Where Does Netflix Go From Here?

What was once the power-house of content streaming, has began to fall off the map. As other streaming services begin to pop up, and do what Netflix does only better, what can Netflix do to improve its product? Where did Netflix go wrong? What are other streaming services, such as Disney+, doing right?

When Netflix was first created it was the original of its kind. It started off as a mail-order movie service, however, the company was quick to switch over to a subscription based online streaming service. As opposed to paying for just one movie that you would have to return, you could pay a monthly price, and then get access to a large assortment of different movies and TV shows.

When it first started, Netflix licensed all of its content from other studios, which often came with a hefty price tag. Recently, Netflix had to pay $100M to keep Friends on their platform for just two additional years. This is just one example of how Netflix started to fall apart.

As time went on, the company was losing money and had to switch up what type of content they offered. Netflix began to create their own original content that people would only be able to find on their platform. This was a great way for directors to get their risky content picked up, as Netflix is known for creating more obscure pieces of cinema. Netflix would often purchase the idea, and then give the creator a sum of money to produce a final product for the streaming service.

This process was going well for them, however, that also began to get pricey. Due to this, Netflix had to continue to raise their prices. What was once $7 a month, is now $13 a month.

On the other hand, Disney+, the new streaming service from Disney, has seen a lot of success in its little time it has been released. The already popular streaming service gained 7 million subscriptions in just one day. Since the studio owns the rights to hundreds of films and shows, Disney has no issue finding content to place on their platform. And, since they are already a billion dollar company, they don’t have to worry about charging absurd prices to stay afloat — Disney+ costs less that $6 a month, or only $70 a year.

With other cheaper options becoming available, and Netflix continuing to raise its prices, it seems there is only one imminent possibility for the future of the original streaming service: Netflix is beginning to collapse. Unless Netflix lowers its prices, there does not appear to be a way for it to compete with the power house of Disney+.