Netflix has 50 percent less content than 4 years ago

[Sledgstone 8,672]

I have noticed the selection isn't nearly what it used to be. Back in the day I'd search for a movie and 80% of the time it was on netflix. Now I don't even use the search feature because the last 20 movies I've searched for are never on there. Netflix used to be this great replacement to blockbuster with every movie made available, but now it looks like all the content rights holders and networks are pulling their properties off and either selling the rights to other streaming services like Amazon Prime or Hulu or they're making their own streaming service like CBS all access. I'm tempted to cut my cable and switch to streaming only services but I still haven't found a combo of apps or services that will give me the channel selection or content I fully want. I already have amazon prime and netflix. But to replace cable I figure if I go with Sling blue with HBO and starz, hulu, hbo go (part of my cable package now), and over the air HD antenna I'd have the majority of the channels I watch with cable except for science channel. I'd probably save about $30 a month over my current cable plan. Anyone use Sling?

Also, with the companies pulling their content from netflix and making their own streaming services, maybe in the near future cable will actually be a good deal again compared to being nickel and dimed by all the different apps? I do like seeing different streaming services offering competition like Sling and PlayStation VUE, but I still feel on the fence about actually cutting off my cable for streaming only.

Quote

While Netflix has made news recently with its plan to make 50 percent of its content original, its library of titles has gotten that much smaller in the past few years.

Streaming blog Exstreamist claims to have sources who used to work for the world’s largest streaming service. They estimate Netflix’s catalog in 2012 contained “close to 11,000 movies and TV shows.” Using data pulled from uNoGs the site found that the current library has about 5,300 titles.

http://gizmodo.com/netflix-catalog-now-with-50-fewer-movies-and-tv-1787333522

 

[DeathscytheX 9,732]

I've heard sling is pretty terrible. You should look up some reviews. Even with a perfect connection people still get poor quality and buffering. That reminds me of AMCs web player. Every time I've tried to watch an episode I missed, it's in such poor quality. 

[Strider Hiryu 2,704]

It's not surprising. With content providers creating their own streaming platforms and with the costs of streaming rights for movies and shows going up it's not surprising Netflix's catalog has shrunk substantially over the last 4 years. I honestly saw this coming back when I first subscribed to Netflix because it was only a matter of time before others took a page from Netflix's book and started doing the same thing. Honestly I don't know why I pay for Netflix anymore. I rarely, if ever, watch anything on it anymore (and when I do it might be once every few months) besides certain shows (like Supernatural, I really wish they'd get season 11 up) and documentaries (I absolutely love Netflix for documentaries).

Honestly the only thing that will keep Netflix going is their original content they've been creating over that last few years (stuff I have yet to watch but I do plan on checking out Stranger Things, Orange is the New Black, and House of Cards (which I've heard nothing but great things about) to name few). I tend to download all the movies I want to see if I don't get to see them in the theater and before I buy them (I buy very few movies without watching them and only if I know I'll like them (like The Hobbit Movies and what not)) and I do the same with TV shows since I rarely watch anything on cable anymore (again there are exceptions like Deadliest Catch but that's one day of the week).

I've never used Sling but I haven't heard good things about it from the few people I know who use it. I've been looking into getting Playstation Vue (I've heard nothing but good things about it) but I'd run into the same problem I do with cable/Netflix, I'd rarely watch it so it'd be a waste of money (luckily I don't pay for cable so that's one bill I don't have to pay). Honestly the one thing I do spend a lot of time watching content on is YouTube, thankfully that's free (for now, who knows what may come down the line).

[DeathscytheX 9,732]

It really sucks, I only watch Vikings and TWD, and without cable I'd only be able to watch Vikings the day after. AMC makes you log into your cable provider to verifiy you have cable to watch their shows, which is pretty bullshit, because I know they still get ad revenue from the commercials on the stream. Even TNT didn't make me do that when I needed to catch Falling Skies. The problem with so many content providers is that it adds up eventually if you were willing to pay for each service that had a show you wanted on it. Then you end up paying just as much for cable defeating the purpose. TBH eventually the internet streaming will become just like cable. Packages will become a thing, but some company, probably the current cable juggernauts, and then you'll pay them to have your content blacked out over a contract dispute. Then limewire/KaZaa type programs will reemerge to pirate everything... its a vicious cycle.

