Words by Charlotte Moore
The majority of people will be familiar with the ever-growing streaming platform that is Netflix. Whether its a Netflix n chill moment or youre in your bed and fancy watching something Netflix is the thing most people turn to.
Founded in 1997, Netflix (then known as Kibble) now has nearly 231 million subscribers. It all started with a man named Reed Hastings, who rented a DVD at his local video store but ended up losing the DVD He was fined $40 for losing it! From this, it sparked an idea to have a platform in which people could choose to rent a film online, and that DVD would then be posted to the individual. In 1999 it then launched the idea of a subscription-based model, which enabled people to pay a monthly subscription to rent an unlimited number of DVDs.
Netflix started as a platform in which you can watch films that are owned by other production companies, as it has developed and gained more subscribers of its own Netflix needed to do something to progress. There were also shortages of film and tv content, and physical DVD sales were also dropping. Eventually, the idea was for Netflix to produce their own films and television shows, the creation of the Netflix Original. There are three definitions that make a Netflix Original a Netflix Original. Firstly, when Netflix commissions and produces the show; secondly, if Netflix has exclusive international streaming rights; thirdly, if Netflix has co-produced the show with another network and finally, if the programme is a continuation of a previously cancelled show, this is what is constitutes as a Netflix original. In 2012 Netflix released their first original series, called Lilyhammer. Many critics now say that it ÔÇÿwasnÔÇÖt particularly goodÔÇÖ.
Looking through the list of Netflix originals, I recognise the name of a lot of them, either from friends who have told me that they have enjoyed them or I have watched them and enjoyed them myself. Some of the Netflix original tv shows I have enjoyed include The Queens Gambit , Virgin River, Bridgerton and Sex Education, and some Netflix original films are The Dig, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Do revenge. Although I personally liked these Netflix originals, they didnÔÇÖt always get the best reviews which raise the question of why? Why do a lot of Netflix programmes tend to be bad?
Most of us have heard of The Crown and Stranger Things, which are very different from one another, one about the royal family and the other being a sci-fi series set in the 80s. These series have been two of the most popular Netflix original series and have even been critically acclaimed. So, some series are good right?
I began looking into why some people would argue that most Netflix Originals are bad, and it became clear to me that one of NetflixÔÇÖs main priorities is to make money. This, in turn, means that the quality of Netflix Originals isnÔÇÖt as good as they could be. How much money goes into a film or tv show would also affect the success of the film or tv show. Netflix would instead release four movies that were quick to make rather than one movie, which might take more money and time to make but ultimately would be the better movie as more time and consideration has gone into it. Similarly, NetflixÔÇÖs budgeting and distribution of money is a problem. For example, Netflix might use a lot of the budget for a film for a well-known actor. This might mean more people will be enticed to watch the film in the beginning. However, they might come out of watching it and think it was rubbish. The potential reasoning for this could be due to the lack of funding when it comes to something such as the scripting.
Although Netflix is currently the most popular streaming platform, is their priority of money, meaning that the quality of Netflix Originals are declining? Are people going to want to keep paying monthly for a platform that produces some good series but more bad ones? With up-and-coming streaming platforms such as Apple TV and Amazon Prime, Netflix needs to consider how they go forward with the Netflix Originals phenomenon.
