Netflix has always been on top of the competition. Many people may not remember, but Netflix used to be a DVD renting service, and they still are! They would mail DVD’s that people rented to their houses and once people watched them, they would mail them back. Netflix was one of the first to introduce this idea, and it became very popular. They were leading the competition until Redbox came around. The same idea is happening today. Netflix’s streaming service has been atop of all the competition, but they are starting to fall. Companies like Disney are pulling their movies and television shows from the service, which has its positives and negatives. This does allow for more money to be put toward Netflix’s own original shows, but that is also a negative. While not all of these shows are horrible, most of them are not great. Most consumers are not looking to watch Netflix’s low-budget shows, because they want to watch the high-end quality shows that are advertised everywhere. But not all of the shows are bad.  Shows like Stranger Things have become very popular, drawing in thousands of viewers nationwide. However, just those few shows cannot save a dying company. Netflix needs a big deal, and fast.

Netflix has never really had that much competition, as Amazon Prime Video lacked content and Hulu had advertisements. However, Amazon Prime Video has started to gain recent content, and Hulu’s no-commercials plan starts at only $12 a month. Why this may be quite a lot for some people, Netflix has been raising their prices as well. Hulu has been making the deals that Netflix hasn’t, drawing in big-name shows, and even allows for people to watch each new episode as soon as 24 hours after it airs on live TV! This idea is Netflix’s main issue; when they upload a new season they do it at the end, and people don’t want to wait a whole year to binge a new season. People want everything now, and Hulu gives that to them. If Netflix were able to give consumers the ability to watch episodes sooner rather than later, it’s popularity would boost. People would be watching Stranger Things year round, instead of just the first week that the new season is released. Netflix needs to stagger their release dates so that people are constantly involved in the service. This, surprisingly, helps contain spoilers. Most people don’t have the time to watch ten hours of a show in a weekend, and after that, everything is spoiled for them. However, most people can sit down for around an hour and watch an episode or two.

People want the top shows, now, and Netflix is not giving them that. As different competitors release more big-name shows sooner, Netflix cannot keep up. Do not be surprised if Netflix loses their popularity soon and possibly even goes under.