By: Daniel Maiorana
Netflix and other streaming services are taking over our TV screens, as you can view many popular movies and shows with no commercials or waiting for the next episode. TV consumers have realized that Netflix is a low-price streaming service with many options to choose from such as your favorite movies and shows. The streaming service has taken over your phone and computer screens, and now it is time for Netflix to take over your TV. The reason Netflix thrives is because the type of media on the platform attracts almost all ages. With original content, reruns of famous shows and movies, and kids shows is a big reason why Netflix is so successful. With its wide range of high quality content, Netflix is taking over your screen faster than you think.
When the pandemic struck our country, Netflix began to release high quality content such as series and movies. Perhaps the most popular series, Outer Banks, is what made Netflix a must have during the country-wide shutdown. Some other quarantine hits on Netflix include All-American and The Last Dance. These two series are what makes Netflix so popular and diverse. The Last Dance, a documentary on Michael Jordan’s basketball career, aired on ESPN every Sunday for 10 weeks straight. For the people who didn’t get to see it live, they could go to Netflix and watch all 10 episodes with no interruptions. The same goes for All-American, a show that has premiered the past 2 falls once a week on the CW, but with netflix, viewers can view this popular show whenever they want. Everything that people complain about relating to TV doesn’t apply to Netflix, hence why Netflix is taking over our screens. For me personally, the coronavirus left me with barely anything to do on the daily, so I turned to Netflix and became somewhat addicted. Due to the pandemic, Netflix gained a record 15.8 million subscribers in the first quarter of the year. The beginning of March was where Netflix gained its most subscribers, as “the time spent on streaming platforms increased 37%,” says the Hollywood Reporter. With the increasing popularity of Netflix and other streaming services, there is a good chance that one day people will completely ditch TV.
Along with the many options available on Netflix, the other reason why it’s so appealing is the price. For just $9 a month for the regular version and $16 for the premium version, Netflix is the cheapest streaming service offered online. Just $9 to watch any show or movie provided on Netflix? Count me in! With prices much cheaper than cable services and still having almost the same content offered besides live sports, we can see why Netflix continues to gain popularity.
This cheap alternative became very popular in the beginning months of the coronavirus thanks to its wide variety during such a tough time. What makes subscribers hooked is not only does Netflix offer shows on live television, it offers original series and movies. With series such as On My Block and Love Is Blind having millions and billions of minutes played, we can see why Netflix thrives with their own content. Netflix movies and series everyone put on repeat in America cooped them up in their bed all day while they would “Netflix and chill.” People of all ages look forward to watching Netflix in their bed when they are ready to fall asleep, as you can fall asleep knowing that you didn’t miss any episodes or cliff-hangers. If you forget to record the show on TV, you’ll be left with no knowledge of what happened, but with Netflix, you can rewind and fast-forward as much as you want. There are many other reasons why Netflix is taking over your screen, and all these reasons show us that Netflix will one day overthrow cable television.
Wrapping things up, Netflix’s great content and pricing is why we see the company continue to thrive. The options Netflix offers are unbeatable and the amount of variety within their content is the main reason why so many people subscribe. The pandemic made many people turn to Netflix as it was a great way to pass time throughout our eventless days during quarantine. Thanks to Netflix’s wide variety and cheap prices, it has shown great numbers such as taking up almost a third of peoples screen time in mid March. Many people turned to Netflix because they know there are endless numbers of options available from movies, existing shows, original shows, and even documentaries. As Netflix continues to thrive, more and more people will begin to only watch streaming services and never go back to TV.