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Netflix Canada discussion

73K views 210 replies 53 participants last post by  David1953 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
"The Flash" on Netflix Canada?

My apologies if this is the wrong place for it, but can someone tell me why Netflix Canada has not uploaded the two most recent episodes of The Flash? With CTV dropping the series there's no other way to watch it in Canada(unless you watch it on The CW).
 
#2 ·
We moved your thread to the " Internet Television: Streaming Services including Netflix and Apple TV" section and made it a sticky for general Netflix discussion.

I did a search and found this response on Twitter. At least they're aware of the problem.

Nov 23 - where’s the flash episode?? and why aren’t you addressing it?

@Netflixhelps
Hey there! It looks like we don't have any info just yet but we'll keep ya updated with our social media pages, just keep an 👀 out for any announcements! #staytuned http://bit.ly/2DSw05G *CH
 
#7 ·
I just do not understand the mindset of TV services. In the non-bizarro land more competition and more choice for consumers usually means lower pricing
and special deals to keep customers and attract new ones. In TV-land it means higher prices and service and perk cuts. Netflix soon will be losing a lot of content
to Disney. Lets jack up prices by 40% to keep customers!!
 
#8 ·
I don't get it either. This is a whopping 30% increase for me. I thought the same as you, more competition means better pricing. But no, it means a 30% increase.

WTF??

Is Disney + coming to Canada as well or will it only be availble in the U.S.A. at first?

Mr.6
 
#10 ·
Netflix new price of $16.99 a month for HD Streaming is really pushing that cancel button.
There 4k programming is really limited and is not much better then there regular HD.
The sound quality is still poor ,the 5~1 mix has no dynamic range at all,so you have to choose the Stereo option just to hear the dialogue.
My biggest beef is still the old picture browser with the same programs listed in many category's.
Why they just don't list every program they have A to Z with just a short text description.
I can see hitting the cancel button this spring again ;)
 
#11 ·
I agree it is cheaper. But like Blintok said usually more competition equals better pricing.

I think they saw that Cravetv + is $20.00 and they said to themselves we can add $3.00 to the price and still be cheaper. That must be the competition they are talking about.

Did pricing go up in other countries as well?

Mr.6
 
#12 ·
Netflix Eyeing Total of About 700 Original Series in 2018

Netflix, set to spend upwards of $8 billion on content in 2018, will have in the neighborhood of 700 original TV shows on the service worldwide this year, according to CFO David Wells.
Netflix spends more on content than anyone else on the internet — and many TV networks, too

Netflix will probably spend more in 2019.

Netflix in the US costs:
Basic (streaming) US$8 = CDN$10.62
Standard (streaming) US$11 = CDN$14.60
Premium (streaming) US$14 = CDN$18.58

For years, Netflix has been discounting its Canadian service by the amount of the US/Canadian dollar exchange rate. The new increases just brings the rates closer to US levels when the exchange rate is factored in. It's still a bargain compared to the US Netflix and to most other streaming services.
 
#13 ·
The sound quality is still poor ,the 5~1 mix has no dynamic range at all,so you have to choose the Stereo option just to hear the dialogue.
That's probably either the content, the streaming rate or the home platform. Some Netflix shows are the best sounding TV have ever heard. For example, the intro to Netflix’s House of Cards using a Chromecast over a high speed internet connection sounds spectacular. Using a PC browser is not nearly as good due to the downgrading of the sound format for that platform. Some platforms limit video quality as well, as has been reported by users of Netflix on Fibe boxes.
 
#14 ·
My wife has Netflix, and I do watch it "sometimes" like maybe 2 to 3 times a month. Its not bad but yeah not many people are too crazy about original netflix content, some people still prefer to have a variety of content from other sources too like me. I would even pay Double for it if they are able to do this but we know whats going to happen, every content creator will create its own Over The Top streaming service, and we will be back to square one and cable will revamp a bit and start to look very attractive and competitive..
 
#16 ·
IMHO, Netflix is generating more high quality TV content than any other content producer, including Disney. Like the Haunting of House Hill (I just finished that series); it was very well done. In the "bad old days" of cable, nobody was producing as much high quality content as Netflix does. Most of the "big TV networks" were producing a handful of very mediocre scripted series, one or two good scripted series, and a lot of slop (e.g. reality TV shows).

Plus, you only got to see one episode a week, had to deal with advertising, and you often needed proprietary hardware to view the content. Oh, and it cost much(!) more than even Netflix new (higher) prices.

