Remember when I blogged about Netflix and How to Register to Netflix Philippines a few months ago? Well, last week, Netflix Philippines had their first official media event and I was invited!
We were divided into small groups and had Netflix executives talk to us about how Netflix started and where it’s headed, with a short Q&A so they can learn more about the Philippine market from us.
They put a lot of effort into the decor and I love it!
I’m not going to bore you with the story of how Netflix started out renting DVDs and how it is now THE online media giant that it is. People have even coined the term “Netflix and chill” 
GOOD GUY NETFLIX
So basically, Netflix sees the Philippines as a big market because of Filipinos’ affinity for entertainment. We all love our shows!
Someone asked if Netflix has plans to make Filipino shows in the future – the answer is: it is a definite possibility. Netflix is not limiting itself to English-language shows. As long as someone pitches them a compelling story, it doesn’t matter what language it is in – if it’s a good story, Netflix will do it.
Netflix already has several original shows in different languages – Spanish, French, etc…
The quality of Netflix Original programming sets the bar really high. Netflix series like Daredevil and Jessica Jones have earned high praise from the nitpickiest of fans, imho, the comic book readers! Daredevil Season 2 was easily one of the best superhero series I have seen, so far. Pay attention, Arrow, this is how it’s done!
They even managed to make boring political drama compelling (see House of Cards, though I found Season 4 to not be as good as Season 1 & 2).
Netflix credits the quality of their shows to them giving their show runners creative freedom to tell their story the way they see fit.
Netflix also plans to do away with arbitrary geographical restrictions. You know how some shows are available in Netflix USA, but are not available in Netflix Philippines due to some licensing issues? All Netflix Original shows moving forward now all release on Netflix at the same time worldwide. They are still working on resolving this problem with their non-Netflix inventory, but the goal is to have the same portfolio worldwide. You should see the same content available to you whether you are in the US or in the Philippines. Yay! No more having to use VPNs to get a US IP just to access Netflix USA!
WHY DO I LIKE USING NETFLIX?
- I can watch whenever I want – I watch shows at my convenience, I don’t have to stay home to watch TV at a certain schedule. I can do all my Netflix watching on a weekend or on a holiday. I also like that I can binge-watch Netflix Originals in one go since the whole series’ episodes all release on the same time. This is 2016, who has time to wait week-on-week for what happens next?
- I can watch anywhere – I can start watching on my phone while stuck in traffic, and continue on my laptop / TV at home. Netflix remembers where you stopped and picks up your show at the right place.
- Show Matchmaking – Netflix learns the type of movies and shows that you like and makes pretty good suggestions. To make this work, make sure to create profiles (see below).
PROFILES
The thing about a Netflix account is that they are okay with everyone in your household using it. You can create up to 5 profiles per account, and users can use the account at the same time (depending on the plan). The advantage of using profiles is that Netflix can make good recommendations based on what your profile watches.
I made profiles for my dad, my sister and myself. This way, my sister’s rom-coms don’t end up being suggested to my dad who likes action. And they don’t end up being recommended cooking shows (I like cooking shows).
You can also make children’s profiles where they are only shown kid-friendly shows.
Right now, there is still no way to customize the profile images with your own pictures. Hahaha. This is a must-requested feature, I was told.
The only con I see with Netflix is internet access. You definitely need internet access to use Netflix. It’s not a problem if you have a DSL or Fibr connection, but if you’re relying on a capped internet connection like using a pocket wifi, etc… you are going to be using up your data.
To help with this, Netflix has this technology called adaptive streaming, where it adjusts the streaming bitrate to match your internet speed. If you are watching on your phone using mobile data, you might not want or need a super high quality stream, so Netflix will stream a lower quality one. You can also adjust this manually in the settings (see my blog post tutorial here).
Learn more about Netflix’s pricing here – you can set up your Netflix account on unlimited number devices (phones, PCs, laptops, tablets, Smart TVs, etc…) BUT you are limited by how many of these devices can watch AT THE SAME TIME.
You have to put in your credit card information to sign up for Netflix, but I didn’t have any trouble cancelling or renewing whenever I wanted. If I renewed my Netflix on April 1, and cancelled it on April 16, I will still have access to Netflix until April 30 (30 days).
NETFLIX SHOWS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
After watching some trailers – the Netflix Original Series & Films I am looking forward to see are:
- The Do-Over – it’s Adam Sandler and David Spade! Those two together are always funny.
- Marco Polo – When I saw the title, I dismissed it as some teenage high school swim team drama, silly me! Turns out IT IS actually about the real Marco Polo, set in the time of Kublai Khan during the Mongol Dynasty in China. Must carve out some time this summer to watch it!
- Sense8 – the trailer reminded me of the original Heroes and Sense8 looks much better, with The Matrix moves, too! Imagine the original Heroes + The Matrix!
- all the Marvel stuff – did you hear? They are going to make a The Punisher series!!!!
Netflix is spoiling me with all these high quality shows! How am I going to go back to regular programming? Can you imagine shows with a real tight story, no fillers, no stupid fanservice, no annoying cliffhangers to bump up ratings?
TV Summer Hiatus time is upon us, so I’ll definitely be watching Netflix now!
Here’s a list of some of their upcoming series & films for 2016:
#ByahengNetflix
