There Are 50% Fewer Titles In The Netflix Catalog Than There Were Four Years Ago

By Josh Sorokach @joshsorokach
Published Oct. 3, 2016, 12:15 p.m. ET

Where to Stream:

One Tree Hill

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Have you noticed a decline in the number of titles available to stream during your monthly scavenger hunt for new Netflix content? It’s not just you. Streaming all 187 episodes of One Tree Hill hasn’t affected your deductive reasoning. The website Exstreamist reports that the number of titles in the Netflix library is down 50% since its peak four years ago.

Please don’t faint.

Pulling title counts from uNoGS, the streaming blog reveals that there were 5,302 titles available in the US Netflix library — including movies and television shows — in September of 2016, which is a substantial decrease from the estimated 11,000 titles available to stream back in 2012. The decline can be attributed to the unwillingness of major content owners to provide the streaming company with their distribution rights, as well as Netflix’s decreased spending on third party content as they increase their focus on creating original programming. Last month, Netflix CFO David Wells divulged that the company is targeting a 50/50 split in terms of original programming and licensed content, a goal they hope to accomplish over the next few years.

SHOW: One Tree Hill

EPISODE: Season 3, Episode 16
CHARACTER: Keith Scott

Keith was killed during the school shooting episode. After trying, and failing, to get Jimmy Edwards, the school shooter, to put down his gun Keith is seen kneeling over Jimmy’s dead body. Dan, Keith’s evil brother, walks inside and shoots Keith in cold blood. Dan ends up blaming the whole thing on Jimmy.
[Where to stream One Tree Hill]Photo: Netflix

So it really comes down to quality over quantity. With the success of Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Narcos, and their slew of popular Marvel programming, Netflix said it will release 600 hours of original content by the time 2016 is done. To put that into nomenclature we can all understand, 600 hours is equivalent to 25 days of binge-watching.

The influx of quality originals may mean less licensed content, but if that sacrifice brings us more programs like Master of None and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, we’re all for it!