What’s Leaving and Coming to Netflix in 2022
Image Courtesy of Polygon.com
As we begin to move out of the 2022 year, we move into a time of flux, also known as, the yearly purge of your favorite projects from Netflix.
By this point, everyone knows that Netflix’s digital archive isn’t permanent, with classic and original titles alike coming and going from the platform every month. But from November to December, Netflix tends to clean out their metaphorical store in order to make room for newer projects, such as Glass Onion (2022) and the limited series, Henry & Meghan (2022) coming in the new year.
This month we’re saying goodbye to some classics, such as Mr & Mrs Smith (2005), Clueless (1995), and even It (2017). And these are just a few of the titles set to leave the streaming service this month. The current question though, is if this most recent purge will be worth it to the service in the long run.
As of the third quarter of 2022, Netflix has a total of 223.09 Million subscribers. Compared to previous years, this year hasn’t been that great. The company had predicted that it would add 2.5 million subscribers in Q1 of 2022 but instead, it lost around 1170 million subscribers in the first two quarters of 2022.
But they are recovering, with most of their subscribers staying for big ticket draws such as Stranger Things (2016-) and their most recent release starring Jenna Ortega, Wednesday (2022).
However, their subscriber rates may drop again when Netflix introduces their new ad-based tier system, priced at $6.99/month in the U.S., committing to a big risk especially now that the internet is so saturated with streaming services.
“In short, Basic with Ads is everything people love about Netflix, at a lower price, with a few ads in-between,” said Netflix Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer, Greg Peters.
Many Netflix subscribers expressed their distaste for the plan, especially taking into consideration the various catches that come along with this new plan. Basic with Ads will have lower video quality than Netflix’s Standard and Premium plans. Additionally, Basic with Ads subscribers won’t be able to download shows and movies to their devices for offline viewing, and won’t have access to about 5% to 10% of Netflix’s content catalog because the company will not have the rights to show those programs with commercials. Those who sign up for the ad tier will also need to provide their date of birth and gender, as Netflix eventually plans to use that demographic data to target ads.
However, with big ticket draws also coming this month, the streaming service seems to be throwing all of their eggs into one basket in hopes to raise their subscriber revenue in the new year. But whether or not this will all be worth it still remains to be seen.
You can read the full list of what’s leaving Netflix in 2022 at whats-on-netflix.com.
