Netflix cancellations

[imoldernu]

You may have noticed... Dozens of Netflix movies and especially TV shows were cancelled as of Jan. 1, 2017, including my two favorite "go to sleep with" series, "Murder She Wrote" and "Columbo".

The $10/mo. cost isn't so bad, but with the wide range or Free Roku shows available, and the "free" offerings on Amazon Prime, I'll probably cancel Netflix.

Living in a CCRC complex, I found that most of the residents favor the re-runs of old shows on some of the PBS channels, and MeTV. My guess is that Netflix may have shot themselves in the foot by cancelling the vintage shows.
YMMV. I can't get used to newer network series... too dark, shallow, noisy, and pushing my old fashioned moral standards.

Here's the list of shows that are no longer available.

[url=http://www.justjared.com/2016/12/16/leaving-netflix-in-january-2017-heres-the-full-list/]Leaving Netflix in January 2017 – Here’s the Full List! | Movies, Netflix, Television : Just Jared[/URL]

 

[Dawg52]

I cancelled Netflix sometime ago. I Like Prime just as well and enjoy all the other benefits. I'll probably subscribe to Netflix here and there to watch a couple of series I have followed. That's the good thing about a month to month pay system.

 

[Meadbh]

I cancelled Netflix sometime ago. I Like Prime just as well and enjoy all the other benefits. I'll probably subscribe to Netflix here and there to watch a couple of series I have followed. That's the good thing about a month to month pay system.

+1

 

[stepford]

Netflix seems to have delusions of remaking itself into a premium original content provider like HBO or AMC - to the detriment of maintaining its catalog of movies. What little is left over from their production budget seems to be spent on licensing cheap grade Z dreck to pad their list and make it appear they still have a decent number of shows available.

I was still coughing up the $8/month just from inertia and the increase to $10 was my trigger to dump. I haven't missed them.

PS. If you want older TV give Hulu Plus a try. Lots of older stuff on there.

 

[growing_older]

I enjoy seeing old series but find I can get them from my library on DVD pretty easily. I like Netflix for the ever changing new and original content. Also, there are websites that will tell you in advance what shows are going on and off Netflix each month.

 

[FUEGO]

I'm still enjoying Netflix immensely and don't mind the loss of some old shows (haven't felt the pain yet). They add enough new content to keep it fresh.

We just started watching The Office (US version) after taking a break for many years. Not bad for the $5 per month we pay (we share an account with my mom). Our kids also enjoy it and they are able to watch it on any of the six computers in the house or on their tablets or on the TVs with media players attached. It's approximately 1000x better than cable TV (no commercials; always on demand; flexible viewing options around the house and around the globe) at just a few percent of the cost.

 

[Sojourner]

You may have noticed... Dozens of Netflix movie and especially TV shows were cancelled as of Jan. 1, 2017

"Cancelled" isn't quite the right word. Netflix had contracts with the owners of these movies and TV shows to allow the shows to be available to Netflix subscribers for a certain period, and those contracts expired. This happens constantly at Netflix and all the others Internet video providers like Hulu, Amazon, etc. New movies and shows roll in, and ones that have been available for several years roll out. That doesn't mean those shows won't ever be back. Just means Netflix has to prioritize and shuffle things around, all the while trying to strike the best licensing deals with content owners. Sometimes a particular content owner might be asking for an unreasonably high fee for continuing to have its shows on Netflix, so the business-savvy folks at Netflix play hardball and let the licensing deal expire. Often, this brings the content owner back to the table after a while, and then a deal gets done for a more reasonable price.

 

[W2R]

I don't subscribe to Netflix, but Frank does, and we live right next door to each other, so.... Anyway, I don't think Netflix cares if my TV is connected to his Netflix now and then. Actually I don't use Netflix at all, except when he is over here. We each have Amazon Prime, too, and he has Hulu.

Between those three, and our excellent OTA stations, he seems to have access to plenty of shows that he likes. Periodically he will tell me mournfully that some show is ending on Netflix, but he always finds another that he enjoys nearly as much.

As for me, I never seem to get around to watching TV at all, except when he is over here and wants to watch something. For some reason I am never at a loss for leisure activities and sources of entertainment in retirement. What a great life.

 

[FIREmenow]

"Cancelled" isn't quite the right word. Netflix had contracts with the owners of these movies and TV shows to allow the shows to be available to Netflix subscribers for a certain period, and those contracts expired. This happens constantly at Netflix and all the others Internet video providers like Hulu, Amazon, etc. New movies and shows roll in, and ones that have been available for several years roll out. That doesn't mean those shows won't ever be back. Just means Netflix has to prioritize and shuffle things around, all the while trying to strike the best licensing deals with content owners. Sometimes a particular content owner might be asking for an unreasonably high fee for continuing to have its shows on Netflix, so the business-savvy folks at Netflix play hardball and let the licensing deal expire. Often, this brings the content owner back to the table after a while, and then a deal gets done for a more reasonable price.

On thing I thought was interesting - I noticed that sometimes they would have an entire season of a particular series except one or two shows. I was told that this happens sometimes because they weren't able to get a license for just one of the musical songs that just happened to be used during that one show.

 

[Focus]

I'm really impressed with Hulu. I find much more of interest there than on Amazon Prime or Netflix. In just a few weeks, I plan to cut the cord and ditch the DVR.

