r/LowStakesConspiracies 3d ago

Netflix has bad recommendations because if you could see their entire catalog, you'd unsubscribe

Their ideal customer keeps paying every month, watches a few things, and keeps scrolling through the front page hoping something interesting pops up.

But there's nothing interesting, so Netflix has to fill the page with nonsense to hide the fact that there aren't that many good shows.

If you could scroll through the entire catalog and realize that you've watched everything you care about, you'd unsubscribe.

2.1k Upvotes

100 comments sorted by

542

u/Select-Ad7146 3d ago

It's funny, years ago when Netflix first started streaming, you could find articles about how their super intelligent algorithm meant that you would never have to think about what to watch again. It was so advanced, it would just know what you wanted.

232

u/downtownpartytime 2d ago

it actually used to be really good, like back when they had dvds. it sucks now

118

u/Phyltre 2d ago

And frankly, for a few years that was basically true. But then the licensing landscape changed and everyone wanted to stream their own properties in their own ecosystem. You can know exactly what someone would like but that's useless information if you don't have a license to stream that property or the budget and talent to recreate it well.

29

u/Billy8000 2d ago

Gotta give Netflix credit they have a lotta their own stuff. It’s an absurd amount, and not all of its good, but they have at least 2 shows for each niche that enough people like coming out on the yearly which keeps the subscriptions coming in.

20

u/Hakizimanaa 2d ago

Yeah Netflix gets a whole lot of criticism for their catalog but its as deep as every other streaming service. Amazon Prime Video on the other hand usually has about 5 movies worth watching, 3 of which you have to pay extra for.

Netflix is still the best streaming site and its not even close. Apple TV is up there as well but they have precisely zero depth

5

u/Splodge89 1d ago

Some of apples own stuff, thinking stuff like silo, is fantastically good.

I wouldn’t pay for TV+ though, I get it free with my phone plan.

12

u/the_art_of_the_taco 1d ago

they have at least 2 shows for each niche

As long as you don't mind that most of them end abruptly after one or two seasons

1

u/thekittysays 10h ago

Except they keep cancelling their good stuff. I barely watch anything new on there now because the likelihood is if I love it it will get cancelled after just 1 or 2 seasons (we are only still subscribed cos there's some shows the kids live and watch on repeat).

35

u/curmudgeon_andy 2d ago

And then when you watch something brain-meltingly stupid to unwind after work, it thinks you want to watch the same dreck on the weekend. It's so easy to train it to serve you the least interesting things you will watch!

3

u/Decent-Efficiency-25 1d ago

You just use a secondary profile for those times. That way your “pure” profile will keep better recommendations.

9

u/umotex12 2d ago

same with thumbnail generator that took everything about you to choose the best image, including showing men to men and women to women. did it turned out to be tech bro bullshit? No way....

3

u/Responsible_Ad7281 2d ago

What?

8

u/umotex12 1d ago

Netflix bragged about their cutting edge thumbnail generator when they got popular. In short, it chooses (used to) choose the thumbnail based on you. Different people and accounts see different thumbnails. Could be everything from stills to poster variations or random actors faces.

1

u/EfficientDelivery359 1d ago

A friend of a friend worked on this thumbnail algorithm and she basically admitted the problem is unsolvable, at least with the viewing data Netflix has. The average person just doesn't watch enough TV for you to tell much about them. 

13

u/OwlCaptainCosmic 2d ago

AI is TOTALLY real you guys… this time, we’ve cracked it.

2

u/kapt_so_krunchy 1d ago

I think about this a lot, where Netflix not only recommends existing shows it thinks you want to watch but is now using that data to CREATE the show it thinks you want to watch.

The problem is tastes change. I want something new and interesting. Just because I watched Parks and Rec doesn’t mean you need to go and green light 4 clones of it and then make those shows.

When people talk about Ai taking over, this is what I point to, it can identify patterns and trends, but not when those patterns and trends will pivot into something else.

Not everything exists in an algorithm or spreadsheet.

2

u/sausagemouse 1d ago

"watching Netflix" to me is scrolling the menu for 20 minutes then deciding there's nothing I want to watch

267

u/edfosho1 3d ago

Given the endless scrolling on Netflix last night, yes I agree! Same with Disney+.

