Netflix’s Problems Have Only Just Begun

guest · Jun 24, 2021

Why Steven Spielberg’s Netflix deal is not as groundbreaking as Netflix wants you to think
June 23, 2021
https://www.fastcompany.com/9064881...flix-deal-not-groundbreaking-amblin-streaming

On Monday, June 21, Netflix generated the kind of headline-grabbing news that the streamer is famous for when it announced a deal with Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin Partners. Just like that, the world’s biggest filmmaker had joined the Netflix mothership, a development that the media touted as nothing short of world-changing. Netflix is in the Steven Spielberg business!

As one producer put it: “Steven was a loud naysayer opposing Netflix. In one flick of the pen, Netflix gets the major filmmaker of our time and silences a critic. Genius.”
It certainly sounds genius. Netflix, which has committed to making 60 movies this year, suddenly has a marquee name to help bolster production and draw subscribers as it fends off competition from Disney Plus and HBO Max.
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Another assumption is that Amblin will assist Netflix in its hunt for more Oscars;
But based on conversations with insiders close to the deal, the notion that Amblin will be sending its most prestigious movies—let alone the ones that Spielberg himself directs—to Netflix is questionable.

Meanwhile, Netflix gets to have splashy premieres and build marketing around Spielberg’s name, regardless of how much he actually has to do with the film. And this week, it gets a great press release.
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hawki · Jul 15, 2021

"Report: Netflix Is Adding Games 'In The Next Year'

This was hinted at back in May, but just became a bit more real, with Bloomberg reporting that Netflix is planning to add games to its subscription service sometime within the next year.

Netflix has hired Mike Verdu, formerly of EA and Facebook/Oculus, as “vice president of game development”, which certainly implies Netflix is looking at creating its own games rather than just licensing out others (though, like it does with its current lineup, it would likely do both anyway)...

...'the company doesn’t currently plan to charge extra for the content'..."

https://kotaku.com/report-netflix-is-adding-games-in-the-next-year-1847294904

guest · Jul 21, 2021

Netflix details gaming plan: Initial focus on mobile and no extra cost
July 20, 2021
https://www.slashgear.com/netflix-d...l-focus-on-mobile-and-no-extra-cost-20683190/

Netflix, as we now know, is planning an expansion into the video game market. The surprising twist for the video streaming platform is expected to go live within the next year, though details have been largely absent. That changed today with Netflix’s latest letter to its investors. Among the information, Netflix said its customers won’t have to pay extra for the service.

In its letter, Netflix refers to its interactive movies like Black Mirror Bandersnatch as an early effort that contributed toward its future video game offering. “We view gaming as another new content category for us,” the company explains, “similar to our expansion into original films, animation and unscripted TV.”
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To start with, Netflix will focus on mobile games, though it’s unclear what kind of content players can expect and how they’ll be offered. Presumably, these will be games subscribers can play in the company’s app on their phones and tablets.
The big question is whether Netflix can pull off turning games into a big hit in the same way it revolutionized its streaming business by launching original content.
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guest · Jul 21, 2021

Netflix bleeds subscribers in US and Canada, with no sign of recovery
Streaming group issues disappointing forecasts for third-quarter customer growth.
July 21, 2021
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021...rs-in-us-and-canada-with-no-sign-of-recovery/

Netflix lost 430,000 subscribers in the US and Canada in the second quarter and issued weaker than expected forecasts for later in the year, rekindling investor doubts over how the streaming group will fare after the economic reopening.

The California-based company predicted it would add 3.5 million subscribers in the third quarter, disappointing investors who were looking for a stronger rebound in the second half of the year. Analysts had forecast that Netflix would add 5.9 million subscribers during the third quarter.
Intrigue over Netflix’s plans to delve into video games helped offset the weakness in its core business, lifting the shares 0.8 percent in after-hours trading.
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Netflix executives have blamed the subscriber number weakness on a lighter offering of shows and movies and promised that growth would pick up in the second half of 2021 with the return of titles such as The Witcher and Sex Education.

“COVID and its variants make predicting the future hard, but with productions largely running smoothly so far, we’re optimistic in our ability to deliver a strong second half [shows],” the company said.
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guest · Aug 19, 2021

Former Netflix staffers charged for making $3m from insider trading
August 19, 2021
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58264767

The ex-staff members and two close associates were named in court papers.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said confidential Netflix subscriber growth data was used in the scheme.
The information was allegedly used to trade the streaming giant's shares ahead of its earnings reports.
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The SEC alleged that Sung Mo Jun, a former software engineer at Netflix, was at the centre of a long-running scheme to illegally trade shares using insider information about the company's subscriber growth.
The SEC also alleged that after Sung Mo Jun left Netflix, he obtained confidential subscriber growth information from two other company insiders.

