Netflix says it never cancelled a successful show amid a string of cancellations

Starting a new show on Netflix is like starting a new relationship. One day, things are great. The next, it’s gone forever.

The streamer is famous for cancelling shows after a few seasons, angering fans in the process too but according to co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos, the shows were cancelled because they were not successful, to begin with.

"We have never cancelled a successful show. A lot of these shows were well-intended but talk to a very small audience on a very big budget. The key to it is you have to be able to talk to a small audience on a small budget and a large audience at a large budget. If you do that well, you can do that forever," said Sarandos in an interview with Bloomberg.

Some of the shows Netflix has cancelled in 2022 include Fate: The Winx Saga, Warrior Nun, First Kill and Archive 81.

Most recently, the streamer cancelled 1899 after one season. Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Ratched and The Politician are just some shows at risk of cancellation in 2023.

Shows like Daredevil and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina were just some of the many shows with cult followings that were cancelled too.

The co-CEOs didn’t offer much insight and specifics on cancellations but they did share what they look forward to in order to keep a series going.

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Aside from getting big numbers — something that Netflix only shares as and when they will rather than transparently and consistently — the streamer is also looking for shows that can scale across every genre or entertainment, and be a global hit.

"The networks had identities and programming. We program into all those verticals, which gives us the ability to do quality at scale across every genre of entertainment and globally," said Sarandos. "It is very rare that a show like Squid Game from South Korea would be as global as it was. Within 30 hours, the world was watching Squid Game with no human intervention to try to market Squid Game to the world."

"We’re just getting started to make Squid Game not an unusual thing, but basically something that happens literally every week," added Peters.

The co-CEOs also spoke about new monetisation strategies within an ad-supported tier for price-sensitive customers.

"Basic with ads is getting a healthy share in a way that says it is complementary to what’s going on with our overall plan set," Peters told Bloomberg. "It’s serving a purpose. I’m confident about that."

Though the streamer has been pushing for its "Basic with ads" subscription plan, the "Basic" tier still exists — though you’ll have to do a lot of digging to find the tier. If you’re having issues finding the ‘basic’ tier when picking a subscription plan, here’s a quick guide to help you.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.

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