In recent years, Netflix has risen to the top as the world’s most successful streaming service. With over 223 million subscribers, it remains an extremely popular way for viewers all across the globe to kick back and enjoy their favorite movie. In fact, a large portion of Suncoast’s student body finds themselves enjoying the various movies and shows offered by Netflix on a regular basis. However, Netflix lost around 1.2 million subscribers in the first two quarters of 2022, and continues to lose subscribers into 2023. This raises the question: why is Netflix losing so many subscribers?

It is true that Netflix has suffered from an ever-increasing amount of competition with the creation of streaming services such as HBOMax, Disney+ and Paramount+. However, it is no secret that the well renowned streaming service is notorious for canceling or removing programs with little to no reason, often leaving the shows with loose ends and questions that will never be answered. This has led many loyal subscribers to leave Netflix, disappointed that their favorite series is gone without any hope of returning. It also limits the amount of interesting options available on Netflix. Furthermore, the programs that are canceled the most often are new shows that have been well-received by audiences and critics in their short-lived lifespans.

In spite of how much potential these shows have proven they have, they are often tossed aside in favor of longer-running programs that Netflix sees as the most successful moneymakers. This has made it clear that Netflix executives are hesitant to take risks because of their fear that they may invest in a seemingly prosperous show that will turn out to be unsuccessful later. A perfect example of this is “Inside Job,” an animated adult comedy revolving around the world’s conspiracy theories. Inside Job’s first season was well-received by both critics and audiences, earning an 89 percent score from audiences and a 79 percent from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The show’s audience demand is 9.6 times the demand for the average TV series in the United states, according to Parrot Analytics.

Many people, including students, have expressed dissatisfaction and even outrage at Netflix’s cancellations. Hayden Hobson, a junior, described his experience when “Daybreak,” a well-rated, post apocalyptic comedy-drama series, was canceled after only one season in 2022.

“I was almost done with the first and only season when I saw that Netflix had canceled the show. It annoyed me to the point where I didn’t watch the last episode out of spite for another month or two,” Hobson said.

Some other shows that were canceled by Netflix in 2023 after notably short lifespans are “The Chair,” “Dead End: Paranormal Park,” and “Uncoupled.” Each of these shows had a rating greater than four stars and were well-liked by audiences and critics. A major reason for the cancellation of some of these shows was a lack of viewers. However, this can be attributed to a lack of advertising for the program. Netflix spends a great deal of money advertising shows and movies that are already extremely well known, such as “Big Mouth,” “Stranger Things,” and “The Kissing Booth.” Most notably, “The Kissing Booth’s” first movie received a 15 percent critic score and a 55 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, yet it was brought back for two more sequels.

Through all of this, one thing remains excruciatingly clear: Netflix, the largest streaming service in the world to date, is afraid to take risks when it comes to new shows and instead chooses to sacrifice loyal subscribers in favor of long-running shows and movies.