Netflix and subscriber services and RMR...

[Grimlakin]

We all know the streaming services are stock market darlings because they create vast amounts of RMR (Recurring Monthly Revenue.) and that is a metric that investors love for security purposes. (Same reason publicly traded security companies like Brinks or ADT never seem to go away it's all about the RMR.)

Netflix is pulling all kinds of subscriber shenanigans to get around this issue and increase their RMR, from raising prices, to performance tiers for streamers (4k and so on). To coming down on password sharing rings. (As if they are Sepoula rings.) And in so doing they are damaging their subscriber base but maintaining RMR through minutely increased prices. And honestly I think I know a better way.

Subscription length/show release tiers. Really just two tiers.

New shows release for everyone at the same time. At least that first episode.

If you have a existing subscription in good standing with at least 3 months of history, congratulations you get the entire show all episodes released day 1.

If you don't you get 1 a week on whatever weekly release cadence they want to maintain.

You can elect to wait to sub of course until the show is complete and gain access to the entire series then. But it's after the hype has faded.

They could even if they wanted to be a bit nasty... the new subs get the new shows released in the past year 1 week at a time as the non historical subs did. (I would laugh at this... and even give a golf clap because it's only a tiny bit nasty.)

That way you curtail the sub to watch a season only once it is out. And if the shows actually are good the cost to get them all at once is just a continued subscription.

Heck you could even add the option to buy access to all released content for a 1 time 3 month sub fee. (that includes a 3 month sub where you get the historical subscriber benefit for that entire time period and maintain it once the time for that piece expires at regular sub costs.)


Problem... largely solved for the established streaming companies. I honestly don't see how they haven't considered or tried this yet.

 

[David_Schroth]

Right now, I get most of my streaming free - Netflix (via T-Mobile), HBO Max (via ATT Fiber, for however long that lasts) and Apple+ (via T-Mobile). I pay for a Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ bundle at $13.99 a month (Amazon prime doesn't exactly count as I'd have prime anyway). Quite frankly, I'm not willing to pay for all 4 at the same time for the amount that gets watched. When those free deals end, I'll just subscribe to whatever service has a month's worth of shows I want to watch at a time and be done with it.

That being said - I would not be motivated at all to play the game for earlier access to content. I have plenty of other things to do with my time, and since I'm cheap, I'll wait until there's 2-3 serieses I can burn through in a month and re-sub at that point. Streaming has (mostly) killed the whole watercooler talk about each week's episode since they mostly all release at the same time. There's no common bonding experience or social motivator to push people to nom the stuff right away.

 

[MadMummy76]

Problem... largely solved for the established streaming companies. I honestly don't see how they haven't considered or tried this yet.

That is one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. They sell subscriptions by word of mouth and trends of successful shows. If a new subscriber can only watch older content they shoot themselves in the foot with a fricken atomic bomb. Imagine a new show starts trending, and a bunch of non-subscribers want in on the action. Oh but, as a noob you have to wait to see the show, ok then, to the high seas we go...

They can't get new subscribers under the current rules, so how does coming up with worse rules for new subscribers helps them?

Also what if I just pause my subscription for whatever reason? Then I'm back to peasant status. Nobody wants a tiered system, not even you, you just don't know it yet. Social credit score on netflix. All they need to do is put up content worth watching so people don't want to cancel. When did trying to trick your customers into a model that is not beneficial to them ever work?


The solution to the streaming problem is one unified platform with a single flat fee. Where you have access to all content from disney, amazon, ntflx, etc, and the revenue is distributed based on minutes watched. If I watched 90% netflix and 10% amazon produced shows, then 90% of my subscription fee goes to netflix that month. That's it. This would also incentivise the studios to do better shows and not politically motivated dogpoop.

 

[Grimlakin]

That is one of the worst ideas I've ever heard. They sell subscriptions by word of mouth and trends of successful shows. If a new subscriber can only watch older content they shoot themselves in the foot with a fricken atomic bomb. Imagine a new show starts trending, and a bunch of non-subscribers want in on the action. Oh but, as a noob you have to wait to see the show, ok then, to the high seas we go...

