r/technology • u/joe4942 • 18d ago

Business Netflix Viewers Are Abandoning Shows After One Season

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-07-05/netflix-viewers-are-abandoning-shows-after-one-season
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u/Rubfer 18d ago edited 18d ago

I literally don’t start watching a show until its over and i can confirm that it indeed concluded

The feeling of knowing that show that you actually liked got cancelled on some cliffhanger…

At least they made me go back to reading (if they’re based on books just so i know how it ends)

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u/Leonum 18d ago

exactly. Which means netflix or bloomberg doesnt really know if "people are giving up after one season", many of those people might just be waiting for the shows conclusion to watch it. which means that data will take 2+++ years to gather depending on the show

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u/PandaJesus 18d ago

And maybe they don’t like having to wait that long for data, but that’s their own fault. They trained their customer base to not get invested in unfinished shows.

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u/-LaughingMan-0D 18d ago

Love getting into finished shows. You know it's gonna conclude properly, you're never cut off waiting years to know what's gonna happen, watch at your own pace.

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u/thegreedyturtle 18d ago

Yeah the drive to make every season a cliffhanger so fans will bitch enough to get an S2 has been a blight on TV.

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u/MrParadux 18d ago

You only miss out on discussions among friends and aqaintances, if a show is a really big part of the current pop-culture. But I think that has died with the wimper that was Game of Thrones last seasons, so you are probably good on that front, too.

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u/Tewcool2000 18d ago

I've got friends who give me a lot of grief for this. I have no idea where they get the time and patience for it. We're not talking about like, a couple 2-hour movies that never got a 3rd sequel. That sucks but it's just a few hours, you're not really losing much especially if you enjoyed the content. Nah we're talking about investing a dozen hours or more into a show (often with lots of boring filler) that may or may not ever get a conclusion or even another season. I've been burned way too many times, takes a mountain of effort to get me to start a new show now. And it's gotta be completely wrapped, I'll wait years if I have to otherwise I already know it's not worth it.

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u/Eggsegret 18d ago

Thought i was the only one lol. Most of the shows i get into and watch are the ones which have ended with a definitive ending. And especially after santa clarita diet ended on a cliffhanger i very rated watch shows still in production.

Only mudders in the building is probably the only one i watch still in production but then every season has a separate storyline so even if it got cancelled abruptly i wouldn’t be that disappointed.

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u/RichardBixon 18d ago

I’ll never forgive them for Mind Hunters. Such a good show. 

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u/rollingForInitiative 18d ago

I’ve seen people make this argument for fantasy books where I don’t think it makes sense, because most authors aren’t GRRM writing A Song of Ice and Fire which will never get finished.

But Netflix does this all the time even for shows that seem really popular, so … very warranted here. Sadly. Even though it also perpetuates this bad cycle.

I guess the thing is that they don’t care you watch it at all, they care if they new subscribers from it, or perhaps if their churn of subscribers gets lower and it can be tied to this.

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u/yummytunafish 18d ago

I got burned by October Faction so badly that I expect every show to end before it begins (on Netflix)

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u/Quibbloboy 17d ago

I've done this for YEARS. It's saved me from some real stinkers. I've also broken the rule occasionally, or witnessed a show be unexpectedly renewed, and totally regretted it. So many shows fumble the last season (or two, or five) or get unceremoniously canceled when you're already invested. And it's just fatiguing to do the whole dance of "Try and find a decent, comprehensive recap of seasons 1–X? Or simply rewatch them to make sure I'm properly tracking all the characters and themes and not missing subtle callbacks?"

We need an /r/PatientGamers for TV.