I’ve spent most of 2022 writing about Netflix’s woes in one form or another.
All in all, the streaming giant has had a tough time. A lot of shows were canceled, a lot of shows were scrapped before they had a chance to make it into production, and there were two big and very expensive rounds of layoffs.
In early July, it was confirmed that the service had suffered a loss of over 970,000 subscribers, marking the second straight quarter that the streaming giant was forced to report a drop in subscriber count after losing 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter 2022.
Additionally, Netflix executives and their plans to launch a so-called “crackdown” on password sharing have drawn a lot of ire.
Back in April, the streaming giant’s executives said around 100 million households shared a password with another account. Since then, they have followed two different strategies to tackle this problem.
First, Netflix tested a system in Chile, Costa Rica and Peru that imposed a $2.99 surcharge on accounts that wanted to share their credentials outside of the home. Second, news broke that the streaming service has started looking into an alternative “add house” feature in Argentina, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Whenever it launches in the rest of the world, it’s going to be hugely unpopular, but Netflix clearly needs the revenue.
The streaming giant’s achievements, at least among the general public, can be summed up in two words: Stranger Things. Elsewhere for Drama, it’s been a tougher sell. Ozark ended with a bang, but The Umbrella Academy’s new run was underwhelming. Meanwhile, Anatomy Of A Scandal got a kick, as did the new version of the Resident Evil streamer.
In terms of quality drama, it was surpassed by both Apple TV Plus and Hulu in 2022. But quietly it had a stellar year in another area.
documentaries. Honestly, there were so many good ones this year – and Netflix just unveiled what looks like another winner…
What’s up doc?
Netflix is probably best known for its series of true crime documentaries. Read also : Top 3 anime coming to Netflix in July 2022 (and 2 continuing). There are big shows like Making A Murderer, Tiger King, The Keepers, and Don’t F**k With Cats, but the range is so wide and wide.
2022 alone saw the brilliant White Hot, a stirring and breathtaking insight into the rise and hard fall of retail chain Abercrombie & Fitch, including the horrific practices dictated by management. The Tinder Swindler followed the extraordinary case of a suspected billionaire playboy who used Tinder to blackmail millions of unsuspecting women – and quickly became real event viewing. We also had Downfall: The Case Against Boeing, Rory Kennedy’s exposé examining the shocking string of two Boeing 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people in a span of five months in March 2019.
Now everyone’s talking about The Girl In The Picture, the deep dive into the weird, odd case of Tonya Hughes, whose body was found on the side of an Oklahoma City street in April 1990 with a severe head injury. Her co-workers tried to contact her family only to find out Tonya Hughes wasn’t her real name, and it all spins from there.
It’s another gripping, ghastly watch and gets everyone talking, which Netflix is gifted at doing with its documentaries.
And last week, Netflix released the first trailer for another winner.
Taking Woodstock…
“Trainwreck” or “Clusterf**k,” to give the correct, fuzzier title, is Netflix’s documentary about the events that took place at Woodstock ’99.
In case you don’t know, Woodstock 99 was designed to recapture the spirit and wonder of Woodstock 69, where over 400,000 people gathered to enjoy the likes of Joni Mitchell, The Who and Jefferson Airplane in an atmosphere of joy, love and peace. Read also : Breaking Bad is among the popular series that will be removed from Netflix in 2025.
Instead, it descended into an utter carnage that included violence, multiple sexual assaults, vandalism, looting and arson, all of which took place throughout the weekend. Tragically, three people died and MTV, which was covering the event, was forced to flee the scene.
The documentary brings together all the key players from the weekend and recounts the gory details of an event that turned out to be a real turning point for the music industry. It looks like another fascinating watch and will likely sit alongside Netflix’s excellent selection of documentaries.
Give me more…
In a tough and increasingly competitive market, documentary is the only genre where Netflix is truly miles ahead of the other streaming players, and it’s an area where it should focus more resources. Read also : Why do Netflix anime tend to have lower ratings?.
To me, that’s much more relevant when it comes to retaining subscribers, and that’s what I want to see from Netflix in 2023 and beyond.
Clusterf**k will be released on Netflix on August 3rd.
Tom Goodwyn is Senior Entertainment Editor at TechRadar. He oversees TechRadar’s coverage of the best TV shows, documentaries and movies across streaming services, theaters and beyond. He lives in London and loves nothing more than spending all day in a cinema, well he did that before he had two kids…
Tom Goodwyn is Senior Entertainment Editor at TechRadar. He oversees TechRadar’s coverage of the best TV shows, documentaries and movies across streaming services, theaters and beyond. He lives in London and loves nothing more than spending all day in a cinema, well he did that before he had two kids…
