Old-fashioned stubbornness may have doomed Netflix, from sticking with the binge model to early cancelations

Vulture

"Netflix got where it is by being a classic disruptor," says Josef Adalian. But the ideas that made Netflix great may be hurting the streaming service in 2022. "Take the binge model, for example," says Adalian. "It is core to the company’s DNA, and many, many viewers do prefer not to wait between episodes. But millions of viewers also love the idea of appointment TV, and what’s more, as Netflix struggles to make more hits, a weekly release model extends the shelf life of a show and helps build word of mouth. While Netflix has taken small steps to evolve its release model, particularly with unscripted shows, it refuses to experiment with weekly releases on its original scripted shows. One exec at rival streamer I talked with yesterday believes this is a huge mistake, if only because it makes it harder for Netflix to build those reliable franchises it so desperately needs more of....Netflix is further eroding its connection to audiences through its unwritten mandate to end the vast majority of its new shows after no more than three seasons, with only the very biggest (or most cost-efficient) scripted hits lasting longer. Execs seem to have decided that churning out more new shows in a bid to find massive hits is a better use of money than producing more seasons of shows people love but perhaps aren’t as globally popular as the streamer wants...The common thread here is that Netflix execs have become so convinced of the superiority of their platform, they have become resistant to evolving it, even as the competitive landscape has dramatically changed. A company that was once ahead of the curve now finds itself playing catch-up as a result."

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