Rather Than Quantity, Netflix Should Focus On Quality, Like Hulu

Options are a good thing…sometimes. When it comes to streaming TV there are, simply put, too many TV shows to choose from. It’s overwhelming, to say the least.

As the top streamers work to build their content libraries it seems as though there’s been a rush to produce and license as many television series and movies as they can to show subscribers there’s something for everyone. In reality, however, there’s a percentage of really good entertainment to choose from but it’s sandwiched between a lot of so-so and downright bad content that we as the viewer are forced to sift through.

It’s like a beautiful library filled with a plethora of books. Some are classics, some are entertaining, and others are filled with blank pages. The library appears fully stocked but in reality, it isn’t and no one perusing the shelves is fooled for long.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, though NetflixNFLX
disrupted the way we watch TV and movies with the binge, it may need to change how it rolls out content as times, and viewer preferences, change.

According to recent data from Wells Fargo, the top streamers will spend roughly $140.5 billion on content in 2022. This is a 10% jump year-over-year and this number is predicted to increase to about $172 billion by 2025. Wells Fargo predicts Netflix will spend $19 billion on content in 2022, up 13% from 2021. Is the streamer focusing more on quantity over quality and if so, might a less is more approach work better?

Though this could cause a short-term decline in total viewing hours, this quality over quantity rollout could also entice subscribers to stay put. There are only so many hours in the day to watch content anyway.

As Netflix wrestles with a decline in subscribing households and the layoffs of 300-plus employees, it’s being forced to rethink its original business model. Sometimes in life, less is more.

For example, Netflix is trying a new approach with the newest season of Stranger Things by releasing the final two episodes of the fan-favorite five weeks after the first batch of episodes. Competing streamers like Hulu and Disney+ have experimented with rolling out one to three episodes of a show at a time and if the content is good, subscribers will keep watching. Make us wait a week if you must. We’ll hang in there if what you’re making us wait for is worth it.

Again, it’s all about quality. “When looking at average weekly screen time by platform, it’s actually Hulu, not Netflix, that has a greater proportion of its subscribers watching 3+ hours per day,” says Kantar’s VP of Entertainment on Demand, Nicole Sangari.

Though the binge is Netflix’s trademark, perhaps the streamer should follow in Hulu’s footsteps which has fewer shows to choose from but its library is filled with high-quality options like The Drop Out, Candy, The Girl From Plainville, Normal People, The Handmaid’s Tale (OMG the upcoming fifth season is so so good) and the upcoming Tell Me Lies (surely to be their next huge hit). I have to admit I even enjoyed The Kardashians (now I get it) and I’m not, or at least I wasn’t, a huge fan of reality TV. Hulu is doing it right. It doesn’t bombard viewers with too much content but it does consistently put high-quality entertainment out each month.

“There’s a perception that Hulu is a smaller streamer because it has fewer subscribers than Netflix and Prime Video but it’s the third-largest streaming platform in the U.S.,” explains Sangari. In addition, Hulu retains its subscribers. “The theory behind releasing weekly is that it gets viewers to return to the platform over and over, and therefore increases their exposure to other titles, which hopefully creates future engagement with the platform.”

Other streamers such as Apple TV+ may have fewer options but Ted Lasso and The Morning Show, as examples, are both incredible. Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming drama Chloe (so gripping) along with past hits like Flea Bag also make it a streaming option not to ignore. When subscribers are looking for their next show, if they’ve enjoyed a series, they’re likely to give that platform a go but if they get enough back-to-back disappointments, they’re just as quick to cancel a subscription and look elsewhere.

Don’t get me wrong, Netflix has some amazing series, too, but you have to dig a little. Personal favorites include The Lincoln Lawyer, the Spanish drama Lies and Deceit (which no one is talking about…why?), Darren Star’s upcoming Uncoupled and of course, Emily In Paris, as well as recent hits like Inventing Anna and Bridgerton and longtime fan favorites Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy and of course Squid Game and its upcoming second season and reality competition.

What might the future hold for streaming? Sangari concurs it’s likely going to be more of a hybrid model. “In reality, how titles are released most likely won’t make a huge impact on platform engagement, but it’s good to give streamers that flexibility. At the end of the day, what will make or break a title is its quality and entertainment value. If a series has appeal, streamers will watch it however it’s released.”

Overall, there should be options and a little something for everyone, just don’t make us work so hard to find the good stuff!