Netflix Officially Has a Major Viewership Problem

Published Sep 19, 2026, 2:27 PM EDT

Erin Konrad's love for everything entertainment dates back to elementary school when she became obsessed with classic Hollywood musicals. When she's not catching up on all her favorite television shows, she's advising her friends and family on what they should binge watch next.

She has her Bachelor's degree in Journalism and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Creating content for Collider gives her the opportunity to combine her writing skills with her passion for television and movies. She spends her free time trying to beat her personal record of reading 137 books in a year and cuddling with her dog, Gracie.

In a new era for TV, streamers must push out content that will keep viewers tuning in. Netflix used to be the clear victor in this war, but the competition has been surging in recent years. Disney+ and Hulu have merged into one option and are close to surpassing Netflix in total usage, and Prime Video is creeping up on Netflix's overall number of subscribers. Even Apple TV, a fairly new option, has asserted itself in prestige, setting a record at the recent Emmy Awards for most wins by a network in a single night. Netflix has a problem retaining viewers, and a new report confirms why.

Netflix Has Been Losing Subscribers

For a long time, Netflix was at the top of the heap for streaming options, offering high-quality shows such as House of Cards, The Crown, and The Queen's Gambit. These shows not only brought in tons of viewers and critical acclaim, but also helped establish Netflix as the cream of the crop. But as other streamers have built up their own prestige offerings, including Apple TV's Severance, HBO Max's The Pitt, Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, and Prime Video's The Boys, they've shown that fantastic shows can now make a home at any streamer.

That's not to say Netflix still doesn't hold a spot at the top of the ladder. The streamer still has more than 325 million paid memberships, and streams in more than 190 countries. However, Netflix is losing a large chunk of its fanbase, noting an 8% drop in viewership in the first half of 2026. Some have noted the increasing cost of subscriptions, even with slightly cheaper ad-based options, as the main reason for a lack of continued support — but there's actually an even bigger reason why viewers are turning away.

Long Gaps Between Seasons Is the Culprit Behind Netflix's Decline

When long hiatuses take place between each season, viewers are increasingly likely to just tune out. It can be difficult to remember what happened with a show when a break of several years occurs, and the hype for a series can be difficult to maintain for lengthy periods of time. Wednesday is Netflix's most successful show ever, but after a nearly three-year gap between Seasons 1 and 2, viewership plummeted by 59%. Even the juggernaut that was Stranger Things was impacted by significant breaks between seasons. Fans had to wait a brutal three years for the last season, which resulted in a 25% drop in viewers.

Other shows with huge gaps, such as The Night Agent, Ginny & Georgia, and even the massively popular Bridgerton have all had drops in viewership as seasons progress. A recent casualty of this trend has been The Gentlemen; a two-year pause before Season 2 has now resulted in slightly less impressive ratings than its first season earned. There is obviously a problem with getting viewers to return to popular shows, and the recent cancellation of Ransom Canyon is an example of a series that just couldn't retain an audience after Season 1.

Netflix needs to take immediate action if it wants to stop the steady decline of viewers. The first step would be to greenlight as many shows as possible that actually have quick turnarounds in production. Being able to reliably churn out a season a year would go a long way towards fan devotion (as seen by HBO Max's The Pitt and Apple TV's Slow Horses, which have been releasing a season per year without fail). Perhaps focusing on shows with clear plans for future seasons, or hiring larger production teams for each project, would help ease the burden.

Aside from this, the most important thing Netflix can do is to refrain from cancelling so many shows. It might seem counterproductive for the overall bottom line, but part of why viewers are steering away from Netflix is because it's become so incredibly quick to cancel shows. Why would audiences want to invest their time in a series that will likely only be axed shortly anyway? Netflix needs to start taking note of why people aren't checking back into shows as well, and take steps to alleviate these interminably long hiatuses. If not, there's a very real chance that Netflix will no longer be the reigning champ of streaming in the future.