"We allege that a Netflix employee and his close associates engaged in a long-running, multimillion dollar scheme to profit from valuable, misappropriated company information," said Erin Schneider, director of the SEC's San Francisco regional office.
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SEC: SEC Charges Netflix Insider Trading Ring

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced insider trading charges against three former Netflix Inc. software engineers and two close associates who generated over $3 million in total profits by trading on confidential information about Netflix's subscriber growth.

ccording to the SEC's complaint, Sung Mo "Jay" Jun was at the center of a long-running scheme to illegally trade on non-public information concerning the growth in Netflix's subscriber base, a key metric Netflix reported in its quarterly earnings announcements.
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guest · Sep 21, 2021

Netflix debuts free tier for Android users in Kenya
The company is gathering information on how effective it is in generating paying customers.
September 21, 2021
https://www.engadget.com/netflix-free-tier-android-kenya-043616484.html

Netflix has started offering potential paying subscribers in Kenya access to some of its content at no cost. The streaming service has launched a free tier in the country that offers around one-fourth the content available to paying subscribers. It has no ads and won't even ask for payment information upon sign-up — a new subscriber will only need to confirm they're over 18 and to type in their email address and password.

In the announcement post, Netflix's Director of Product Innovation Cathy Conk, said:

"If you’ve never watched Netflix before — and many people in Kenya haven’t — this is a great way to experience our service."
The company is hoping that the free tier would entice people to pay for the service.
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The free plan is new, though, and a spokesperson told Variety that it's launching first in Kenya as a way for the company to gather information on how effective it is in generating paying customers.
Netflix has been investing more heavily in new markets to offset its slowing growth in the US and other saturated markets and amidst an increasing number of rival streaming services.
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guest · Oct 1, 2021

South Korean ISP SK Broadband sues Netflix for millions in bandwidth usage fees
Squid Game might be too popular
October 1, 2021
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/1/22704313/sk-broadband-netflix-suing-for-payment-squid-game

South Korean internet service provider SK Broadband is suing Netflix to pay for the increased network costs and bandwidth usage the streaming service’s content has drawn in South Korea, Reuters writes. The company cites Squid Game and D.P., two popular Korean Netflix dramas, as part of the cause.

SK Broadband’s demand for payment isn’t unfounded. A South Korean court sided with the ISP in June, The Korea Herald writes, suggesting Netflix was responsible for the demands its content puts on SK. Counter to Netflix’s request that it not be charged — since customers are the ones streaming, and they already pay for it — the court said the company has “the obligation of paying the price for the services to SK Broadband.”
SK estimates the cost at 27.2 billion won (around $23 million) for 2020 alone, according to Reuters.
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The Verge has contacted Netflix for comment. The company shared the following statement with TechCrunch in response to SK’s demands: [...]
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guest · Oct 1, 2021

Netflix Isn’t Showing You All of Seinfeld
Seinfeld streaming on Netflix: Why it looks different in widescreen
October 1, 2021
https://slate.com/culture/2021/10/seinfeld-netflix-streaming-looks-different.html

But the show’s Netflix debut already has other Seinfeld-heads facepalming with frustration. The streaming service is not airing the show in its original broadcast aspect ratio of 4:3—a.k.a. fullscreen/square—but in 16:9, the standard widescreen/rectangular viewing format best-suited for HD televisions.
But for those in the know, taking a show that was meant to be seen one way and rejiggering it to be seen a whole different way can be quite jarring.

What we’re left with is a version of Seinfeld that looks a bit more cramped than it originally did, with almost none of the ground visible.
And there are occasional instances where characters are looking down or pointing at something on the ground that this re-cropped version of the show will not let you see anymore.
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Does Netflix have plans to restore Seinfeld to the original way it was meant to be seen?
Disney finally caved to fans’ cries to see old episodes of The Simpsons in 4:3 and letterboxed again after many months of forcing us to watch it in widescreen, making that original aspect ratio a viewing option. Netflix has not offered such an alternative yet, and Hulu didn’t back when it was streaming Seinfeld either.
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Rasheed187 · Oct 3, 2021

mood said: ↑

Netflix bleeds subscribers in US and Canada, with no sign of recovery
Streaming group issues disappointing forecasts for third-quarter customer growth.
July 21, 2021
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021...rs-in-us-and-canada-with-no-sign-of-recovery/
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I know why, it's because of all the new crap that they are producing both in films and series. But perhaps I'm getting old because I do know that lots of people actually enjoy watching this stuff, I rather watch old movies. I do wonder if they can become big when it comes to video game streaming.

