Go ahead and cancel your membership, Netflix will be fine.
Ever since word got out about Netflix’s new password sharing rule, people online have been freaking out. I keep seeing user generated content (social media posts) and news articles where the comment section is just riddled with clueless paranoid Netflix users. From college students, to divorcees, to people who are using someone else’s password, there is no shortage of “backlash” and “venting” online.
All I see on a daily basis is dozens, if not hundreds, of people leaving comments such as:
“Bye bye Netflix.”
“Netflix is the new Blockbuster.”
“Netflix is going bankrupt now.”
“Get woke go broke.”
“Netflix stock will drop.”
If you are one of these people, then I’m sorry to be the bearer of ‘bad’ news…because none of that is going to happen.
The people online are a tiny sample size, and do not represent the larger population. If it appears otherwise to you, you might be caught in a vacuum.
How do I know?
In the first quarter of 2023, Netflix’s total revenue was about $8.16 billion dollars, which was up from about $7.9 billion in the 4th quarter of 2022.
They beat the projected amount of revenue. Despite new pricing and password sharing policies.
For the 4th Quarter of 2022, Netflix projected it would add 4.5 million new subscribers. They ended up adding 7.7 million new subscribers.
They beat the projected amount of new subscribers. Despite new pricing and password sharing policies.
So what happened in the 1st Quarter of 2023, when Netflix launched the new lower cost, ad-supported tiers, to contrast its new higher cost Premium package? Did they lose subscribers?
Nope! They gained 1.7 million new subscribers in the 1st quarter of 2023. That equates to a 4.9% year-over-year growth in subscribers.
The stock is up, despite new pricing and password sharing policies.
But wait, there’s more!
There is another subset of comments online that expose the fact that people haven’t bothered to actually read Netflix’s policies, yet are quick on the keyboard to make up scenarios in their heads. Like these:
“I own multiple houses, now I need multiple accounts.” (Must be nice.)
“I travel every month, so does this mean I cannot take it with me on my devices or watch in hotels?” (Yes, you can.)
Come on people, haven’t you ever heard of the internet, where you can get more information than you could ever process?! There is no shortage of articles explaining what the new Netflix policy is all about. (This is not one of them.) Not to mention Netflix has their own website with information.
People just love to make up fake scenarios to be victimized by. Jeez! Why stress yourself out like that? What ever happened to “do your homework”? Do people just not do that anymore?
Those are all valid questions to ask but, not in the comment section of a random Instagram post of some person you’ve never met. Go find the answer. Relax. So many people are getting worked up over scenarios that are not even real.
What happened to critical thinking, problem solving, research, and due diligence?
Forget hard technical skills like coding...the future is thinking.
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