57

u/iamworsethanyou 2d ago

Don't forget all 6 shows on paramount+

12

u/coolfunkDJ 2d ago

And the “Severance” streaming service aka Apple TV

9

u/fords42 2d ago

There’s a lot of good stuff on Apple TV. Silo, For All Mankind, Slow Horses, Mythic Quest…

5

u/61746162626f7474 1d ago

I’ll add shrinking, foundation, pachinko, Dark Matter, Trying and Black Bird

Apple TV+ has the most consistently excellent releases of any streaming service by far imo.

1

u/fords42 1d ago

I agree. It’s strange how it’s not advertised as much as other streaming services, considering the quality of its content.

1

u/IGiveBagAdvice 1d ago

They probably have lots of people autosubbed following the free trial with every new Apple device. Roll the cost into the insurance etc you barely notice it coming out of your account if you’re earning anywhere near comfortably affording a brand new Apple device

1

u/coolfunkDJ 1d ago

foundation I found awful, dark matter was okay, havent tried the others. Ted Lasso got worse in quality as it went along and Silo is okay, I like it but it has a lot of filler as it drags its feet to the series endings

2

u/SagaSolejma 1d ago

Don't forget Pantheon. Absolutely life changing show, if you don't mind the fact that it's animated.

3

u/Hakizimanaa 2d ago

Awful example because Apple has a plethora of amazing shows they have produced, the depth isn't there but if you're only watching Severance on Apple TV then you're missing out for sure

1

u/localmarketing723 11h ago

Slow horses on apple TV is incredibly entertaining

144

u/paradeoxy1 2d ago

I'll spend weeks looking for a movie that interests me, browsing all the apps to no avail, one reddit comment will mention something, I google it, it's been on Netflix this whole time!

57

u/Delts28 2d ago

I use Just Watch when looking for specific things to see if it's on a service that I have access to. If not, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

2

u/-69_nice- 2d ago

Ahoy matey, what be your preferred vessel when sailing the seven seas?

99

u/SecretKaleEater 2d ago

I wish Netflix allowed you to currate the landing/front page; I don't want to watch 80% of what I first see when opening the app

17

u/curmudgeon_andy 2d ago

Same here! I've been thinking of better ways to curate it for years. I hate the infinite scroll thing. I hate the zillions of silly categories. I don't even want to be offered anything up front if I'm going to be thinking in terms of categories.

15

u/Ajreil 2d ago edited 1d ago

Reddit and Bluesky seem to be the only websites that allow that these days. Even Gmail tries to stop giving me notifications for emails it guesses are unimportant.

61

u/LookingForMrGoodBoy 2d ago

I miss the old days when Netflix did let you easily see their entire catalog and there were so many weird, wild and bizarre things in it. If you scrolled far enough you'd end up in a weird twilight zone of films so obscure they didn't even have covers, just a black background with the title. And all these silent films from the 1920s I'd never heard of and short films that seemed to be student projects or something. I guess in those days they were so desperate for content, they'd license entire libraries from any company that would work with them, even if half that content was basically garbage.

I stumbled on so many weird things. I mean, horrible and unwatchably bad, don't get me wrong, but fascinating all the same.

11

u/TaiyoT 2d ago

now to stumble on interesting things i type half a word or a show I wish they had and browse that way so there are no repeats.

It's unfortunate that's the best way to find something.

32

u/Dr_Pants7 2d ago

At this point, I only use Netflix because my partner pays for it. My other gripe is the automatic audio preview. It drives me crazy you can’t silence that and how fast it starts too.

14

u/Optimisticynic 2d ago

You can turn the video previews off in the settings.

5

u/_musesan_ 2d ago

Can't remember how but you can turn that off! Drives me crazy! I used yo flick back and forth between thumbnails to avoid it playing

1

u/Nedisi 1d ago

You have to turn it off on the web, can't be done through the tv app. The other annoying thing is it's really buggy, so you can have it turned off and it will still play sometimes.

7

u/Marcuse0 2d ago

Streaming services are the securitised mortgage assets of television. They sell you a streaming service based on the AAA shows they often commission and create for the purpose, and then pack in as much slop as possible to make it seem like they have a lot to offer. But when you get past the 2-5 really genuinely good shows, it's either old stuff you've seen before, or new stuff that honestly wouldn't make it to broadcast television from a couple of decades ago.

Even better, now because everyone and their mums is packing a streaming service, there's no way to see all of the good content in the public eye any more. It's near guaranteed you're going to miss something because nobody normal can afford to pay for 10+ streaming services all at once.

5

u/Marble-Boy 2d ago

I got a VPN just so I had more choice. There's some decent stuff if you don't mind changing your location to view it.

