In the United States, since 2015, Netflix has removed no less than 1,735 films from its platform. If some of them have simply not had their broadcasting rights renewed, the firm has on the other hand a very clear strategy: all these films have been replaced by original productions. A strategy that is paying off since the latter largely dominate the ranking of the most viewed content.
Since its beginnings in the world of streaming, Netflix has changed a lot to become the juggernaut we know today. During the 2010s, the platform built up an immense popularity rating – nevertheless increasingly contested – thanks to its quality catalog which quickly rivaled traditional television channels. Even today, many films and series regularly join the service.
However, the figures show that films, in particular, are increasingly shunned by Netflix. According to data from the What’s On Netflix? site, the American version of the platform currently has 3015. However, in 2015, there were a total of 4752. So 1735 films have disappeared from the catalog, a loss of 35%. This figure may seem huge at first glance, but it is much more understandable once put into context.
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Netflix is parting with almost half of its catalog in favor of its original productions
Indeed, during the same period, Netflix has greatly developed its section of original content. Just see the current ranking of the 10 most viewed films on the platform. Among them, 7 are Netflix-stamped films. In total, the latter collected 158 million hours of viewing. Suffice to say that the internal productions work, in addition to making the firm a major player in world cinema.
However, this strategy comes at a cost, in a literal sense. After years of rumors, the platform should soon have a new cheaper subscription, but which will include advertisements. In addition to financing its productions, this novelty will also serve to compensate for the massive loss of subscribers recorded by Netflix over the past year. A loss that had many consequences, including the cancellation of several series.