 

[Dawg52]

I'm really impressed with Hulu. I find much more of interest there than on Amazon Prime or Netflix. In just a few weeks, I plan to cut the cord and ditch the DVR.

Hula is suppose to have a package similar to Sling and PS Vue soon. Including their regular VOD for under $40.

 

[Cobra9777]

We use both Netflix and Amazon Prime. DW watches them far more than I do. We also subscribe to Curiosity Stream, which is what I watch most of the time. It's a $5/mo "add-on" to Amazon Prime that offers high-quality documentaries and series related to science, technology, history, etc. Very good programs that interest me far more than fictional TV shows. Any way you slice it, the ad-free subscription model is a real win for consumers vs the typical cable triple-play rip-off.

 

[Chuckanut]

I like Netflix the best, followed by Amazon Prime video, and I top them off with FREE OTA TV. Yes, I have a simple flat-wave indoor antenna that gives me pretty good reception. I have hooked the TV and the antenna to a Tivo Roamio OTA DVR so I can record shows for later viewing, pause them while watching them, skip commercials on many prime-time shows, fast forward and reverse. I paid a bit extra to get the lifetime guide for my Tivo (the unit's lifetime not mine) so there are no monthly fees for using the Tivo.

As I write this I am watching an NFL playoff game broadcast OTA for free. One of the many commercials is on and I have paused the playback. When I am done writing this response, I will FF and skip the commercial. Very nice.

 

[Focus]

Hula is suppose to have a package similar to Sling and PS Vue soon. Including their regular VOD for under $40.

I'm happy with Hulu's $11.99 commercial-free plan. No interest in paying $28 more for live TV.

 

[audreyh1]

I'm happy with Hulu's $11.99 commercial-free plan. No interest in paying $28 more for live TV.

Is it really commercial free now?

 

[Focus]

Is it really commercial free now?

Yep, with a handful of exceptions (none of which are shows I watch) that have a single commercial before and after. From their site:

For a small number of shows, however, we have not obtained the rights to stream commercial free and they are not included in our No Commercials Add-on. You can still easily access these shows with a short commercial before and after each episode with no interruptions during the episode. Specific shows that still have commercials accessible through the No Commercials Add-on will be noted throughout the signup, switching and playback experience. While the list of shows may change, they are currently: Grey’s Anatomy, Once Upon a Time, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Scandal, Grimm, New Girl, and How To Get Away With Murder.

 

[Dash man]

I like Netflix, but had my account hijacked yesterday. Someone hacked my account, changed the email address, password, telephone number and upgraded to the four screen ultra HD package. Fortunately Netflix sent out the change emails to the old email address (mine) and I was able to call them to get things cleared up. They could only identify my account by the credit card used to pay the monthly fee. Now I have a much longer and more difficult password. I think I'll be changing all my passwords this week.

 

[Dawg52]

I'm happy with Hulu's $11.99 commercial-free plan. No interest in paying $28 more for live TV.

No problem, just letting you know. I'm pretty sure it comes with dvr as does my PS Vue. I record and skip through the commercials. Main reason I have Vue is for all the sports channels. Got to have the Golf Channel. If I didn't care for those, I would probably be Prime and Netflix only.

 

[jimbee]

Artificial scarcity.

 

[Sittinginthesun]

Love Netflix and think its a great bargain. Currently halfway through season one of The Crown and think its very well done. Just got Amazon Prime video here in Canada and enjoying a couple of their series right now - Red Oaks was good and Man in the High Castle I am on episode 2. Not much content yet but they just launched in Canada last month.

 

[John Galt III]

Does anyone still pay to watch live TV with so many commercials?

 

[Dawg52]

Does anyone still pay to watch live TV with so many commercials?

According to these stats....around 100 million households.

https://nocable.org/learn/cable-tv-cord-cutting-statistics

 

[bUU]

Netflix seems to have delusions of remaking itself into a premium original content provider like HBO or AMC

To be fair, they're succeeding. Quite surprisingly (to me), Netflix, Amazon and Hulu are producing a substantial amount of the acknowledged best television available. Two of five Golden Globe nominees for best drama series are from Netflix. Two of five Golden Globe nominees for best comedy series are from Amazon. Everything in this industry is a balancing act: What is the very best utilization of the available capital? Every dollar invested (in this case in either production or licensing) must necessarily compete with every other way that dollar can be invested.

I'm gauging when we're going to add Netflix, taking into consideration when I figure we'll need the (original) content and when we'll have time to watch the content. We've almost exhausted Amazon's offerings (working our way through Goliath now), and looking forward to the winter we see about 265 hours less television of interest (to us) from traditional sources (PBS, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, USA, FX, TNT, Syfy, BBCA, WGN, etc.) as compared to past winters, underscoring just how much of a migration of quality there has been from traditional sources to streaming exclusives.

According to these stats....around 100 million households.

So still more than 90%, but the real question is whether they're watching the commercials or just skipping over them.

 

[Chuckanut]

Don't forget that Netflix still has its disk plan.

Many shows are available on the disks since, unlike streaming Netflix simply has to buy the disks. They don't need to negotiate with the content owner over the right to send us a disk. They just buy the disks and put them in the mail.

 

[COcheesehead]

I cancelled Netflix. Outside of a handful of good movies, the rest are dreadful and not worth the price. We now use Comcast on Demand for free TV/movies or rent the occasional movie. There is also the .99 cent movie of the week on iTunes. We see better shows and pay less for the frequency that we use it.