mood said: ↑

Netflix Isn’t Showing You All of Seinfeld
Seinfeld streaming on Netflix: Why it looks different in widescreen
October 1, 2021
https://slate.com/culture/2021/10/seinfeld-netflix-streaming-looks-different.html
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Seriously, I wonder which idiot came up with the 16:9 viewing format. Who in his right mind would say, ''hey let's put black bars on top and bottom of the TV screen.'' Seriously I can't stand this stuff.

Surt · Oct 3, 2021

Rasheed187 said: ↑

which idiot came up with the 16:9 viewing format
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Those bars are often referred to as "mattes."

It's all because once there were just movies (film, theater screens, popcorn, cheap dates) and TVs (radio waves, antennas, cathode ray tubes, pizza delivery).

And for a time, Hollywood idiots, using 35mm film born in the silent era, wanted to sever the film industry from the idiot new kid, TV. And then some idiots invented HD TVs and monitors.

That Slate article does a good job explaining it, if one bothers to read it. But as Wilders Security members, we are highly scientifically sophisticated technological elites and this makes far more sense:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Format_Description

BTW, nothing ever happens out there on left and right edges (optional image areas), so for Letterbox (mattes on top and bottom) you can select a screen size that fills out to the upper and lower edges.

It's called "stretch" on my TCL QLED set and I forget what it was called on my old Samsung.

Be happy it's black, 'cause it could be any shade of grey or color... Or filled with My Pillow text ads.

guest · Oct 7, 2021

Netflix reportedly to edit "Squid Game" scenes showing phone number after woman inundated with prank calls
October 6, 2021
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/squid-game-phone-number-real-netflix-edit-scenes-woman-prank-calls/

A South Korean woman's phone has rung off the hook since her number appeared in the hit Netflix series "Squid Game," but she may catch a break soon as the streaming giant and its South Korean production partner have reportedly agreed to edit her digits out of the series.

The Reuters news agency on Wednesday quoted Netflix as saying in a statement that, along with the Siren Pictures production house, it was "working to resolve this matter, including editing scenes with phone numbers where necessary." Netflix also urged fans of the show to stop pranking the woman.
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Korean TV network SBS interviewed the owner of the phone number in September, identifying her as Kim Gil-young, a businesswoman in the southern county of Seongju. She spoke about the kind of prank calls she was getting, most of which referenced the Netflix show.

She also said, according to Reuters, that she had declined an offer from the "Squid Game" makers of about $840 in compensation for her trouble. The SBS network said she was later offered five times that sum, but Reuters said both Netflix and Siren Pictures had declined to discuss any
such offers.
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Rasheed187 · Oct 10, 2021

Surt said: ↑

Those bars are often referred to as "mattes." It's all because once there were just movies (film, theater screens, popcorn, cheap dates) and TVs (radio waves, antennas, cathode ray tubes, pizza delivery).And for a time, Hollywood idiots, using 35mm film born in the silent era, wanted to sever the film industry from the idiot new kid, TV. And then some idiots invented HD TVs and monitors.
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What I don't get is that with some movies you get to see them and with others you don't. How come even older movies have them? For example, I'm watching a couple of movies on Netflix and Prime Video and I was surprised to see those bars on Poltergeist II (1986) and Christine (1983), did they got remastered or something or did they get recorded in the 16:9 format? And there is also no way to turn these black bars off on my LG 32 inch TV.

https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/poltergeist-ii-the-other-side
https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/christine-stephen-king

guest · Oct 11, 2021

South Africa’s Telkom ditches Netflix
October 11, 2021
https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/11/south-africas-telkom-ditches-netflix/

South Africa’s telecommunication provider Telkom SA SOC Ltd has since October discontinued Netflix Inc. from its phone and internet set-top box, said a Bloomberg report.

Telkom’s Content Executive Wanda Mkhize said in a statement that the partnership between the two firms would not be renewed and declined to provide further details, Bloomberg reported.
We have reached out to both companies and will update this post as we learn more.
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Netflix has been exploring growth opportunities across Africa over the last few years in the hope of growing its subscriber base and revenues. It’s not clear whether it has plans to build a different route to consumers and existing subscribers in South Africa now that its relationship with Telkom has ended.

