this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2024
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Netflix removing subscribers. What is their plan, zero subscribers?
Is it opposite day?
They've tested the waters, and people will most probably wind up staying, as their password crackdown demonstrated.
Do you have any data that shows Netflix didn’t lose subscribers in markets where they cracked down on password sharing? I keep seeing people saying this is the case, but all the news stories I’ve read say that Netflix is only adding subscribers in the cheaper markets (like India and South America).
I don't have a source, but it wasn't that Netflix didn't lose subscribers, it was that their revenues grew. Part of that was charging subscribers more, but a lot of that was the new ad-supported plans netted them more money than basic ad-free plans. Which is probably why they're now sunsetting the basic ad-free plans.
Slightly off topic, but starting 2025 they're going to stop providing quarterly subscriber numbers to focus on "other metrics" related to revenue and growth.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-to-stop-providing-subscriber-numbers-1235877111/
This is public record due to their financial reporting obligations as public company, but their password sharing crackdown resulted in not insignificant amounts of new subscribers.
Or at least, there was meaningful growth that occurred in time periods that aligned with those policies going into effect.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/09/business/netflix-password-sharing-results/index.html
That could be true, I was going on the fact of what they reported and how their stock jumped up because of what they said as well.
They'll never mention how many people left though (unless that info is out there too?)
https://www.reuters.com/technology/netflix-subscriber-growth-focus-gains-password-sharing-crackdown-seen-easing-2024-04-17/
Subscribers are subscribers are subscribers, the total is up so even if they lost some in the US/European market, the rest of the world makes up for it.
Emerging markets pay around $6 a month for Netflix. Basically the “password crackdown” markets are subsidizing the new subscriptions where Netflix is trying to gain a foothold. It’s the typical “get ‘em hooked, then start raising prices.”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-price-drop-international-password-sharing-1235332333/#!
Sure but if subscriptions were stagnating before and they're increasing more than ever, it ends up compensating for the loss of people who used to pay more.
Not only staying, they’ll stay and pay more
It's the classic "get people hooked with a free service then force them to pay"
Gotta bump up that "$/sub" metric!
Investors like a get rich or die trying mentality cause they don’t die, they leave.