Everyone has Netflix. Well, almost everyone. At least that's the conclusion we reached when hundreds of you responded to our Tom's Guide Streaming Survey last month. Of the 682 readers who responded, 76.4% said they had Netflix. That was just behind Prime Video, which most people have simply because they have Amazon Prime.
Just as interestingly, when asked what streaming service you would never cancel, 38.9% responded with Netflix. That was more than any other service, including Prime Video. When we ran a similar poll in other articles, the results were nearly the same: Out of 5,897 respondents, 42% of them said Netflix was the one service they'd never cancel.
So we decided to turn to the one sample we hadn't surveyed yet: our own staff. So I canvassed the Tom's Guide staff and asked them why they would — or already have — cancel Netflix. Some of the answers weren't necessarily a surprise, but a few trends raised my eyebrow.
Turns out, people hate price hikes
Of the 10 Tom's Guide staffers who responded to my call to action, half mentioned price hikes as a reason to quit. Of those five, three specifically called out the ad-tier being too expensive as a reason to leave.
"The only thing keeping me with Netflix is the low-ish price of the Ads plan," responded our Senior Editor for Reviews & Cameras, Peter Wolinski.
"I would cancel Netflix if the standard with ads went over $10," responded our News Editor, Alyse Stanley. She wasn't the only one to specifically cite $10 as an uncrossable red line, either.
To be fair, price hikes being a problem isn't a huge surprise. When we polled readers during the last Netflix price hike, 1,506 responded, and nearly half said they were "Definitely thinking about canceling." But it was interesting to see that it was the ad-supported plan getting more expensive that has people concerned, rather than the more premium tiers. It suggests that ad-supported plans do work, but only if you make them cheap enough to be desirable compromises.
Just when I thought I was out, Netflix pulls me back in
Aside from price hikes, the biggest reason our staff seemed ready to ditch Netflix (or already had) was that they simply didn't care about what the streaming giant was offering in a given month.
In the industry, this is known as "churn," and it's long been a thorn in the side of streaming services. Combating churn is one of the top priorities for streaming services. But sometimes, you just can't convince people to stick around for something they don't want.
"I’ve cancelled Netflix for now until 'Owning Manhattan' is back," our AI Editor, Amanda Caswell, responded. Both our Managing Streaming Editor, Kelly Woo, and our Senior Streaming Writer, Alix Blackburn, recommended people churn when streamers don't have the new shows and movies they want in their responses. Our UK Phones Editor, Tom, said he ditched Netflix back in 2019 after it canceled "Santa Clarita Diet," and he hasn't missed it since.
Netflix is spending on live events, but do people actually care?
Aside from price hikes and churn, some respondents mentioned canceling beloved shows as a reason to leave. One cited Paramount's gutting of CBS News as a reason they left Paramount+, and said they'd leave Netflix if similar politically motivated decisions were made by the streaming service.
I’ve cancelled Netflix for now until 'Owning Manhattan' is back
Tom's Guide AI Editor, Amanda Caswell
But one thing that didn't get a mention? Not even once? Live sports and live events.
Now, that could be down to sample size. After all, 10 respondents at a tech lifestyle publication do not make a representative population. But nobody mentioned live programming as a reason they liked Netflix, or felt they needed to keep it around.
Given that this live programming is contributing to the price hikes for Netflix and other streaming services, maybe it's worth reevaluating how much the live programming actually helps. It's worth mentioning, though, that live programming can often be aimed at juicing new subscriber growth as much as anything else. If 10 million (just a random number) sign up for an NFL game, and 8 million leave the next month, that's still a net positive for Netflix.
Are price hikes likely what causes you to quit Netflix for good? Let us know
Ultimately, James Carville might have been right: It's the economy, stupid. At least, when it comes to canceling Netflix. While people were concerned about their favorite shows and movies disappearing, half cited price as the main cause for alarm.
That said, it seemed like price was the main reason people would cancel Netflix, but content was the main reason people actually did cancel their subscription.
So we want to hear from you, our readers. Sound off in the comments section at the end of this article to let us know why you have left Netflix, or what your breaking point would be.
