Netflix Movie Lineup Has Decreased by 40% Since 2014

Remember when Netflix used to mainly be a service that sent DVD’s to your mailbox a few times a month? Those days are long gone, as the company has become the world’s foremost leader in streaming, offering movies and shows in addition to a massive roster of its own original content. The focus, and future, of the company is its expanding collection of originals, which means that the old model of “show other studios’ movies” is long gone, and the overall content numbers back that up. Netflix has seriously cut down on the number of movies available to stream.

Streaming Observer crunched the numbers and, believe it or not, the library of movies on Netflix has actually decreased by 40% since 2014. Five years ago, Netflix had 6,494 movies available for users to stream on the service. That number dropped to 4,335 movies just two years later. As of last month, the service had just 3,849 films available.

This isn’t exactly surprising. Netflix has made it clear that the future lies in original content. The goal is for the service to one day consist of only originals. But that doesn’t make the numbers any less staggering to look at. What was once a hub for watching movies is still just that, but it’s no longer the only option, and the library is significantly smaller.

One reason behind the major decrease is Netflix’s commitment to spending money on originals. There are also the rival studios to consider. As other companies launch their own streaming services, Netflix becomes an adversary rather than an asset. Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. are all in the streaming game now, meaning that those companies want their content off of Netflix as quickly as possible.

This number will also continue to change each and every month. Movies are consistently rotating in and out of Netflix’s lineup, so the total number of films never stays the same.

That said, it’s hard to ignore the decrease in movies Netflix has experienced over the years. And don’t be surprised if that drop continues as we head into the new decade.

Have you noticed a drop in movies on Netflix? Are you starting to consider other streaming services? Let us know in the comments!