美国国家公共电台 NPR--Netflix loses nearly 1 million subscribers. That's the good news

Netflix loses nearly 1 million subscribers. That's the good news

Transcript²

The media world — especially in streaming — breathed a huge sigh of relief Tuesday.

That's because Netflix's second-quarter earnings³ report revealed the company lost 970,000 subscribers. And while that is a big number — the biggest subscriber¹ loss in the company's 25-year history — it is also a little less than half the 2-million subscriber loss the company predicted in April, which sent shock waves through Wall Street and the streaming industry.

In fact, much of Netflix's Q2 report read like an attempt to assure investors⁴ and the media world it has learned a lesson from April's news, when the company announced a 200,000 subscriber loss — which sent their stock plummeting⁵ 37% in a day, leading to several rounds of layoffs⁶ and belt-tightening. The report even provides a little good news, predicting a 1 million subscriber gain in the third quarter.

In a way, Netflix took the toughest public hit back in April; this report follows with a rosier-than-predicted subscriber loss and details on a range of efforts aimed at raising subscriber counts again and finding new revenue.

For example, the company confirmed it is working with Microsoft to create a new, lower-priced subscription⁷ tier which would feature advertisements inside their programming. They expect to launch the service in a handful of areas with big advertising⁸ markets — New York and Los Angeles, perhaps? — timed in early 2023. This comes after years of resisting placing ads in Netflix shows and a likely recognition that some consumers won't join the service unless this option is available.

Netflix is also testing two different ways to crack down on password sharing, which it estimates results in about 100 million households accessing the service for free. The report outlines two different approaches, now undergoing testing in Latin America; in one group of countries, subscribers can "add a member," in another, they can "add a household," with fees totaling about $2.99 monthly.

The report notes that Netflix has been trying to transition its service from a library of shows which originated elsewhere, to a platform mostly fueled by its own original content. Their statement says they're past the most "cash-intensive" part of that transformation⁹, indicating the days of $15 billion budgets for programming may be passing.

Netflix's fortunes have often been seen as a bellwether¹⁰ for the industry at large. Now with 220.7 million subscribers, it is still the largest streaming service. But it's recent subscriber losses may provide a come-to-their-senses moment which encourages Wall Street investors to take a more realistic look at Netflix and the streaming industry in general.

When the disrupter becomes an institution

I've always thought Netflix's success with investors was based on a couple of improbable ideas: that it could keep increasing its subscribers every quarter without fail and that it could keep funneling¹¹ huge sums of money into programming. Now, with rising competition from rival streamers and customers concerned about increasing expenses, the streamer has to reconsider ideas it has previously¹² rejected out of hand.

This is what happens when the disrupter becomes an institution; ideas that were once radical¹³ reinventions are now conventions which may need to be subverted¹⁴ themselves.

With that in mind, here's a few more ideas Netflix should reconsider:

The binge watching model needs to be modified. The report gushes¹⁵ about the success of Stranger Things, which emerged as its biggest English-language TV hit ever in its fourth season, with 1.3 billion hours viewed. What the report doesn't note, however, is that the show's most recent season debuted¹⁶ in two chunks¹⁷, ensuring that fans remained interested in the show over several weeks, keeping episodes in the streamer's Top 10 for a long while.

As much as some fans might enjoy the ability to access all episodes of a show's season at once, it seems healthier for more series to stretch out the release of episodes — allowing conversation about good shows to build, while giving potential fans more time to find a show.

Netflix series are often too long and too drawn¹⁸ out. I've been saying this since the streamer's ill-fated lurch¹⁹ into Marvel²⁰ programming; too many Netflix shows feel like movie ideas stretched out into multi-episode series, with storylines that sag²¹ midway through the season as producers try to fill out all the episodes. Better to take a page from the Marvel series on Disney+ like Loki, Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel, which all offered seasons six episodes long and filled with content.

Netflix has a growing quality TV deficit²². Even though shows like Stranger Things, Squid Game and Ozark racked up the Emmy nominations²³ this year, the service was outpaced by rival HBO and faces challenges from Hulu and Apple TV+. It isn't minting awards-level prestige shows like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black or The Queen's Gambit like it once used to, and that will affect a certain segment of the subscriber base.

Netflix must build up goodwill²⁴ with consumers before it tackles password sharing. Pushing consumers to pay more to share passwords with others will be a tough turn, essentially²⁵ insisting subscribers pay for a feature that they have gotten free for many years. They'll be attempting this while also trying to build their subscriber count by limiting "churn" – the numbers of subscribers who drop the service, sometimes to join a rival.

Doesn't matter how many tests they run in smaller markets; when you say your business is focused on choice and control for subscribers and those customers choose to share passwords, unringing that bell is a serious challenge.

1 subscriber   

n.用户，订户；（慈善机关等的）定期捐款者；预约者；签署者

参考例句：

• The subscriber to a government loan has got higher interest than savings. 公债认购者获得高于储蓄的利息。 来自辞典例句
• Who is the subscriber of that motto? 谁是那条座右铭的签字者？ 来自辞典例句

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 plummeting   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Prices are rising, falling, going up, going down, shooting up, plummeting, etc. 物价在上涨、下跌、上升、下落、猛然上涨、骤然下跌等。 来自辞典例句
• The enemy plane went plummeting into the sea. 敌机直直掉进海里。 来自辞典例句

6 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

7 subscription   

n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方）

参考例句：

• We paid a subscription of 5 pounds yearly.我们按年度缴纳5英镑的订阅费。
• Subscription selling bloomed splendidly.订阅销售量激增。

8 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

9 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

10 bellwether   

n.系铃的公羊，前导，领导者，群众的首领

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change.大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• For decades the company was the bellwether of the British economy.几十年来，这家公司一直是英国经济的晴雨表。

11 funneling   

[医]成漏斗形：描述膀胱底及膀胱尿道交接区

参考例句：

12 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

13 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

14 subverted   

v.颠覆，破坏（政治制度、宗教信仰等）( subvert的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某人）道德败坏或不忠

参考例句：

• Their wills could be subverted only by death. 只有死神才能使他们放弃他们的意志。 来自教父部分
• Indiana State laws deliberately subverted the intent of the constitutions 14th Amendment. 印第安纳州的法律有意歪曲联邦宪法第十四条修正案的愿意。 来自辞典例句

15 gushes   

n.涌出，迸发( gush的名词复数 )v.喷，涌( gush的第三人称单数 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• The stream gushes forth from the rock. 一股小溪从岩石中涌出来。 来自辞典例句
• Fuel gushes into the combustion chamber. 燃料喷进燃烧室。 来自辞典例句

16 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

17 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

18 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

19 lurch   

n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行

参考例句：

• It has been suggested that the ground movements were a form of lurch movements.地震的地面运动曾被认为是一种突然倾斜的运动形式。
• He walked with a lurch.他步履蹒跚。

20 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

21 sag   

v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流

参考例句：

• The shelf was beginning to sag beneath the weight of the books upon it.书架在书的重压下渐渐下弯。
• We need to do something about the sag.我们须把下沉的地方修整一下。

22 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

23 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

24 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

25 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。