I don't miss cable. At $14 CAD/month Netflix is still a steal. I figure Netflix is probably going to increase their new content spend and they need more revenue.
 
#17 ·
I don't have an issue with Netflix, yeah it produces Content good for them, but its also content that the majority of us have never watched before cus it never existed outside of netflix. So I hope you understand where I'm coming from. Not everyone can simply "Forget" or "give up" on their favourite tv shows or programs they are used to watching on cable or antenna, and simply sign up to Netflix and move forward in life as nothing has changed. Its a BIG change, some people mite "like" the change in programming, some people might absolutely hate it. The people who hate netflix cus it does not have stuff they like or are interested in, there is absolutely nothing wrong with them, they are very smart people who actually have a unique but perfect taste in television that Netflix is NOT smart enough to cater to. Just because its High Quality Content, does not mean its Content that Everybody wants to watch or enjoy. Disney was also high quality too and my kids loved disney movies on Netflix but they are going to be Very Sad that it will be gone for good. Just because Disney is moving their content to their own Over The Top Streaming platform does not mean everyone will jump ship and sign up either, a lot of people have tough choices to make, should they keep netflix, should they scale back, should they sign up for Disney Plus + or what ever they decide to call it? or should they go with another company? pretty soon the price of over the top streaming services will add up to what you were paying for with cable already or close to it.
 
#18 ·
I've never subscribed to Netflix - the reason I don't is that they provide the content I'm interested to other service providers or on DVD/Blu-Ray.

If they kept the content on their platform, I would need to subscribe, but since I can pick up a DVD of Trailer Park Boys, Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, and many other "Netflix" exclusive shows for a couple bucks and resell it for the same to the next person, why would I pay a monthly fee?

Some older shows are showing up on OTA now. Even House of Cards when it was popular was going to be on CHCH before Kevin Spacey's problems.

I just think they are losing a lot of revenue from people like myself who don't mind waiting to save a lot of money - if they didn't release their content elsewhere, it would force me to subscribe.
 
#25 ·
I just think they are losing a lot of revenue from people like myself who don't mind waiting to save a lot of money - if they didn't release their content elsewhere, it would force me to subscribe.
On the other hand 1) how much are they making from licensing content and selling DVDs to people who would never subscribe anyway? And 2) how many people do they lure in to subscribing by giving them a taste of their Netflix Originals that way?

It's not difficult to see where this is headed. Netflix $14 + Crave $20 + Amazon Prime $8 + PBS Passport $6 + Britbox (BBC+ITV) $8 + CBC $6 + CBS $6 / Hulu $10-$16 + AMC Premiere $6 + TCM Filmstruck $8 + FXNow $6 + Disney $? +++
People like to cite this kind of thing as an example of how cord cutting doesn't actually save money, but it's a bit of a fallacy. First of all, how many people actually want all of the services? Most people pick a few that interest them and don't bother with the rest.

Secondly, even if you do want all the services, do you want them all at the same time? With most of these services you can add and drop them on a monthly basis and mix and match depending on what you want to watch. And of course that's not even accounting for the password sharing that a great many people use to share costs on these services.

If you're the edge case who watches a ton of TV every week and needs all the channels then streaming services aren't going to be great for you. But there's fantastic news: a cable subscription is going to be an excellent deal for you! For everyone else, these services may be a better option.

They are still missing out on live news, live sports, the weather, local community programming, local affairs, local multicultural programming affairs, etc. specific targeted content that people want like renovation shows, home improvement, multicultural, local sports, etc. when this happens call me.
Netflix is betting on a younger generation who get live news and weather through the internet, and has no interest in watching it on TV. Most sports are moving to streaming services themselves. I don't know if Netflix has any home renovation shows (I've never looked, but I know they have cooking shows) but if not there are other services that do. They do have multicultural programming, but I don't know what you mean specifically there. I'm deeply concerned about local programming of all kinds, but that's not Netflix's business model.

But it sounds like you like what you get through your cable package. If you're hoping that Netflix can replace everything that you get through your cable package for $15/month, then I think you're misunderstanding what Netflix is.
 
