Netflix is no longer enjoying the pandemic boom in subscribers it witnessed last year. Instead, the streaming platform lost 430,000 paying subscribers in the US and Canada in the second quarter of 2021. Is it the after-effect of big-ticket theater titles debuting first on streaming services like Disney Plus and HBO Max, or are people simply not enjoying Netflix content anymore? The reasons are unclear.
With this in mind, we asked our readers if they too ditched Netflix in the platform’s recent subscriber purge. Here’s how they voted in our poll.
Are you one of the 430,000 subscribers Netflix lost this quarter?
Results
We received a total of 2,414 votes in our poll and the results show that a majority of our readers (51.9%) still remain Netflix subscribers. However, there are a significant number of poll takers who said that they quit Netflix. 15.4% said that they left the service and subscribed to another streaming service instead. 19.1% said that they quit but didn’t get a replacement streaming service. That’s almost 35% of people who said that they ditched Netflix.
Related: Here are the best TV shows and movies on Netflix
Meanwhile, 13% of the respondents also said that they plan to quit Netflix soon. All-in-all, things don’t seem to be looking very rosy for Netflix right now, and the platform may continue seeing a decline in its subscriber base going forward. Here’s what our readers had to say about why they voted the way they did.
What you had to say
Iceman89: Cancelled a few months ago, the only reason to sign up is the original content which has been lacking in quality and quantity recently. Otherwise it’s just a selection of stuff you’ve seen before, or would never normally watch which isn’t very appealing. Anything potentially good usually ends up ruined by the woke agenda in the industry now anyway. It’s not worth paying for.
Vandal Savage: I am planning to quit Netflix because all of their new programs are feminists based the they are controlled by a woke leadership and because of that they have ruined everything they release. Honestly it is hard to find something good nowadays in Netflix.
Vasu: Literally just quit last night, prices got too high and content selection too low. Keeping my prime and Disney plus instead.
Albin: Considering that Netflix reportedly added 10 millions of pandemic subscribers in Q2 of 2020, and increased prices thereafter, no surprise at cancellations, with summer reopenings and government pandemic lockdown money drying up. (Never a subscriber).
Farhan Ahmad Tajuddin: Netflix is literally the only place where I can legally watch Japanese anime. Sure that there is Crunchyroll and AniPlus, but the catalog doesn’t impress me well enough.
Tristan Schmitt: They are getting to exp3nsive.
fearlessferret: I quit movie streaming services when I realized it was cheaper to buy the content I was interested in on used Blurays. And now I have a pretty large collection that can’t be taken away by changing licensing agreements, and I enjoy superior audio and video quality most of the time.
Ian Henderson: Netflix is lacking in quality content. For me nothing on it is worth watching. I’m a documentary series guy and there hasn’t been a new one dropped in over a year. May be down to the pandemic, but what about branching out into podcasting.
Luv: One of the best things about Netflix was the price, and you could always find something on Netflix. Plus they used to give a second like to shows that got canceled which made you root for them. Now that all has changed. The content selection is too low, and the price has gotten too high and they don’t seem to care about people anymore.
Techngro: I quit Netflix after the Cuties thing. There are some things I can’t equivocate on. Claiming that child exploitation is “art” doesn’t absolve you.
TheLastBattalion: Quit a while ago due to not using the service.
Johnny Ravioli: They have been sucking even before the pandemic. Taking more than a year before a new season of their original series shows is available. I don’t pay for the account I’m on so I can’t cancel it but I tell the person who does to save some money and do so. They barely even watch Netflix anyway. I certainly won’t miss it. I’m fine with antenna tv.
Jawbox: Seemingly consistent annual Price increase for top quality bracket (feels like we’re subsidizing the lower quality tiers?), cancellation of great shows like the OA, seem to be going the quantity over quality route. Turned it off in January, may rejoin at some point but for now HBO has been an enjoyable replacement.
Nick V: Should have an option that reads something like: “Really want to, but there’s nothing else that competes at the moment.” I would love to cancel because of the messaging that is being pushed, but like my above option, there isn’t anything else just yet.