They can't get new subscribers under the current rules, so how does coming up with worse rules for new subscribers helps them?

Also what if I just pause my subscription for whatever reason? Then I'm back to peasant status. Nobody wants a tiered system, not even you, you just don't know it yet. Social credit score on netflix. All they need to do is put up content worth watching so people don't want to cancel. When did trying to trick your customers into a model that is not beneficial to them ever work?


The solution to the streaming problem is one unified platform with a single flat fee. Where you have access to all content from disney, amazon, ntflx, etc, and the revenue is distributed based on minutes watched. If I watched 90% netflix and 10% amazon produced shows, then 90% of my subscription fee goes to netflix that month. That's it. This would also incentivise the studios to do better shows and not politically motivated dogpoop.

Maybe you missed out on the comprehension of what I said, OR I said it wrong.

Long term subscribers get the entire series all at once, new subscribers get it based on the original cadence release of the show. (Until you hit the 3 month subscribed window.) OR you pre purchase a 3 month subscription tier.

I hope that makes more sense.

 

[MadMummy76]

Maybe you missed out on the comprehension of what I said, OR I said it wrong.

Long term subscribers get the entire series all at once, new subscribers get it based on the original cadence release of the show. (Until you hit the 3 month subscribed window.) OR you pre purchase a 3 month subscription tier.

I hope that makes more sense.

That is exactly as I understand it. Existing subscribers get the show instantly. New ones have to wait or pay more. How does that help netflix? You certainly won't get more subscribers by introducing worse conditions for new/returning customers.

 

[Grimlakin]

That is exactly as I understand it. Existing subscribers get the show instantly. New ones have to wait or pay more. How does that help netflix? You certainly won't get more subscribers by introducing worse conditions for new/returning customers.

They get the show.... 1 week at a time. They don't 'Not get the show". They get it like any other short term subscriber or new subscriber did/would.

How does it help netflix?
People get FOMO for no reason these days. Mellenials will have accounts just so they get the entire show all at once. It will encourage more 'good' content that gets buzz online so people buy the 3 month package, or maintain subscriptions for the next big release. So they can binge it all at once all the time. All of that = more money for Netflix (or any other streamer that does the same thing.) as long as they have content people WANT. (and will call need.) Then they can keep the subscription monthly costs down by eliminating shared Netflix accounts that are overly abused. And have more people maintaining longer subscriptions and not just dropping and coming back for the next 'must watch' show once a quarter.

 

[MadMummy76]

They get the show.... 1 week at a time. They don't 'Not get the show". They get it like any other short term subscriber or new subscriber did/would.

That is exactly the point. They get the show later than everybody else who is already subscribed, by the time they finish it, nobody is talking about it, it is out of public discussion, the media buzz has died down, nobody cares anymore. So this is not really a choice. Either they pirate the show if they want in on the discussion (FOMO) or they pay for your higher tier. This is supposed to help netflix get more subscribers, how exactly, by requiring them to pay more than the current entry price?

How does it help netflix?
People get FOMO for no reason these days. Mellenials will have accounts just so they get the entire show all at once. It will encourage more 'good' content that gets buzz online so people buy the 3 month package, or maintain subscriptions for the next big release. So they can binge it all at once all the time. All of that = more money for Netflix (or any other streamer that does the same thing.) as long as they have content people WANT. (and will call need.) Then they can keep the subscription monthly costs down by eliminating shared Netflix accounts that are overly abused. And have more people maintaining longer subscriptions and not just dropping and coming back for the next 'must watch' show once a quarter.

So basically you are saying the way to success is making content that more people actually want to see. There would be no need for anything else to keep and gain subscribers if that criteria was met in the first place.

 

[Grimlakin]

So basically you are saying the way to success is making content that more people actually want to see. There would be no need for anything else to keep and gain subscribers if that criteria was met in the first place.

I am saying both. If they had the pattern to deliver content the wouldn't have to have monthly super shows.. just something pretty good once a quarter.