Netflix is a popular streaming platform with 209 million subscribers worldwide, making it the largest streaming service in the world. For years, Netflix has been THE streaming service that has dominated competitors like Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video. But, in recent years the platform seems to have been under heavy fire as many Netflix subscribers have noticed that many of the most beloved shows and movies have been removed. 

Many T.V. show and film fanatics have questioned why Netflix would want to take down some of their most watched content, and there is one main reason behind this. The first is that Netflix doesn’t own a majority of the shows and movies that they stream—besides the Netflix Originals of course—so they sign licensing agreements with the owners of shows and movies to offer them on the streaming platform. As a result of this, when the licenses expire, existing shows and movies are removed from the platform and new ones are added. While this does allow Netflix to consistently offer new content for their viewers, it does sometimes result in fan-favorites being removed from the service. So it’s usually not a matter of Netflix wanting to take down and replace their most sought-after titles, but one where they have to.

Time and time again Netflix has taken fan favorites off of their platform, and people are not happy about it. Shows like The Office, Gossip Girl, New Girl, Dexter, That 70’s Show, and The West Wing have all been removed from Netflix over the past few years. The streaming service which was once bursting with popular T.V. shows and movies is now under heavy fire for removing some of the best content it had to offer. “Ever since Netflix started to remove shows and movies like Gossip Girl and The Notebook they have definitely gone downhill,” said junior Virginia Odom. “Now I struggle to find shows that I actually want to watch on Netflix.”

As a result of Netflix removing some of their most beloved content from the service, many have turned to other streaming services to find entertainment. Many Netflix subscribers have abandoned their roots and are now giving other services such as Hulu, YouTube TV, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video a chance. These services are becoming increasingly popular and are giving Netflix a run for their money. “I’m seriously considering ditching my Netflix subscription and subscribing to Hulu or YouTube TV instead,” said junior Lucas Savage. “I just don’t feel like there is anything left worth watching on Netflix.”

While Netflix continues to be the most popular streaming service in the world, with other services on the rise Netflix might be one or two fan-favorite show removals away from being replaced.