Netflix Is Finally Adding a Streaming Roulette Feature As It Clinches 200 Million Subscribers (gizmodo.com)
- Reference: 0141276900
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/21/01/19/2255212/netflix-is-finally-adding-a-streaming-roulette-feature-as-it-clinches-200-million-subscribers
- Source link: https://gizmodo.com/netflix-is-finally-adding-a-streaming-roulette-feature-1846089000
> Netflix said in its fourth-quarter shareholders letter released Tuesday that it managed to secure 8.5 million more paid subscriptions to help the streaming giant cross the 200 million mark. All told, the company added a total of 37 million paid subscriptions during 2020, no doubt helped by the surge in TV viewing and streaming that resulted from lockdown orders and quarantine measures amid the coronavirus pandemic. For some context, Netflix says memberships were up 23 percent from the previous year in the fourth quarter.
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> Even with the pandemic significantly delaying production timelines and release dates, Netflix says it's still on track to release at least one original film [2]every week of 2021. Plus, the company said it has a staggering 500-plus titles either in post-production or ready to hit its service. Most surprising, though, was Netflix's claim that it is "every close" to being cash-flow positive and no longer needs to raise external financing. Additionally, the company plans "on repaying the bond at maturity out of cash on hand, as we are currently well above our minimum cash needs."
[1] https://gizmodo.com/netflix-is-finally-adding-a-streaming-roulette-feature-1846089000
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9t86v_JMG0
Proof (Score:2)
that online platforms know entirely too much about you.
Re: (Score:2)
I mean as a general rule yes online platforms know a lot, but this is Netflix knowing about you based on what you watch (and maybe very occasionally rate) on Netflix.
It's in the terms of : You watched shows X and Y, other people who watched X and Y also watched Z (probably much more advanced than that but not using any external data from what I understand).
If Netflix is to be believed, they do not onsell your data either [1]https://help.netflix.com/legal... [netflix.com]
By all means, don't share too much online, but this is
[1] https://help.netflix.com/legal/privacy#cookies
Somewhat on topic factoid (Score:2)
The Netflix [1]blockbuster deal [businessinsider.com] that almost was.
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/blockbuster-ceo-passed-up-chance-to-buy-netflix-for-50-million-2015-7
here's a feature: (Score:3)
Netflix knows I, and in all likelihood you, sit and walk through title after title and category after category. "Nup. Nup. Nup. *add to my list*. Nup. Nup." In this way I have developed a finely curated list of things I will never watch because at some point Netflix will silently remove them from the service. So then I'm back to, "Nup. Nup. Nup. *add to my list*. Nup. Nup." If you're going to remove shit from my list, a notification a couple of weeks in advance would be nice. Not this fucking content roulette bullshit. FFS.
Re: (Score:1)
What they don't have is just a simple filterable interface where you can list all items in the catalogue that match certain search terms/tags and exclude/sort by last-watched, year, budget..
You know, things that are almost trivially indexable and which would allow people to quickly find something that they're interested in and haven't already watched and which aren't one of the thousand low-budget copy-cat versions of that thing.
Netflix may know what I liked (Score:2)
Netflix may know what I like based on my past history. But it can’t know what I want to see at this moment in time.
Oh no ... (Score:2)
> Netflix Is Finally Adding a Streaming Roulette Feature ...
Streaming Roulette actually sounds worse than Chat Roulette... [*shudder*]
Over 50,000 titles, yet (Score:3)
it will still show us only the same 15 on the homescreen for 6 months straight.
Netflix is stale (Score:2)
It feels exactly like the old video stores with even less of a selection to choose from. It just displays what I've already watched over and over again. Once in a while it will have a new release that may be worth watching. Of to the next streaming service to repeat the process then off to the torrents to get something to watch because it's not available through a streaming service. Now they will just feed the Matrix after every new release. Hey Netflix if I haven't watched it in the last year it very well
How is this new? (Score:2)
How is this a new feature? I've had the "Shuffle" feature on all my devices since sometime last year - October or November, maybe? Click the shuffle button, it plays an episode of a show it thinks you'd like.
Now, what would be more useful is "TV Mode". Take a list of shows I like and serve them to me in random order... that way I don't binge an entire season of something in a weekend, then forget what the show was about 363 days later when the next season appears.
Final form (Score:4, Insightful)
Looks like we've reached the final form of the couch potato. No external signs of sentience, just a blob sitting in front of a screen being fed entertainment determined by an algorithm.
No need for any thought, initiative or decision making ever again.
Great.
Re: (Score:3)
That already exists... Youtube Autoplay. Though you'd at least expect Netflix to play shit in sequence* rather than random order.
*where sequence is defined by whatever intern uploaded the files