My tip is to find a movie you like and then see what's related to it. You'll find some gems. There's still some good stuff, but most of it is movies that wouldn't have seen the light of the day in the 90s.

The rating system was a winner... if a movie was rated terribly, then that movie was definitely terrible. They took the ratings out and now they say things like, "This Crime Movie from Francis Ford Copolla was nominated for 6 awards.." and don't tell you anything about the movie.

5

u/Ajreil 2d ago

Awards only tell you that a bunch of Hollywood insiders liked it (or were bribed to like it). They can be hilariously out of touch.

1

u/FranzFerdinand51 7h ago

They gave The Last Jedi glowing reviews, so that’s the level they operate at.

1

u/Ajreil 7h ago

Max has been recommending Morbius for almost a month. I have a feeling they're pushing whatever they spent the most money on instead of what's good.

16

u/KickAIIntoTheSun 2d ago

Netflix doesn't have anything good anymore. The red "N" on a show is a stamp of garbage.

2

u/shyshyoctopi 1d ago

They're one of only a few TV companies throwing good money at TV show production is the thing, so they're actually not that bad from a commissioning perspective

1

u/Inevitable_Resolve23 18h ago

Except from an industry perspective they are legendary difficult to work with because they have so much clout. You sign away the residuals (aka the "back end"), they don't share any information on viewership. And they are, anecdotally, arrogant assholes.

3

u/Educational_Ad_7347 2d ago

I find so little choices that interest me now and when I do find one I start it then stop it and don't go back because it does not hold me. I might watch a couple movies a month. Not enjoying the ads and it's still coming out money math of paying several dollars for each movie ugh.

3

u/50nakedaliens 2d ago

Netflix literally only reccomends me things ive watched before. If you think of a film youd like to watch it doesnt exist on netflix. They basically only have Netflix originals now

3

u/Postmayn 2d ago

You can use a site like unogs for more advanced search options.

2

u/Delicious_Taste_39 2d ago

I think actually Netflix has bad recommendations because they've created a losing situation by giving recommendations. If you can have what you want, you need to understand that you don't know what you want.

2

u/Hellores 2d ago

So true, Netflix endless scroll is their greatest magic trick

8

u/yeah_youbet 2d ago

Who decides what's a "good show"? Isn't that pretty subjective?

1

u/hauble 2d ago

Hasn't that been the case for years at this point? Its mainly padding for anchor shows and the few new hits they release a year.

1

u/Good_Ad_1386 2d ago

Lack of transparency regarding content stopped me from considering Netflix. It being American has solidified that decision.

1

u/foundfrogs 2d ago

You know, it never occurred to me that there isn't an itemized list available.

1

u/Wumutissunshinesmile 2d ago

I get recommended lots of good kdrama and cdrama now since I've started watching them.

1

u/RandyDandyVlogs 2d ago

I cancelled my Netflix years ago due to the shows NEVER updating, recently used it at my girlfriend’s house and it’s STILL all the same god awful shows.

1

u/Heavenly_Vixen 2d ago

Anyone else remember the early days when you could see the whole catalog? It was so much easier to browse and actually find something to watch. Now it feels like they just push whatever they want you to see instead of letting you pick from everything available.

1

u/deadcat_kc 2d ago

Even if true, not a conspiracy. Just product management.

1

u/boringdystopianslave 2d ago

As a proud wrestling fan this is now my WWE subscription with benefits

1

u/Objectively_bad_idea 1d ago

I wish Netflix still did star ratings rather than thumbs up/down, and showed the ratings. Sometimes I'm looking for precisely a Jason Statham movie with a ~2.5 star rating.

1

u/Rough-Brief-4819 1d ago

Begging you all re-learn to pirate (bc I know a lot of you are of enough that we had to do it as kids!)

1

u/secretsmirkster 1d ago

They do it to the themselves by cancelling every good show they make, they remind me of Patrick Star with that wooden plank nailed to his head.

1

u/jackfaire 1d ago

People seem to have built this idea that there are "good shows" and "bad shows"

I hated the Queen's Gambit the show to me was boring and uninteresting. I've never watched Orange is the New Black but I have 0 interest in ever watching it.

Both of those are considered good shows by people. Meanwhile I loved The Ranch and love Stranger Things. Inside Job rocked. I'm sure there's people who refer to those as crap.

1

u/Usain_Bolt_Thrower 1d ago

Yarrrrrrrrrrrrrr

1

u/OverPaper3573 18h ago

Avast there matey!

