Is MasterClass worth your money?

My newsfeed has featured the same ad for years, hidden between the messages from distant friends and former colleagues. An older man or woman, often known from a movie or book, looks at me with a serious face. Usually, he or she sits in a comfortable leather armchair in front of a bookcase or in a brown-hued interior. “Hello,” says the person, after which he or she introduces himself, “welcome to my MasterClass.”

MasterClass, which has broadcast “online classes” by celebrities such as David Lynch, Paul Krugman and Neil DeGrasse Tyson since 2014, was out for my money. Just under 200 dollars to be exact — twice as expensive as Netflix or Disney+. When I finally gave in, I immediately got the question from others who had been flooded with similar ads on social media for years: is MasterClass worth the money?

The first impression

When I created my account, I initially started browsing all the published lessons. In total, 83 celebrities have recorded courses that are divided into 9 categories. The largest are “Film & TV” (14 teachers), “Music & Entertainment” (14 teachers) and “Culinary Arts” (13 teachers). The category “Science & Technology” (2 teachers) is a lot smaller.

The lessons, which are undoubtedly recorded with a gigantic film crew, usually last about three hours and are divided into separate…