Netflix came to Germany in September 2014 and a lot has happened since then. The streaming market is getting bigger and bigger and both Netflix and Amazon are trying to surpass each other in successful in-house productions. In addition there are TV stations such as HBO, Hulu, Fox or NBC Universal, which also have a high “output” and can often be seen with their productions at pure streaming providers. With all the abundance of subscription streaming offers that are still very numerous despite Watchever’s capitulation, it is worth taking a closer look at Netflix.
First there is an overview of the costs, then there are the Netflix series and in-house productions and after a comparison with Amazon Prime, there is a conclusion.
Overview of costs
Netflix currently offers three different subscription models:
The basic subscription costs 7.99 euros per month.
The standard subscription costs 10.99 euros per month (previously 9.99 euros).
The premium subscription costs 13.99 euros per month (previously 11.99 euros).
The three Abo models differ both in the quality, and in the number of users, who can look at the same time. With the basic subscription there is only SD quality and only one person can look at the same time. With the standard subscription, the picture is in HD quality and two people can watch at the same time. Finally, the premium subscription offers HD and Ultra HD quality and Netflix can run on four devices simultaneously.
Netflix as home for series fans
When you talk about Netflix and streaming, you’re talking about series. Netflix stands like no other streaming provider (maybe HBO with “Game of Thrones” and “Westworld”) for series quality. Since 2013, there have been a number of series that have repeatedly been nominated for Emmy and have won numerous awards. With productions such as “House of Cards”, “Orange Is the New Black” or “Stranger Things”, Netflix has set a new standard with its range and in-house productions. Of course, traditional television, with cable channels such as HBO (also streaming) or AMC, still releases great series, but Netflix is now the top dog here. Whether it’s The Crown, Narcos or the Netflix Marvel series – hardly anything flops. Hardly, because nevertheless there are series, such as Marco Polo or Sense 8 for example, which are well done in terms of craftsmanship, but didn’t find enough viewers and thus ended earlier than planned. At least with Sense 8, Netflix has given the fans a feature film that tells the story to the end. This is also something that distinguishes Netflix. With the billions in capital, Netflix not only produces its own series, but also brings back to life those that have already been sold. For example Gilmore Girls.
Netflix Originals / In-house productions
Netflix is very active not only in series, but also in films. With productions like 1922, Spectral, Paradox, ARQ, The Do-Over, iBoy or War Machine, Netflix wants to reach new customers. However, the film productions do not yet come close to the series. On the one hand this is due to the high level of the series, but on the other hand it is also due to some weakening production. Where Paradox or War Machine have aroused great interest in the run-up, the films then turned out to be half-baked. However, that’s a high level of complaining.
Besides the in-house productions, there are also Netflix Originals, where Netflix has acquired the rights to the films and series. Where there used to be “Direct-to-DVD”, there now is “Direct-to-Netflix”. Ambitious productions for which cinema exploitation proves too risky are broadcast exclusively by Netflix. This applies, for example, to “Annihiliation”, which has received quite good reviews and was worth seeing for me as a Mystery/Scifi fan.
The comparison with Amazon Prime
Of course Netflix also has to put up with the comparison with Amazon Prime, which started its streaming service at the beginning of 2011. With Amazon Prime, users still have the advantage (or perhaps disadvantage?) of being able to fall back on the extensive purchase and rental offer. In principle, both Netflix and Amazon Prime offer series & films for streaming, but it can be said that Netflix in particular endeavours to produce and publish many high-quality series, while Amazon Prime offers a wider range of films and series. Amazon also has some exclusive series & films and produces great home cinema with “The Man in the High Castle”, “Bosch”, “Jack Ryan” or “The Grand Tour”.
In short: Netflix is especially worthwhile for series fans, while Amazon Prime has a wider range, which also includes some older movies & series that you can find at Netflix. Therefore Netflix has a large number of exclusive and high-quality content. Amazon Prime still has room for improvement.
Conclusion: Is it worth buying a Netflix account?
Netflix is the top dog in streaming and you can answer the question with a “yes”. Especially fans of series and the “Binge-Watchchen”, i.e. watching several episodes of a series in a row, should find the Netflix account worthwhile. Nevertheless, you won’t find everything in Netflix and if you’re not a big serial fan, the offer might not seem so extensive after some time. But everybody has to know that for himself. I use my Netflix account regularly.