Netflix’s Tug-of-War with Quantity and Quality

Open Netflix today and two things will jump out at you: Super-cheesy Hallmark-style movies and cringe-worthy teenage angst.

Netflix’s appeal greatly relies on its large variety of titles and currently displays 13,900 films and television shows across all international libraries. 

The company’s priority appears to be producing enough content so that there is something for everyone at any point. It has become a trend where Netflix chooses quantity and variety over quality, a strategy that operates on creating however much of anything that will make them money. No matter how cheap or ridiculous the content may be. 

Admittedly, it is financially impossible for any streaming service to continuously produce high quality titles such as House of Cards, or the new Queens Gambit. However, Netflix fills in the gaps with uninspiring writing and low-budget content knowing that something, somewhere will gain a following. 

HBO, on the other hand, likes to be considered “the quality cable choice,” according to the I Hate It But I Love It podcast co-host, Kat Angus. HBO subscribers must wait between the production of each high quality television series because they only make about seven or eight a year. In the meantime, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic, Netflix makes sure that audiences will turn to their streaming service where there is no shortage of content to meet anyone’s basic entertainment needs. 

The amount of B-movies and television has only increased since the pandemic started at the end of March. In April alone, Netflix Originals such as The Main Event, Rising High, and Love, Wedding, Repeat, saw lukewarm reviews from critics (under 40% each on Rotten Tomatoes), but received decent audience scores. Too Hot to Handle was particularly popular among audiences that month, but was achingly mind-numbing as a whole. Coffee with Kareem also featured several tender moments that resonated with viewers, but its rather tone-deaf handling of race was not appreciated by critics.

According to Kat, there is an escapist element to this new, mediocre content on Netflix. Since the pandemic, she said, “people want to watch shows that are funny, but also kind and lovely. I think [reality shows like] Too Hot to Handle were the perfect way for people to distract themselves.” 

Canadian film critic Bill Brioux noted that Netflix’s business model is to “launch as many new shows as [they] can because the metrics show that people really respond to new.” Especially during our current climate, where televisions have almost become a necessity in every home, people are flying through show after show. Even if the quality of the content they are consuming is compromised, Netflix expertly utilizes the precious wait time between each series HBO releases. 

According to Bill, the “smart money” was on Netflix for having thousands of options ready for people when the pandemic hit. “I think a lot of people are signing up and watching HBO shows then cutting their subscription,” he said. “Whereas [with] Netflix, people are more like ‘Well, it took me 20 minutes to find something I want, but at least I did find it’.”  

Kat noted that Netflix makes all of their decisions based on the data they receive on a show, rather than the quality and subjective elements within it. She explained that a lot of programs get cancelled after the second or third season “because [it is no longer] bringing in any more viewers and the showrunners will probably ask for a raise.” Instead, Netflix orders an abundance of new shows to try out with audiences. This model works perfectly in the pandemic, where the appeal for new content has been heightened, according to Bill.  

Very soon Netflix will also be increasing their monthly subscription price by one dollar, from $13 to $14. Why? Because they are releasing even more content. 

Bill’s theory is that Netflix has already overspent in the billions in the last six years, and it is even harder to produce quality titles in the pandemic. “The company exists in 150 different territories. I think even they have limits,” Bill said. “As long as they can throw something at you that is new, it doesn’t always have to be Game of Thrones quality.”

Netflix is also up against rising streaming services such as Amazon’s Prime Video and Disney Plus. Both are big players with enormous inventories. Bill noted that “Netflix – in trying to maintain its lead as this giant content machine – is spending less per project.” As a result, a certain level of quality is forfeited in order to keep the company in line with its competitors. 

Kat touched on the future of Netflix’s trend of producing myriads of mediocre content. She predicts that streaming services are going to see what people are interested in now and will likely program at least the next year or so based on that data. As previously mentioned, a lot of currently popular entertainment is easily digestible and functions as a break from the harsh reality. 

What is noteworthy is that this is not the first time we’ve seen a trend like this. The most popular genres of film that emerged during the Great Depression were musicals and screwball-comedies. Audiences craved that brief respite from the harrowing challenges of everyday life, rather than having their upsetting realities reflected back to them on the big screen. 

Beyond the pandemic, Bill noted that Netflix is working on producing more content for young children and the elderly (such as new seasons of The Kaminsky Method and Grace and Frankie). Therefore everyone in the household is likely to find something to entertain them. 

As Bill put it, major streaming services will continue to ensure that they maintain their audiences’ loyalty for as long as possible — from “cradle to grave”.