Sorry, humour doesn’t always translate in text only 🙂
I don’t think a licensed show like Doctor Who would count as super profitable compared to IP like Stranger things that they [edit: Netflix] own wholly? They’re pretty secretive about the factors behind their programming choices, so I dunno.
I think they really decide based on churn. What brings viewers in. So the question is, would Dr Who bring new subscribers into Netflix, or is that audience already there? If they’re already there, that means they wouldn’t get enough new subscribers. The thing is, people generally don’t leave Netflix. I haven’t willingly watched Netflix in a few years, but we still have it because my wife uses it. She watches a lot of true crime/documentaries. So, they are getting our money, but if it were up to me, I wouldn’t pay them a dime.
If we weren’t subscribers, I’m honestly not sure if Dr Who would bring us in. It would have to be really good. It captured our imaginations in the Nine, Ten, and Eleven years, but while Twelve and Thirteen were well acted, the story seemed to fall flat and it just wasn’t interesting anymore. We like what they did — older Doctor, woman Doctor, Doctor of colour, LGBTQ+ Dcotor, all those things are well and good, but the stories just weren’t engaging like they were before. We stuck with it because we love the brand and we loved what it was, but it was too little too seldomly, like a few episodes every couple years or more. Eventually we were just like “oh Dr Who’s back, you in? Nah? Yeah me either, let’s watch whatever else instead.” So it would have to really do something special to bring us back, maybe others as well, I dunno.
I think they really decide based on churn. What brings viewers in.
Could well be their MO. The last big streamers have the market pretty well divvied up between them, and they may just be fighting over the viewers that are still on the fence? Like you say, your household still subscribe.
But let’s say the BBC got smart and offered up all of Doctor Who, from 1963 to now. Boom, 41 seasons plus a couple years’ specials available on one platform*. Especially now that the audience has to wait a few years for new material, wouldn’t that be enough to attract Netflix — activating a few dormant subscriptions, pulling in the fanbase, including new viewers who need to see what the fuzz is about?
That’s very much fantasy football, of course, but if the issue for the BBC is to generate interest in the show, among viewers and streaming partners, making the whole of it available in one place seems the way to go.
* Let’s ignore for now what a legal headache it would be clearing all those classic serial rights from writers’ estates. Also, that nuWho series 1-13 is now with AMC+ in North America, and the two most recent seasons are still on Disney+.
Sorry, humour doesn’t always translate in text only 🙂
I don’t think a licensed show like Doctor Who would count as super profitable compared to IP like Stranger things that they [edit: Netflix] own wholly? They’re pretty secretive about the factors behind their programming choices, so I dunno.
I think they really decide based on churn. What brings viewers in. So the question is, would Dr Who bring new subscribers into Netflix, or is that audience already there? If they’re already there, that means they wouldn’t get enough new subscribers. The thing is, people generally don’t leave Netflix. I haven’t willingly watched Netflix in a few years, but we still have it because my wife uses it. She watches a lot of true crime/documentaries. So, they are getting our money, but if it were up to me, I wouldn’t pay them a dime.
If we weren’t subscribers, I’m honestly not sure if Dr Who would bring us in. It would have to be really good. It captured our imaginations in the Nine, Ten, and Eleven years, but while Twelve and Thirteen were well acted, the story seemed to fall flat and it just wasn’t interesting anymore. We like what they did — older Doctor, woman Doctor, Doctor of colour, LGBTQ+ Dcotor, all those things are well and good, but the stories just weren’t engaging like they were before. We stuck with it because we love the brand and we loved what it was, but it was too little too seldomly, like a few episodes every couple years or more. Eventually we were just like “oh Dr Who’s back, you in? Nah? Yeah me either, let’s watch whatever else instead.” So it would have to really do something special to bring us back, maybe others as well, I dunno.
Could well be their MO. The last big streamers have the market pretty well divvied up between them, and they may just be fighting over the viewers that are still on the fence? Like you say, your household still subscribe.
But let’s say the BBC got smart and offered up all of Doctor Who, from 1963 to now. Boom, 41 seasons plus a couple years’ specials available on one platform*. Especially now that the audience has to wait a few years for new material, wouldn’t that be enough to attract Netflix — activating a few dormant subscriptions, pulling in the fanbase, including new viewers who need to see what the fuzz is about?
That’s very much fantasy football, of course, but if the issue for the BBC is to generate interest in the show, among viewers and streaming partners, making the whole of it available in one place seems the way to go.
* Let’s ignore for now what a legal headache it would be clearing all those classic serial rights from writers’ estates. Also, that nuWho series 1-13 is now with AMC+ in North America, and the two most recent seasons are still on Disney+.