Netflix still has another partner in the country. MultiChoice Group Limited, the continent’s largest pay-TV provider, now offers Netflix and Amazon.Inc as part of its paid video services in South Africa after signing deals with the two firms mid last year.
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Brummelchen · Oct 11, 2021

is it true that netflix only show full HD to edge users and not chrome/firefox/similar (720p only)?

guest · Oct 12, 2021

Brummelchen said: ↑

is it true that netflix only show full HD to edge users and not chrome/firefox/similar (720p only)?
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Why you’re not getting Netflix in HD or 4K and how to fix it
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/getting-hd-netflix/

Browser limits
Not all browsers were created equal, either, and that’s especially true when it comes to streaming. While pretty much every popular internet browser is capable of streaming Netflix content in HD, just how HD it is will vary between browsers. Here’s a simple look at what maximum resolution each browser is capable of on a computer:
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Google Chrome: Up to 720p (although you can get 1080p using Chrome OS)

Firefox: Up to 720p

Opera: Up to 720p

Safari: Up to 4K (requires a select 2018 Mac or later with an Apple T2 Security Chip and MacOS 11.0 Big Sur or later)

Microsoft Edge: Up to 4K (requires HDCP 2.2-compliant connection to a 4K display, with at least Intel’s 7th-gen Core CPU, plus the latest version of Windows)

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Surt · Oct 12, 2021

Rasheed187 said: ↑

What I don't get is that with some movies you get to see them and with others you don't
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It depends on the source that the streamer chooses.

Back in the days of the original DVD discs, one could actually choose the full screen or the letterbox. That got dropped in Blu-ray due to the massive m2ts file size, the continued addition of more and more languages, closed captioning, and those sound tracks where directors and/or actors throw in their 1¼ bits in all of those languages.

Cinematographers generally don't place much action or detail at the left and right edges knowing that their work might be viewed full screen.

BTW, I was mistaken with the "stretch" display size I described up there in #60. It's called "zoom." I use it all the time. Even on my Blu-rays, and 4K UHDs.

While it looks like there's a lot of image real estate lost, whatever is no longer seen has little relevance to the viewer's experience. Some one could sneak the size shift in while you weren't looking before you started to watch the movie and you'd never know, other than, "Oh good! No black bars."

Cheers.

Rasheed187 · Oct 13, 2021

Surt said: ↑

It depends on the source that the streamer chooses.
While it looks like there's a lot of image real estate lost, whatever is no longer seen has little relevance to the viewer's experience.
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So are you saying that movies that aren't even recorded in the 16:9 format can somehow still be displayed in this format on streaming services? Because for example, I don't get the black bars on a movie like Pet Sematary (1989). And I'm aware of the so called zoom setting, but this will make things look weird. Seriously, this is the stupidest thing ever.

https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/pet-sematary-1

Surt · Oct 13, 2021

Rasheed187 said: ↑

•
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Thank you for your kind words.

Rasheed187 · Oct 14, 2021

Surt said: ↑

Thank you for your kind words.
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What do you mean with this? To clarify, I wasn't calling your explanation stupid, but I'm calling this whole problem with the black bars stupid. I don't see any advantages of the 16:9 format, I'm sure it's perhaps needed for the cinema for whatever reason, but it shouldn't ruin the whole TV experience.

guest · Oct 21, 2021

‘Squid Game’ has been watched by two-thirds of all Netflix users but hasn’t moved the needle on U.S. subscribers
October 19, 2021
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/19/squ...-thirds-of-netflix-users-few-new-us-subs.html

It may seem like every American you know has watched “Squid Game,” but the show’s popularity has not yet created a surge of new Netflix subscribers in the U.S.

Netflix revealed in its shareholder letter Tuesday that 142 million of its subscribers have seen at least two minutes of the wildly popular South Korean drama. That’s exactly two-thirds of the company’s 213 million global customers.
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It’s becoming clear that Netflix’s growth has slowed in the U.S. and Canada, where it has added fewer than 1 million subscribers in the past 12 months. That’s part of the reason the company is beginning to dabble in video games. It will be interesting to see if Netflix does anything surprising in the coming months to jump-start growth in the U.S. and Canada, or if it’s content with its growth plateau in the region as long as it’s still charging ahead internationally.

If “Squid Game” can’t bring in millions of new subscribers, it’s fair to wonder if any new content can truly move the needle in the region.
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guest · Oct 28, 2021

Netflix Reportedly Manipulated Its Search Algorithm to Limit Appearances of ‘Cuties’ on Its Platform After Backlash
October 26, 2021
https://variety.com/2021/digital/ne...h-algorithm-limit-cuties-backlash-1235098375/

New reports suggest that Netflix manipulated its own search and recommendations algorithm to help mitigate public backlash in September 2020, suppressing the outreach of the film “Cuties” on the platform after promotional material for the title, deemed inappropriate, sparked a massive wave of criticism against the streamer.

