Netflix Slams Rivals’ Bundling Plans, Blames Strikes For “Patchier” Programming
Last quarter, Netflix poured cold water on its rivals’ plans to put together streaming bundles and, three months on, it is going a step further.
The streamer has slammed the idea of streamer bundles after delivering its latest financial results, which saw it add 5.1M subscribers.
More from Deadline
“Programming for such a large, engaged audience, with so much variety and great quality, is hard. It’s why streaming services which lack our breadth of content are increasingly looking to bundle their offerings (selling and discounting their services together, channel offerings, etc.). Netflix is already an extraordinary package of series and films (licensed and original), and increasingly games and live events — all in one place and for one price, easy to use and great value for money,” it noted in a letter to shareholders.
RELATED: Netflix Dismisses Idea Of Bundling With Rival Streamers Like Disney+ & Max
This comes as the likes of Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery unveiled plans to bundle Disney+, Hulu and Max, and Apple joined Amazon’s channels business.
But Netflix did admit that its own programming in 2024 was “patchier than normal” and blamed the writers and actors strikes for that.
Co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos admitted that its content pipeline hasn’t “fully recovered” since the strikes.
“The first half of this year, our lineup was much lumpier than we liked, and it was primarily because of the work stoppage. It did hit UCAN [U.S. & Canada] the hardest, but there were some effects of that felt in production around the world. We’re moving closer and closer to a more normalized output schedule now, series are a little more on track than film, but neither are fully recovered,” he added on its Q3 financials call.
Despite lamenting, Netflix highlighted some of the recent success of titles such as The Perfect Couple, starring Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber, Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and Nobody Wants This, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody as well as films such as Rebel Ridge and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.
It also noted that over the next three months, it will launch the second season of Squid Game as well as No Good Deed, starring Lisa Kudrow and Ray Romano, Man on The Inside with Ted Danson and Black Doves, starring Keira Knightley. On the film side, it has Carry-On, an action thriller starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman, The Six Triple Eight, a Tyler Perry-directed war drama starring Kerry Washington, and Spellbound produced by John Lasseter coming up.
Best of Deadline
Who Is Joe Locke's Mysterious 'Teen' In 'Agatha All Along'? All The Clues So Far
Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024: Photo Gallery & Obituaries
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.