Exhibitors have worked hard for years to boost the moviegoing experience, but streamers aren’t making comparable efforts.
Exhibs emphasize safe & clean theatres, comfortable seating, state-of-the-art projection & expanded food service. For streamers, those are all housekeeping items subscribers take care of themselves.
What streamers should do is improve their content menus so subs can actually find something to watch. The problem varies from service to service, but nobody’s doing a great job of marketing their content to paying customers. Browsing is frustrating and can take forever as we wade through endless sub-category menus.
Worst of all are the algorithm-driven “RECOMMENDED FOR YOU…” & “SINCE YOU WATCHED…” What streamers don’t get is that watching something for 10 minutes before turning it off, doesn’t mean we liked it.
If the streamers had any movie marketing sense, they’d know they should tell people something about their movies. Mini posters aren’t enough for anyone who hasn’t spent decades writing about films. Many times, acting or directing credits aren’t even provided.
Some streamers offer trailers, but you’ve got to notice that little button to click on. Netflix provides video scenes to whet your appetite but starts them with audio blasting away the instant you linger over a menu item.
By the time you finally find a movie to stream, you could just as easily go to a nearby cinema and pick something on the marquee to see!