Rumors have been spreading on social media about the possible retraction of a fair number of shows on Netflix from Fox movie channel, FX, to Disney Productions and everything in between. Sadly, these rumors are true - Netflix is taking off a lot of popular shows in the next month and upcoming year. Netflix has already started taking shows down this past month, including some TV and movie favorites like “American Dad," “Superbad," “Lilo and Stitch” and “Army Wives." This was just for the month of September, it gets worse.
Netflix has released a formal statement verifying there are indeed several TV shows and movies leaving their website due to the ending of their TV and movie licenses with specific networks. A TV/movie license is basically an agreement with the network that owns the TV show/movie to let Netflix stream its content. If Netflix decides not to renew the contracts, which the company has been doing, these network providers will slowly start to be removed from Netflix’s website.
The decision to remove a show from Netflix is hard for the company to make. They take into consideration how popular the show is, seasonal factors that impact viewership and if the rights to stream the show are still available over time depending on their contracts. Looking at the lists Netflix has provided, which can be found on what’s-on-netflix.com, it seems crazy that so many popular Netflix shows are getting the boot. Especially when the company stated that a main factor in renewing a contract is popularity.
But, on the other hand companies like Disney Productions are making the decision not to continue collaborating with Netflix. The removal of Disney shows will be happening in a couple of years once Disney creates their own streaming website. With Disney Productions starting the process of being self-removed, it's clear to see viewership and networks are starting to let go of Netflix in the hopes of something better in return.
In the next month Netflix is supposed to let go of numerous FX programs. Some popular TV shows and movies are “30 Rock”, “One Tree Hill”, “Prison Break”, “American Horror Story” (Hotel and Freak Show seasons), “Bones” and “Family Guy.” Not only are these shows classic, but they pertain to every audience Netflix has to offer. The removal of classic shows is not a smart choice, these shows have remained as genuine classics for a reason.
Watching Netflix is a part of many college students’ typical day – fit for both relaxing and procrastinating. Taking away the popular shows on Netflix is going to be a huge disappointment, especially if you haven’t finished watching your season-long shows or those undiscovered movies. I think Netflix will lose a lot of viewers due to the removal of so many well-loved TV shows and movies, especially for college students who depend on it.
In the upcoming months, “How I Met Your Mother”, “Futurama”, “Raising Hope”, “Malcom in the Middle”, and “Always Sunny in Philadelphia” are expected to leave Netflix. After these popular TV shows and movies are gone I wonder what Netflix will do next to gain back viewership and relevancy. Maybe they will start to create more Netflix original shows like “Stranger Things”, “Making a Murder”, “13 Reasons”, “Orange is the New Black”, and one of my personal favorites “The Killing”, which is about two detectives in Seattle solving different homicide cases while also dealing with their own personal drama.
A factor that is often times overlooked is that viewers are paying to watch these shows on Netflix and most of the shows viewers watch are ones that can only be aired on Netflix. The average Netflix customer pays $8 for the most basic streaming but there are more advance packages like premium streaming which range from $10-$12 allowing you to watch Netflix on up to four devices in high definition.
As viewers of Netflix purposely buy subscriptions to watch classic shows like “One Tree Hill” which is now going to be taken off Netflix, its completely unfair and a deal-breaker to stay as a customer. The company should've thought about the effects for the future because consumers are not happy that some all-time favorites are being taken off Netflix, which is going to end up hurting the company.
Netflix should have looked further into their customer data and tried to renew their contracts with the most popular shows to maintain their current viewership. As viewers, we should all petition to keep our favorite shows on Netflix. Fans have already been petitioning to keep shows like “Futurama” alive, which has caused a lot of stir in the digital media world.
Consumers can create online petitions to have their peers sign which they then can send to Netflix’s company and prove the damage the removal of certain shows may have. If consumers keep fighting for their favorite shows to stay on then maybe one day Netflix will listen. So, make sure to binge watch your favorite TV shows or movies before it’s too late!
