Here's Why Thousands of Netflix Subscribers Threatening to End Their Subscriptions

09/27/2022 06:14 pm EDT

Netflix has already lost over 1 million subscribers this year, and a new survey says the streamer should expect more. A recently published survey from Reviews.org shows one in four Americans plans to drop their Netflix subscriptions before the end of the year. The number one reason, the rising cost of a subscription, should come as no surprise.

Reviews.org surveyed 1,000 Americans about their streaming habits and found that one in four wants to leave Netflix behind. Of those who plan to leave, 40.49% said the rising costs of a subscription are driving them away. Just over 21% said missing titles on the platform inspired their decision. Meanwhile, 19.58% said the rise in costs of general expenses due to inflation will cause them to end their subscription. Another 18.25% said they use other streaming services more often.

The standard Netflix subscription now costs $15.49 per month and allows subscribers to watch content on two screens at once. The premium subscription will set you back $19.99 per month and allows you to watch content on up to four screens at once and gives you access to Ultra HD streams. Netflix also has a basic $9.99 plan, which only allows subscribers to watch content on one screen at a time.

Back in April, Netflix announced that its consumer base dropped by 200,00 subscriptions during the January to March 2022 period. Netflix later reported losing 970,000 subscribers during the second three months of the year, through June 30. The streamer now has 220 million subscribers through the end of its third fiscal quarter. Disney's combined streaming service subscriber base recently passed Netflix, reaching 221 million, reports Forbes.

One of the ways Netflix hopes to reverse the downward trend is by introducing an ad-supported tier, something that sounds like an anathema to the company for years. Many of the details are still being ironed out, but Microsoft said it is working with Netflix on the infrastructure. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos also hinted that the ad-supported tier might not have access to everything on the streaming service (similar to NBCUniversal's Peacock), reports The Verge. It will also likely not allow you to download movies and TV shows for offline viewing. However, Bloomberg reported in August that there might not be commercials in newer movies and certain kids' shows. Another worrying aspect of the survey is that 30% of respondents said they share their Netflix password, which is another issue it is trying to handle.

While the "one in four Americans want to drop Netflix" part of the Reviews.org survey will get the attention, the survey still has plenty of good points for Netflix. Of those surveyed, 70% use Netflix, far more than any other service. Four out of five are still subscribed to Netflix. The survey also found that the average American is subscribed to four streaming services. The survey was performed in August.

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