Netflix And Chill?

Remember the days when you’d have to go to the video store to score a movie for the weekend? The walk to the new releases section to discover no remaining copies of that movie you’ve been waiting months for. Picking out maybe your third and fourth choices, because those are better than having to watch whatever is on TV. You settle down with your microwaved popcorn, throw the tape in the VCR only to realize the previous renter was an absolute sociopath and neglected to rewind it. Cue 4 minutes of silence before hooray! It’s movie night!

Although it’s fun to reminisce nostalgically about how much we enjoyed those evening trips to Blockbuster, one can’t deny that the convenience of sitting down to a plethora of viewing options spanning movies, documentaries and shows; all usually available without those pesky ads. There was a brief pseudo-digital period where you could go online and order discs from Netflix, which was convenient from both a not-leaving the house and a not-needing to rewind a DVD perspective, but they really got into their stride and led the streaming revolution when they launched the service two out of three Americans now subscribe to, back in 2007.

What’s interesting to me is how Netflix and similar services are actually shaping the way major internet service providers plan for and accommodate bandwidth requirements. Streaming video makes up 60% of the global internet traffic overall, inflated in part by the falling cost of equipment allowing 4K quality viewing. A high-definition movie, which is what many people consider to be the minimum from a quality standpoint, uses around 5mbps of bandwidth. The same movie in 4K uses five times the amount of data. Even given the broadness of choice we have for streaming services now, Netflix alone generates enough traffic to have been asked by ISPs to slow their streams during the pandemic, as there simply wasn’t enough “internet” to go around with everyone at home watching Stranger Things.

The changes aren’t just with how we watch, it’s what we watch and how much of it. Remember when we had to wait a week for new episodes to air? Now 82% of viewers admit to binge-watching their favorite shows online. It’s not uncommon for us to sink eight hours into watching our favorite characters, and have you noticed how one episode seamlessly blends into another? It feels like the TV equivalent of Vegas casinos not having clocks and honestly I’m not even mad at it. For the arguable quality of the shows which Netflix creates, I don’t mind them resorting to excess slickness in keeping my eyeballs pointing at them.

Success as we know breeds imitation. In the US alone viewers have the choice of around 50 streaming services, with costs ranging from a few dollars to more than sixty bucks. This actually highlights one of the major downsides to receiving shows and movies in this way: exclusivity. Even conservatively subscribing to a couple of the major names in this field is no guarantee the new movie you’ve been waiting for doesn’t land out of reach. Want to ride the popularity of The Mandalorian? That’ll cost you a Disney+ subscription. Want to be disappointed by The Matrix Resurrections? You’ll be needing HBO Max. Unchecked, this can result in some serious monthly costs.

While it’s fair to blame Netflix for the downfall of our favorite video store, it’d be short sighted to say that streaming wasn’t the future of movie nights. As with any technology, the most important thing is treating it healthily. Just because we have unlimited access to something, doesn’t mean we should consume it all of the time. Except The Witcher. Season 2 is a wonderful way to spend an entire winter’s Saturday, or so I’ve heard….

To submit a suggestion for a future column, send an email to [email protected].

Richard Noble is the founder of Want for Tech, an IT company in Glasgow.