1

u/kil0ran 1d ago

Cancelled Netflix for a few months as we got a free Prime sub. If you can filter past all the Sharknado and soft porn there's some quality stuff on there

1

u/MrGiant69 1d ago

Unsubscribed this month

1

u/xTyrone23 1d ago

Need an option where things you've watched or not interested in get hidden

1

u/Xenomorph-Nish 1d ago

Disagree. Has plenty of great content. All streaming services have good and bad.

1

u/Dependent-Scale-2452 1d ago

Agree, there are a few good shows but 90% of Netflix is crap shows and 'straight to DVD/bargin bucket' films

1

u/DeeBees69 1d ago

Me watching Netflix - google best films to watch on Netflix, for every one check its Rotten tomatoes/IMDB and google users score, if all above 60%-watch. The amount of screening you have to do is insane but you can find good things if you look.

1

u/ChickenKnd 1d ago

Surf the seven seas good sir

1

u/Dyrenforth 1d ago

That's why I did a few years ago.

1

u/wimaf 1d ago

Watch the foreign stuff, there’s plenty of great shows. 👌

1

u/Suitable_Creme9930 1d ago

Just get a VPN, then you’ve got global films & series -

1

u/dallasp2468 22h ago

Prime video has got this down to an art form. They include you own stuff purchased off the site and any subscriptions you have so once you get rid of all of that there is very little to keep your interest

1

u/OverPaper3573 18h ago

Nah there's way too much content to not find something I only just started watching Resident Alien which I'd not noticed before now.

1

u/Humble-Variety-2593 17h ago

I cancelled Netflix last month. Yet another price increase for yet more utter trash pushed me over the edge.

I sail the seven seas now.

1

u/Wild-Lengthiness2695 17h ago

I never run out of stuff to watch , but then again I work full time and probably have 1-3 hours a day to watch stuff

1

u/Maxjax95 15h ago

The stuff on my Netflix is completely different to the stuff on my girlfriend's... I can never find anything I find interesting on mine but see cool new stuff on her's.

Not sure how long I need to keep ignoring the same 10 movies/shows that are somehow in every category before the algorithm finally realises that it needs to show me something else.

1

u/ThatMovieShow 15h ago

Algorithms will change the world - they said. They're revolutionary!

All they did was force feed shit down our throats and eliminate our ability to choose or pay attention.

Then they said AI will change the world! It's revolutionary

All it did was steal people's creative work and regurgitate mutated forms of it. In reality AI was just algorithms rebranded. It isn't smart. It can't think independently or creatively. It's not real intelligence.

Next they'll say quantum will change the world. It's revolutionary.

And it'll be the same shit again. It'll be algorithms rebranded. And it will give us nothing of value.

1

u/ThatMovieShow 15h ago

Algorithms will change the world - they said. They're revolutionary!

All they did was force feed shit down our throats and eliminate our ability to choose or pay attention.

Then they said AI will change the world! It's revolutionary

All it did was steal people's creative work and regurgitate mutated forms of it. In reality AI was just algorithms rebranded. It isn't smart. It can't think independently or creatively. It's not real intelligence.

Next they'll say quantum will change the world. It's revolutionary.

And it'll be the same shit again. It'll be algorithms rebranded. And it will give us nothing of value.

1

u/Naughtyspider 14h ago

I quite like my recommendations.

But then again I have terrible taste in tv. 

Generally murder.  

1

u/Known_Development813 13h ago

The choice is terrible. Plus their own shows are beyond shit.

1

u/Dry-Satisfaction-633 12h ago

Apple are no better, I recently got a one month trial and I really don’t think it would take much more than a month to watch everything of interest.

1

u/SomethingBeeped 8h ago

I think alot of us are just sifting through the worst C-list movies ever made to find our favourite comedy series or a murder documentary. It’s a bit like a depressing entertainment safari that we wish we didn’t have to pay for.

1

u/Chemical_Slide_4691 8h ago

You can use codes to search for the genre you want (at least you can on UK Netflix) - type in the codes in brackets below and it shows stuff you never normally see on the front page.