Internal documents obtained and reviewed by The Verge suggest that Netflix dealt with the backlash against “Cuties” by “suppress[ing] promotion and related searching queries.” The report details how the company removed “Cuties” from categories like “coming soon,” “more like this” and “popular searches.”
The streamer also excluded the film from appearing in searches for the phrase “cute.”
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The reports suggest that Netflix’s goal in adjusting its algorithm was to “minimize press coverage” related to “Cuties'” poster and “avoid looking like [the company had] removed the film page from service, [or] are moving release date and/or not [launching] the film” so as to not appear “reactionary.” While Netflix didn’t remove “Cuties” from its catalog, it made an effort to minimize its presence on the platform.

These accounts suggest that Netflix has an ability to mount an urgent and sweeping response to mass criticism of its content by restricting the avenues it can use to reach viewers.
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The new report demonstrates how the company can field a PR crisis by carefully controlling — without outright censoring — the reach of particular content.
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hawki · Nov 2, 2021

"Netflix games are coming to all members on Android, starting this week

After early tests in select markets, Netflix announced today its debut lineup of exclusive mobile games will begin rolling out to all members globally on Android devices, starting this week..."

https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/02/n...to-all-members-on-android-starting-this-week/

guest · Nov 4, 2021

Netflix Under Pressure in Korea as ‘Squid Game’ Success Stirs Lawmakers and Internet Firms
November 3, 2021
https://variety.com/2021/biz/asia/netflix-under-pressure-in-korea-1235104596/

American streaming firm Netflix faced up to a multi-faceted wave of pressure in South Korea, a country where it has achieved market dominance and which is a vital production hub, this week.

The global success of Korean-made Netflix original series “Squid Game” has drawn new attention to the firm’s payments to creators. And it has pushed other thorny issues, notably taxation of earnings and network access fees, higher up the agenda.
The company has been locked in months of dispute with leading Korean internet service provider SK Broadband, which argues that Netflix needs to make financial compensation for the huge volumes of traffic the streamer generates.
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Netflix’s Singapore-based VP of public policy, Dean Garfield, is currently in Korea and has visited National Assembly lawmakers and regulators. On Thursday morning he held a further meeting with members of the press, who were polite but unrelenting in tackling the service fees issue from different angles.
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guest · Nov 9, 2021

Netflix launches its first selection of games on iPhone and iPad, sign up using Apple In-App Purchase
November 9, 2021
https://9to5mac.com/2021/11/09/netflix-games-iphone-ipad/

Following an Android launch last week, Netflix has now launched its new Games initiative on iOS. Netflix subscribers can now enjoy the following games on iPhone and iPad: Stranger Things 1984, Stranger Things 3, Shooting Hoops, Card Blast, and Teeter (Up!).

As video streaming market matures, Netflix is looking for new entertainment avenues to explore. Games is one of its first ventures. There’s nothing earth-shattering or groundbreaking in the initial set of available titles, but its the first step and analysts expect Netflix to expand aggressively over time.
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Just like on Android, the initial Netflix Games are local binaries that are individually downloaded from the App Store to play. When you launch these apps, you are prompted to sign in with your Netflix account. Games are included at not additional charge on an existing Standard Plan Netflix subscription.
Interestingly, the company is also allowing customers to subscribe to Netflix for the first time using Apple’s In-App Purchase system.
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Netflix launches games to iPhone and iPad users worldwide
https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/09/netflix-launches-games-to-iphone-and-ipad-users-worldwide/

Last week, Netflix launched its debut lineup of mobile games to Android users globally. Today, the games are expanding to users on iOS. The lineup, which includes two “Stranger Things” games and a few other casual gaming titles, will be delivered to iOS users the same way they are on Android. That is, they’re not streamed from the cloud, but actually installed to users’ phones or tablets directly from the App Store.
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However, there is one difference between the iOS implementation of Netflix games and how the system works on Android.

Netflix users on Android have their own dedicated “Games” tab in the app’s navigation, but iOS users will not. Instead, iPhone members will only see a dedicated games row in the app where they can select any game to download. Meanwhile, iPad members will see the row (pinned to position 6) and will be able to access games from the categories drop-down menu.
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Daveski17 · Nov 9, 2021

I think if Netflix wants more customers, it should stream better shows.

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