Home Entertainment Netflix subscriber growth is starting to slow down considerably

Netflix subscriber growth is starting to slow down considerably

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We already knew that Netflix would struggle to grow its subscriber base as fast as it used to when other new high-profile streaming platforms like Disney+ and HBO Max entered the market. After all, there is only so much money to go around and people need to become increasingly fickle in choosing a streaming platform to subscribe to.

While Netflix had long predicted that it expected its subscriber growth to slow, it appears the pace of the slowdown, if the past quarter is anything to go by, is perhaps more extreme than anticipated. With the company crossing over 200 million subscribers at the end of 2020, Netflix was hoping it would be able to top the 210 million mark by the end of this last quarter, but it seems that the company could only add a further 4 million subscribers, as announced in its Q1 2021 earnings release.

Any growth for a company that has by far the most subscribers around the globe is nothing to be sniffed at, but it does show the increasingly difficult task that Netflix has in front of it to keep growing its subscriber base. A task that will only get more difficult post lockdown, which did see an increase in the numbers of people turning to streaming services to get an entertainment fix.

At least the company isn’t losing subscriber numbers yet, but that could also change if the number and quality of shows across the other streaming services pick up. On the plus side for the rest of us, it means that competition for quality content is only likely to increase, though we will still be sadly stuck with too much of it that we can’t watch because we can’t afford all of the streaming services at the same time.

Last Updated: April 22, 2021

13 Comments

  1. BradeLunner

    April 22, 2021 at 04:59

    The Netflix shows are becoming like the 5th jelly bean, they all taste the same now

    Reply

    • Mandalorian Jim

      April 22, 2021 at 08:20

      They’re turning into the CW but you’re left paying for it…. instead of just catching the odd show on eTV.

      Reply

  2. Mandalorian Jim

    April 22, 2021 at 07:56

    Let’s also be brutally honest, the last few netflix shows and movies have been utter trash. I don’t know if it’s hubris on Netflix’s side or just a case of having their heads in the sand, but now’s the time with all the other companies hungry to take Netflix’s crown, that they should be investing in great shows and movies.

    Not the lazy crap they’ve been pushing out of late – I mean who here enjoyed Thunder Force? And if you did? What’s wrong with you?

    Reply

    • Mandalorian Jim

      April 22, 2021 at 08:00

      Snowpiercer was great though – but obviously now it’s just that long wait for the next season.

      Reply

    • RideBoks

      April 22, 2021 at 08:01

      It seemed like that’s what they were going for in the beginning but later I think their tactic was when they realized that they are gonna lose all the content from other studios that they’ll just pump out as much content as possible before it’s all gone. They would definitely have been better off just sticking to quality over quantity.

      Reply

      • Mandalorian Jim

        April 22, 2021 at 08:05

        Content over quality never works – it just means people will cancel, and then just wait for the shows that they really want to watch, or if they’re the vast majority on this planet, just torrent or download what they want to see.

        Reply

        • CodeDisQus

          April 24, 2021 at 02:46

          Well the quantity aspect works if the stuff they have is pretty good. I mean, all of their documentaries are pretty much hits (Tiger King, Cecil Hotel and Nightstalker) and their reality game show nonsense is huge.

          I’ve noticed that they are doing the half binge model, where they release 2-3 episodes of a season each week to draw out the viewing time, so this keeps people engaged.

          Netflix are REALLY REALLY smart to be fair and they’re at the top for a reason

          Reply

          • Mandalorian Jim

            April 24, 2021 at 07:18

            If this was 2018, I would agree with you, but as new streaming services are popping up, and it’s getting harder for Netflix to secure exclusives (look at the recent Sony deal regarding Spiderman) and their in-house productions have shifted from genuinely impressive shows to merely propping up the numbers, you can see and understand why their sub numbers are starting to stagnate and why they’re going to start losing marketshare.

            Take a show like Chad… how did it even get greenlit? And before you say “blah blah woke”, one of their best and funniest sitcoms was about a hispanic family, and they cancelled it…

          • CodeDisQus

            April 28, 2021 at 07:28

            Well they are spending around $15 billion for new content, so they’ll find stuff, but not being the only game in town is getting tough. I HATE the fact that they cancel “under-performing” shows for flashy nonsense. I get that they want to keep growing, but surely they must also look at retaining, especially with the other streaming services launching culturally valuable IP that will always draw in eyes.

            I just google Chad, WTAF Netflix, you’ll cancel Altered Carbaon but give us this….Tsek

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