlessly
tries new concepts and bins them
off with extreme prejudice if they’re
not hitting the spot. Now peopleT
Duncan Bell
is NOT cancelling
Netflix
But if everyone else does theremight not be much towatch on the
former golden child ofstreaming