News that the streaming service lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2022 and is projected to lose millions more by the end of the year has seen a lot of questions raised about Netflix. Among other complaints, many have attributed Netflix's decline to the poor standard of programming the streaming service has to offer, with some pointing to poorly-received big-budget movies such as Red Notice or The Adam Project as well as the frequent cancellations of promising series. But this overlooks the amount of quality content still on Netflix – and indeed, the fact that it is so easy to overlook so much of Netflix's content is the biggest problem.

There have been numerous attempts at explaining Netflix's real problems leading to subscriber drop. Elements such as rising prices, a lack of recognizable intellectual property, and increased competition all play their part in the service's stagnation. At the same time, Netflix still has more major releases than most of its competitors. The first quarter of 2022, for instance, featured new seasons of big hits like Ozark and Bridgerton as well as well-received debuts like Archive 81 and inventive movies like Richard Linklater's Apollo 10 1/2. The top end of Netflix's releases compare very favorably to most other streaming services' whole release schedule, but viewers are often unaware of them due to problems with Netflix's marketing.

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The service's real "kill problem" which affects it more than its competitors is its limited and poorly-handled marketing outreach. Netflix has aimed to try to replicate the entire gamut of on-screen media in its original content, from prestige movies such as Oscar nominee The Power of the Dog to much more lowbrow content such as Adam Sandler comedies. Netflix's competitors, major media conglomerates such as Warner Bros. Discovery or NBCUniversal, also put out a huge array of content with similarly variable levels of quality, but they do so through a number of different channels and platforms, allowing for brand differentiation. Disney can release a family-friendly movie on Disney+, an adult-oriented prestige drama on FX, and a trashy reality show on A+E, without each of these genres' target audiences having to see titles they're not interested in. It's also easier for larger media companies to use their other assets such as TV broadcasters, or tie-in services and products as with Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+, to attract subscribers. On Netflix, on the other hand, everything is right next to each other, especially in sections such as the Netflix Top 10. This creates an impression among customers that Netflix has no real quality standards or consistent vision.

Apollo 10 1/2, Richard Linklater.

Even taking into account the built-in challenges it faces, however, Netflix's marketing has been lackluster for most titles. The streaming service typically only does short-term advertising for its major releases, making it difficult to build anticipation for upcoming seasons. While Netflix's binge model has contributed to its success and is preferred by many consumers, it also prevents its series from building hype over a number of weeks, and together with short-term marketing leads to most content being forgotten about a few weeks after release. Other projects receive little to no marketing push at all. Netflix is perhaps most valuable as a home for unusual projects that don't fit into the conventional media landscape, such as the stop-motion horror anthology The House, but these projects are the ones viewers are least likely to even be aware of. A Yahoo article on Netflix's animation mentions creators being disappointed at the lack of merchandise for Netflix's youth-oriented shows like She-Ra, another missed opportunity for growing the profile of its original content.

In place of conventional marketing, Netflix offers its algorithm and features new content on its home page, but there is little to nudge viewers outside the Netflix ecosystem to subscribe or open the app. In order to reverse its decline, Netflix needs to be better at featuring its best content. This could involve creating differentiated sub-brands that viewers could better identify with, perhaps curated by major Netflix creators such as Martin Scorsese or Mike Flanagan, or using more extensive merchandising and conventional advertising. The streaming service's biggest task is not creating more or better content, but better promoting what it already has.

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