People Like Netflix's Original Content More Than Its Other Content: AllFlicks (allflicks.net)

According to a study by IHS Markit this month, in the last two years Netflix's spending on original content rose from $2.38 billion to $4.91 billion. The company has invested big in original programming -- and it looks to be paying off. The folks over at AllFlicks have found that Netflix's subscriber base prefers Netflix's original content to that of its syndicated content. AllFlicks reports: Netflix user ratings show that Netflix's subscriber base prefers Netflix's original content to its syndicated content. Netflix originals sport an average rating of 3.85 stars out of five; all other content averages 3.47 stars. That means that user ratings for Netflix originals are 11% higher, on average, than user ratings for syndicated content. Netflix does best in the documentaries category, where users rate non-original content, on average, at 3.54. Netflix's documentaries average 4.07 stars, a pretty impressive showing. Netflix's TV shows do the worst, but still edge their other TV show content by 5.7%. It's possible that the frequent reviewers among Netflix's user base differ from the user base as a whole, but there's not a lot of reason to doubt the raw data here. The Netflix originals and non-originals were both reviewed on the same service and using the same rating system, yet originals consistently outperformed the rest of the content.

Comments

Huh. Data without citation

[93 Escort Wagon]

I'd like to know what the methodology is here, but there's no link in the AllFlicks article to the actual data, nor any explanation regarding how it was gathered.

I would assume people who've continued to use Netflix would self-select over time to include more folks who value their original content... but still. Tell us how you got the numbers please. What I've seen on Netflix is a bunch of original content that gets a "best guess" rating for me that's always between 4.7 and five stars... but when I've actually watched it, the rating I've most commonly given is three stars. That's really odd, since for third-party stuff their predictions have been extremely good - so I'm a bit skeptical regarding all the recent stories I've been seeing touting just how much everyone loves Netflix's own content.

But what about "its other content"?

[hcs_$reboot]

I go to Netflix to watch something, but not something in particular, not anymore anyway. Because most of the time the movie I want to watch is not on Netflix. So, I try the "original content", which, on average, is rather watchable. But after watching some of it, like Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, the "original content" does show a lot of non-original patterns, some good old recipes to make the shows watchable, but not great (House of cards is still ok) ; these shows will be forgotten in a few years. The "original content" is very far from Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad or The Wire. The more it goes, I feel Netflix becomes the Mac Donald's of TV. You go to Mac Donald's to eat something edible, not something great.

Ummm...

[mhkohne]

I'm not sure that you can infer that the original programming is paying off from what's given here. Yea, people like the original stuff better, but that could just as easily be because Netflix has given up having really good third-party content on it's system anymore, and all that's left is dreadful.

What matters is whether the size of the Netfix userbase is changing, and in what direction, and in what direction Netflix profits are moving (if any).

The great hope

[Anonymous Coward]

Netflix and Amazon are the next hope in 'TV'. They are essentially becoming new 'network stations' with their original content and I can't be more happy. I put those words in quotes because of my age, please substitute your generations appropriate terms. Hell I remember the time when there were only 3 networks and then all of a sudden there was FOX and it was awesome and new and disruptive. Amazon and Netflix's original content represent a real disruptive change on such a bigger scale. The original content is as good as if not better than the big 4 networks and the delivery model is so much better.

Shocking

[Anonymous Coward]

Considering the rest of the Netflix catalog consists mostly of B movies and long forgotten television, this should come as no surprise.

I say mostly because there is a gem or two to be found in there.

For the most part, however, it seems the majority of the streaming catalog is the bottom of the barrel stuff that few are interested in.