#19 ·
It's not difficult to see where this is headed. Netflix $14 + Crave $20 + Amazon Prime $8 + PBS Passport $6 + Britbox (BBC+ITV) $8 + CBC $6 + CBS $6 / Hulu $10-$16 + AMC Premiere $6 + TCM Filmstruck $8 + FXNow $6 + Disney $? +++

Netflix is one of the better players since all of its content is available immediately and it's spending the bulk of its money on new original content. As such it's considered a premium service and can command premium prices. Lists for TV premieres of new programming are dominated by Netflix. By comparison, Crave and HBO spend a lot of their money on purchasing second run movies from studios. Most other services pale in comparison. Some services don't even make their current programming available and charge $6 or more for a limited selection of programming that has been syndicated and aired on TV for decades.

That said, Netflix is far from being a complete selection of the best or new programming available. It's programming is very eclectic and most of it won't appeal to everyone. Most broadcasters produce a limited selection of high quality programming each year. To get a complete selection of the best programming that appeals to all tastes, access to a wide variety of broadcasters is necessary. Cable television always excelled at that. Then OTT services arrived and siphoned off some of the best content. Now we need cable plus OTT to access everything we want to see.
 
#20 ·
Netflix also admitted they offered their streaming service at a discount to you for the last few years to increase their subscriber base and popularity, this resulted them operating at a loss for the last few years. If any of you have been paying attention to the News, it means Netflix has increased their prices recently and may continue to do further increases to now become profitable. I suspect other streaming services are doing the same, so its only a matter of time now that in the next 2 years or so, the price of 2 streaming services will cost you as much as a basic or entry level cable tv or satellite tv or iptv solution would cost, and please do not forget "ton of exclusive high quality content" =/= better. They are still missing out on live news, live sports, the weather, local community programming, local affairs, local multicultural programming affairs, etc. specific targeted content that people want like renovation shows, home improvement, multicultural, local sports, etc. when this happens call me.
 
#22 ·
Having a profit is entirely based on how do you juggle the books. Part of the problem is the ridiculous payments to stars such as Ellen, Hart, Springfield, numerous movie stars and so on. Twenty million to Ellen for one show. We enjoy the service but it is not subscribers that should be forced into higher prices. Another example of good old American greed.
 
#23 ·
I have been a regular Netflix subscriber for a long time, and there is no doubt that it is still the highest quality streaming service, when it comes to content. However, this huge price increase got me start thinking of cancelling. I'll just try to see a few more shows, as planned, and then probably go for a very intermittent subscription (a month or two on, and then a few months off). Since they don't give any discounts on yearly versus monthly subscription, it just doesn't make any sense for me to have it all year round. Financially, that was the case even before, but another 30-ish% price increase is a slap in the face.
 
#24 ·
The reason people like Ellen get $20 million is because they can generate more than $20 million in revenue with just one show. That's how capitalism works. That's why some movie and TV stars get paid in the multiple millions per movie, show or season. It's a win-win for everyone in the long run because stars provide bigger audiences which increases income for producers and spreads costs between more viewers. Sometimes it misfires but that's the risk broadcasters, producers and investors take.

Netflix is estimated to be spending $9 billion in 2019 for new original content. That's a lot of money and a lot of it will be in the form of debt. At some point, Netflix needs to pay back it's debt. Some of it will be due in the next 10 years. Netflix is already experiencing short term problems due to the amount of debt it is carrying and issues with subscriber growth. It needs to start making a profit, soon. That's a balancing act between spending on new content to attract new subscribers while not spending so much that long term debt causes financial collapse.
 
#26 ·
Secondly, even if you do want all the services, do you want them all at the same time?
We've had this discussion before. I agree that nobody needs all of those services all the time but more than one at a time is probably necessary for many people. The shows I watch are spread around well over a dozen channels and services so 2 at a time is probably adequate. That's if I don't want to stay current and don't mind seeing a few spoilers before shows end and I binge watch the entire series. If I just absolutely need to see all my favourite shows as they unfold than a half dozen or more services at a time may be needed. Maybe more will be needed to keep up with premium services that constantly have new content. Then there are things like news services that need to be current.

I have no doubt that some services will institute measures to combat churn from binge watchers. There will be lots of people who subscribe to a service for 1, 2 or 3 months a year and binge watch past shows. I do that with Netflix. At one time we could cancel cable or satellite for a two week vacation and save two weeks fees. They stopped that by instituting 2 or 3 month minimums. Then they decided to institute monthly fees for suspended accounts and/or reconnection fees. One time I decided to cancel satellite for 3 months in the Summer and save some money. They responded by taking away my low priced legacy package when I reactivated the service. Will OTT services do something similar? I'm sure some will.
 
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