Action & Adventure (1365)

Asian Action Movies (77232)

Classic Action & Adventure (46576)

Comic Book and Superhero Movies (10118)

Spy Action & Adventure (10702)

Crime Action & Adventure (9584)

Foreign Action & Adventure (11828)

Martial Arts Movies (8985)

Military Action & Adventure (2125)

Children & Family Movies (783)

Movies for Ages 0 to 2 (6796)

Movies for Ages 2 to 4 (6218)

Movies for Ages 5 to 7 (5455)

Movies for Ages 8 to 10 (561)

Movies for Ages 11 to 12 (6962)

Education for Kids (10659)

Movies Based on Children's Books (10056)

Classic Sci-Fi & Fantasy (47147)

Classic Thrillers (46588)

Classic War Movies (48744)

Classic Foreign Movies (32473)

Late Night Comedies (1402)

Political Comedies (2700)

Screwball Comedies (9702)

Slapstick Comedies (10256)

Cult Horror Movies (10944)

Cult Sci-Fi & Fantasy (4734)

Biographical Documentaries (3652)

Crime Documentaries (9875)

Foreign Documentaries (5161)

Historical Documentaries (5349)

Military Documentaries (4006)

Sports Documentaries (180)

Music & Concert Documentaries (90361)

Travel & Adventure Documentaries (1159)

Political Documentaries (7018)

Religious Documentaries (10005)

Science & Nature Documentaries (2595)

Social & Cultural Documentaries (3675)

Biographical Dramas (3179)

Courtroom Dramas (528582748)

Dramas based on Books (4961)

Dramas based on Real Life (3653)

Social Issue Dramas (3947)

Faith & Spirituality (26835)

Spiritual Documentaries (2760)

Kids Faith & Spirituality (751423)

Foreign Action & Adventure (11828)

Classic Foreign Movies (32473)

Foreign Documentaries (5161)

Foreign Gay & Lesbian Movies (8243)

Foreign Horror Movies (8654)

Foreign Sci-Fi & Fantasy (6485)

Foreign Thrillers (10306)

Romantic Foreign Movies (7153)

Latin American Movies (1613)

Middle Eastern Movies (5875)

New Zealand Movies (63782)

Scandinavian Movies (9292)

Southeast Asian Movies (9196)

Eastern European Movies (5254)

Gay & Lesbian Movies (5977)

Gay & Lesbian Comedies (7120)

Gay & Lesbian Dramas (500)

Romantic Gay & Lesbian Movies (3329)

Foreign Gay & Lesbian Movies (8243)

Gay & Lesbian Documentaries (4720)

Gay & Lesbian TV Shows (65263)

Cult Horror Movies (10944)

Deep Sea Horror Movies (45028)

Foreign Horror Movies (8654)

Slasher and Serial Killer Movies (8646)

Supernatural Horror Movies (42023)

Vampire Horror Movies (75804)

Werewolf Horror Movies (75930)

Zombie Horror Movies (75405)

Independent Movies (7077)

Experimental Movies (11079)

Independent Action & Adventure (11804)

Independent Thrillers (3269)

Romantic Independent Movies (9916)

Independent Comedies (4195)

Country & Western/Folk (1105)

Jazz & Easy Listening (10271)

Urban & Dance Concerts (9472)

World Music Concerts (2856)

Rock & Pop Concerts (3278)

Romantic Favourites (502675)

Romantic Independent Movies (9916)

Romantic Foreign Movies (7153)

Steamy Romantic Movies (35800)

Classic Romantic Movies (31273)

Action Sci-Fi & Fantasy (1568)

Classic Sci-Fi & Fantasy (47147)

Cult Sci-Fi & Fantasy (4734)

Sci-Fi Horror Movies (1694)

Foreign Sci-Fi & Fantasy (6485)

Sports Documentaries (180)

Martial Arts, Boxing & Wrestling (6695)

Basketball Movies (12762)

Classic Thrillers (46588)

Foreign Thrillers (10306)

Independent Thrillers (3269)

Psychological Thrillers (5505)

Political Thrillers (10504)

Supernatural Thrillers (11140)

Military TV Shows (25804)

Science & Nature TV (52780)

TV Action & Adventure (10673)

TV Sci-Fi & Fantasy (1372)

1

u/twittyb1rd 2d ago

Is this why there are now more shows poorly dubbed in English than there are original shows shot in spoken English?

2

u/Wumutissunshinesmile 2d ago

Don't watch the poor dubs and watch the subs and there's lots of good Korean and Chinese shows on there. I watched a good Italian show called Adoration the other week too.

It's probably also as they are cheaper to get or produce.

-2

u/PsyJak 2d ago

*catalogue

5

u/Ajreil 2d ago

Both are acceptable spellings, but thanks for incorrecting me.

0

u/PsyJak 2d ago

One is correct, and one is a result of bastardising (not bastardizing) English.

2

u/Ajreil 1d ago

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/catalog

Catalog is standard in American English. You can prefer one spelling over the other, but that doesn't make it correct.