Netflix Is No Longer Chill
Uncanny Valley | WIRED23 Helmi 2023

Netflix Is No Longer Chill

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.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Jaksot(433)

Apple’s Next Chapter; SpaceX and Cursor Strike A Deal; Palantir’s Controversial Manifesto

Apple’s Next Chapter; SpaceX and Cursor Strike A Deal; Palantir’s Controversial Manifesto

This week, the team discusses what’s next for Apple as Tim Cook steps down from his role as CEO. They also go into the reasoning behind SpaceX and Cursor’s surprising deal, and why Palantir’s self-pub...

23 Huhti 35min

LegalEagle, the Internet’s Favorite Lawyer, Makes Sense of ‘Multiple Watergates per Week’

LegalEagle, the Internet’s Favorite Lawyer, Makes Sense of ‘Multiple Watergates per Week’

Devin Stone, the lawyer better known as LegalEagle on YouTube, has been breaking down legal cases - and assessing the accuracy of legal procedurals in film and television -- for years. He talks to Kat...

21 Huhti 36min

Artemis II Astronaut Reflects Upon Return

Artemis II Astronaut Reflects Upon Return

This week, WIRED's Brian Barrett checked in with Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover to know how he feels now that he's back home — and how he and the rest of the crew experienced some of the mission's...

17 Huhti 6min

Kara Swisher Is Trying To Live Forever

Kara Swisher Is Trying To Live Forever

This week, we’re bringing you an exclusive conversation between WIRED’s Katie Drummond and tech journalist Kara Swisher. Kara is no stranger to fads in the tech space but the longevity industry  — the...

16 Huhti 31min

Silicon Valley Is Spending Millions to Stop One of Its Own

Silicon Valley Is Spending Millions to Stop One of Its Own

New York Assemblyman Alex Bores is running in a crowded race to replace longtime Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler. Pro-AI PACs have targeted Bores, a former Palantir employee who spearheaded an AI ...

14 Huhti 40min

OpenAI and Musk Fight Again; DOJ Mishandles Voter Data; Artemis II Comes Home

OpenAI and Musk Fight Again; DOJ Mishandles Voter Data; Artemis II Comes Home

This week, we discuss why OpenAI and Elon Musk’s legal feud is heating up once again — and happening alongside SpaceX’s IPO filing. We also dive into how a Department of Justice lawyer misled a judge ...

9 Huhti 31min

Can UpScrolled Keep Up With a Surge in Users?

Can UpScrolled Keep Up With a Surge in Users?

Last year, Issam Hijazi launched UpScrolled after users decried censorship and shadow-banning on other platforms. When TikTok transferred ownership of its US operations to American investors, UpScroll...

7 Huhti 39min

Iran Targets U.S. Tech; Polymarket’s Bar Flop; Trump's Plans for Midterms

Iran Targets U.S. Tech; Polymarket’s Bar Flop; Trump's Plans for Midterms

The team is back this week to discuss how top U.S tech companies are increasingly finding themselves as targets in the ongoing war with Iran. We also get an inside view into how Polymarket’s pop-up ba...

2 Huhti 27min