[Sledgstone 8,672]

Torrenting really died off alot thanks to Netflix, but with all hassle of needing to swap between different apps to view content and commercials starting to become much more prevalent online, torrenting is going to start becoming big again. I was initially thinking about Sling blue package just because of AMC and a couple other channels in it. Outside of cable it looks Sling and PlayStation Vue are the only alternatives to cable that will give me access to AMC. The other benefit of alot of the streaming only services is the reduced or no commercials benefit. The bullshit of it all really falls on the cable companies. If cable doesn't want people to switch to online only they need to offer better plans. If I could get a Sling Blue package with Time Warner I'd be completely content. With Time Warner have the shittiest options for cable. Either get the standard package with no AMC or get the next 2 tier packages that are only separated by about $10. Thats it. Theres no middle ground or options with Time Warner. I want a cable package with no sports. No ESPN, I don't care if I have Disney or not either. As it is I have 200 channels I don't watch and don't need. It seems like such a waste. I'm paying for all these channels and they all have advertisements on top of it. The lure of swapping to streaming only is huge. Even if it only saves me $30 a month, I'd have less commercials.

[Strider Hiryu 2,704]

Torrenting never died for me, I'll be a pirate to the day I die (Yarr!, had to do it ). Honestly I never understood why torrenting died with the advent of streaming services (I mean seriously it's free and the chance of actually getting caught and persecuted is slim to none as no ISP will take you to court unless forced to by the rights holder). Subscribing to Netflix didn't stop my torrenting at all, hell it didn't even put a dent in it. Then again when I was living in Arizona I didn't have cable TV. My roommate and I decided there was no point in paying for TV when we could just download everything we wanted to watch or catch it on Netflix. Then again that's just us and even though I have cable again I prefer to download my stuff so I can watch it when I want without having to pay extra for a DVR so I can do the same. Meh, I guess I'm still an old school internet pirate that can't give up his past ways (then again I do end up buying 90% of the shit I download so I guess I'm a somewhat reformed pirate).

There really never will be a happy medium here as cable companies will never give up their hold on the TV market and will continue to gouge prices. Eventually streaming services will do the same as, like I said, getting the rights to stream things is getting more and more expensive as the years go by (pretty soon Hulu and Amazon will be in the same place as Netflix is now when everyone and their mother has a streaming service for their own shit).

[Sledgstone 8,672]

Since I mentioned apps like Sling, I found out about an app thats been out for a couple years now and I'm just now hearing about it. lol. Anyone use Kodi? Theres a google app and PC app version. Apparently with a couple addons like "1Channel", and others like it, everyone can watch tv and movies for free. Of course none of the sites you can download the addons from call themselves illegal but its pretty obvious to me. It looks like a much simpler way to watch new movies without having to actually turn on a bittorrent program. I didn't think getting illegal movies would be easier than torrents, but now its so simple people just have to click a play button. I blame all these easy ways to watch movies as the main reason every damn movie has subtitle scenes now since subtitles are almost never part of an actual movie rip.

[Strider Hiryu 2,704]

I've heard of it but never used it. In fact I don't think I know anyone that's ever used it (my group of friends are pretty much the same as me, old school internet pirates sailing on the good ship Torrent (she will never sink as long as we keep her afloat  )).

I'm not surprised by it though. Crunchyroll was the same exact way for anime before they went completely legit (well legit but still shady as hell), I used to use them back then when I couldn't find fansubs for something I wanted to watch (it's how I first got into watching Naruto Shippuden, how I first watched Macross 7, and what introduced me to one of my all time favorites Dirty Pair). They offered a HQ stream if you paid a monthly fee but the LQ stuff was still watchable (sadly I paid for the HQ stream back when they weren't legit but I refuse to pay for it now that its legit, there's something fundamentally wrong with that). I honestly wouldn't know if I'd trust this app though, the amount of shit that could go wrong aren't worth the free aspect to it (then again it'd be no worse then dling a torrent off of a shady torrent site).

Edited October 11, 2016 by Strider Hiryu