Remember when your choice for what you wanted to watch, when you wanted to watch it, was Netflix’s whole schtick? We do. But Netflix is struggling to keep its users engaged these days, prompting the world’s largest streamer to throw some new ideas at the wall. One that just might stick, it seems, is always-on channels.
You know, the model that Netflix essentially killed so that it could add your email and credit card details to its database. That’s according to people familiar with the matter, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Each channel, it’s said, would be dedicated to specific shows or genres. Imagine a Stranger Things channel that can’t get off the carousel.
Are free trials making a comeback?
This is despite Netflix continuing to record healthy profits, with hardly any of its subscribers ditching their subscription. On paper, things are going well for Netflix. But one of the metrics the higher-ups don’t like to see in the red is user engagement. Sure, they’re paying the monthly fee — but are they actually watching the content?
Apparently not. That’s where the idea to introduce live, always-on channels comes in. The idea is to keep viewers around for longer, removing choice from the equation. The streamer can’t risk possibly scaring off a watcher by asking them what they’d like to watch next. If something’s just on in the background, may as well watch it, right?
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Netflix recently signed a deal with broadcaster TF1 to bring its programming to viewers in France. If the report is true, the company is looking at similar deals across Europe and Latin America and, eventually, the world. There are even whispers of the streamer looking to put in a bid for the 2030/2034 World Cup broadcasting rights.
According to What’s On Netflix, the streamer is also toying with the idea of free trials again — something we haven’t seen since 2020. Only select regions outside of the UK and the US are included, with some reporting that the free trials can range in length and are only for new subscribers. It begs the question: why now? Perhaps Netflix knows it’s captured just about every customer it can — and now needs to begin targeting the holdouts.
Either way, we’re not complaining.
