Netflix Is No Longer Chill
Uncanny Valley | WIRED
WIRED
4.1 • 572 Ratings
🗓️ 23 February 2023
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The promise of streaming TV was that you could watch whatever you wanted, when you wanted. And for a while, that was mostly true. But recently, streaming services have started to dial back the nice-guy stuff and reel in the freebies. Companies across the stream-o-sphere are tweaking subscription tiers, raising prices, and canceling unprofitable shows. Netflix has introduced an ad-supported tier to its formerly ad-free service, and even started cracking down on people sharing account credentials. And corporate shake ups at HBO Max have resulted in gobs of stuff being removed from that platform entirely.
This week on Gadget Lab, WIRED senior editor Angela Watercutter joins us to talk about why the streaming ecosystem has grown so complicated and hostile toward its customers.
Show Notes
Read WIRED’s series about why we hate streaming. Listen to WIRED and 1A’s series about AI, Know It All.
Recommendations
Angela recommends the cinematic masterpiece Cocaine Bear. Lauren recommends Marc Maron’s stand-up special From Bleak to Dark on HBO. Mike recommends the film EO, which is about a donkey.
Angela Watercutter can be found on Twitter @WaterSlicer. Lauren Goode is @LaurenGoode. Michael Calore is @snackfight. Bling the main hotline at @GadgetLab. The show is produced by Boone Ashworth (@booneashworth). Our theme music is by Solar Keys.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi everyone. Before we start today's show, we wanted to tell you about a special project |
| 0:05.7 | between Wired and the NPR show 1A. It's called Know It All, 1A and Wired's Guide to AI. It's a four-part series |
| 0:13.8 | that's all about how our lives and culture are being affected by this sudden shift in generative |
| 0:18.6 | AI. Each episode is a conversation with 1A and Wired Reporters and the people who have either |
| 0:24.2 | had a part in creating these AI models or are having their lives directly affected by them. |
| 0:29.3 | You can hear more at 1A's website, the 1a.org slash series. |
| 0:34.8 | That's 1 is in the numeral one, the 1a.org slash series. We'll have a link in the show notes. |
| 0:41.3 | Okay, now on to this week's episode. |
| 0:52.3 | Lauren. Mike. Lauren, how many streaming services do you subscribe to right now? |
| 0:58.2 | Do you know? |
| 0:59.3 | I thought you were going to ask me what I'm giving up for Lent. |
| 1:01.7 | Are you giving up streaming for Lent? |
| 1:03.7 | Yes, I'm giving up podcasting, streaming, journalism. |
| 1:06.5 | I'm giving up journalism for Lent. |
| 1:07.8 | Good show. |
| 1:08.7 | It was good to have you. |
| 1:10.6 | Streaming services a lot, but not as many as I used to because some family members and I share |
| 1:19.1 | passwords sometimes. |
| 1:20.5 | Oh. |
| 1:21.6 | I'm not supposed to admit that now? |
| 1:23.7 | Well, because you're not allowed to do it anymore. |
| 1:25.3 | I guess not, depending on the surface and where you're located. |
... |
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