In August of this year, I became hooked on Netflix.
This is due to frequent travel. At the end of that month I went to St. Petersburg on Sapsan, and in mid-September I flew to Croatia. Both times I found myself without communication, so I found entertainment - a movie.
I was already a regular user of Kinopoisk, and I watch the English Premier League football on Okko. But one day I downloaded Netflix, which everyone has been talking about for the last few years. And away we go.
Below are the main impressions of using the platform.
Netflix has fewer local restrictions
Looking ahead, I will note the main advantage of Netflix compared to Russian online cinemas - it is an international service that operates in hundreds of countries around the world.
Last December I went to Istanbul and suddenly discovered that Okko did not work there. It turned out that I downloaded the movie to watch on vacation in vain, and I can’t watch the nuclear submarine either.
It's all about legislation - each country requires a separate license. And Okko has full rights to display content only in Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Belarus. The solution to the problem is a Russian VPN.
Kinopoisk has a similar situation. Abroad, content is only available for 30 days from the date of download, to start viewing 48 hours after the first turn on, and then an update is required. But if there are no rights to display it in the region where you are, you will simply be left without content.
Netflix also has geo-blocking, but there are many fewer of them. Most geo-restricted content is only viewable in the US, so it's unlikely you'll encounter this issue. During my week in Croatia, I never encountered them - I downloaded a dozen films at the airport and watched them in the evenings in a hotel in Pula.
Convenient interface, but there is no mark about Russian translation
Regardless of the device, the layout of the service does not change. In the main menu, content is placed in tiles, they are divided into sections: “Popular on Netflix”, “Trending”, “Top 10 today in Russia”, etc.
Netflix's greatest strength is setting trends, which we'll talk about later. To keep up to date with the release of all new products, a “Coming Soon” section has been added to the bottom panel, where you will find the latest content on the platform.
From a design perspective, the platform does not make a breakthrough and does not provide a unique user experience, but simply provides a user-friendly and intuitive interface with easy navigation.
When you launch the application, the service prompts you to select an account. The list of saved content and recommendations depend on this. In addition, there is Netflix Kids with children's content and restrictions on regular viewing.
The recommendations section is formed based on movies watched and downloaded. algorithms offer you movies of relevant genres. Moreover, the interface indicates which movie you watched and the proposed content is similar to.
I liked how the algorithms work. I don’t understand cinema at all, I don’t follow the news and watch it solely to relax or kill time with my head turned off. Therefore, I will be glad if the system itself selects films for me.
The first thing I watched was “Back to End.” I wanted to turn on an American comedy, I just saw a movie with Robert Downey and Zach Galifianakis (Alan from The Hangover) on the main page in the comedy section, read the description and downloaded it. Based on it, Netflix offered me “Dinner with Morons” and “The Man Who Changed Everything.” The best thing to do is to relax while watching a movie that is simple in plot and, in a good sense, “stupid.”
A convenient function is to continue watching a movie from the moment at which the session was interrupted. Moreover, the data is saved in the cloud, and you can continue viewing on any connected device.
Minus of the interface: the movie covers do not show whether there is a Russian translation.
I encountered this problem when I was flying from Pula to Moscow. At the airport I downloaded a couple of films, and already on the plane it turned out that “Sandy Wesclair” did not have Russian dubbing. The flight was three hours, in the end I only watched a movie for one and a half of them, and I didn’t know what to do with myself for the same amount of time.
User Habits
Smart TV remains the main platform for viewers to access Okko - more than 90% of views are made using this type of screen. However, views on mobile devices and desktop have also increased significantly in 2021.
The conditional “prime time” occurs in the evening hours, from 19:00 to 22:00; peak daily average values are shown from 20:00 to 21:00.
The peak of the week falls on Saturday, followed by Sunday with a slight lag.
Peaks in demand were observed during holidays in January, February and March, while the greatest decline occurred during the 2021 FIFA World Cup. For example, during game hours with the participation of the Russian national team, the number of content views decreased by an average of 40-45% in comparison with the same time period of the average rental day. In addition, demand in online cinema decreased by 17% compared to the usual rental day on Election Day, March 18, 2021.
The most popular genres at the end of 2021 were dramas (30.6%), action films (27.3%) and cartoons (26.6%).
The genre top, as well as the top by content type, practically does not differ between cities and federal values. Minor differences can be observed in the placement of films, cartoons and TV series in the top, but the top views themselves practically duplicate each other in different regions.
Viewers often make their choice based on their favorite actors. In 2021, the greatest interest of Russians was attracted by actors: Dwayne Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert Downey Jr., actresses: Scarlett Johansson, Margot Robbie and Jennifer Lawrence, and directors: Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan.
In relative terms, the user base grew fastest in Karelia (185% growth); in absolute terms (the number of new paying users per year), Krasnodar is the leader.
“Legal online rental has long become a full-fledged content distribution channel, and therefore the statistical data that we receive at the end of the year and other periods is a very clear reflection of changes in audience preferences. Due to the peculiarities of rental windows for digital releases, the tops have not yet included Russian films released on the big screen in 2021, which had record box office receipts in 2021 (for example, “Ice” - 1.5 billion rubles). The past year was very eventful: in addition to the traditional holidays, there was the World Cup and presidential elections - during these periods we felt a change in the structure of the audience, and a change in demand for types of content and specific titles. Overall, the year allowed us to strengthen our position in the market, increase our user base, and expand our content offer for viewers,” notes Ivan Grodetsky, CEO of Okko.
Top views: federal and regional:
Netflix has the best video content in the world
The main difference between Netflix and other streaming services is its unique films and TV series that are not available anywhere else.
Netflix produces its own production and also buys a huge amount of content from other studios. KinoPoisk, Okko and other Russian online cinemas operate in a similar way. At the same time, Netflix's original content is better advertised, which means more people know about it.
By using Netflix, you are more likely to be trending. In the fall of 2021, the trending series is “The Squid Game.” It has officially amassed 111 million fans worldwide, making it the most watched in Netflix history.
Netflix sets trends that no other online cinema can compete with. Knowing them, it’s easier for you to find common topics with people and start or maintain a dialogue.
The service has an entire “Only on Netflix” section. There are hundreds of films and dozens of TV series available exclusively on this platform.
Here are 9 other popular series on Netflix. You've definitely heard of at least three of them:
▪ Sex education ▪ The Witcher ▪ Another Life ▪ Stranger Things ▪ The Umbrella Academy ▪ Star Trek: Discovery ▪ Paper Heist ▪ Daredevil ▪ House of Cards
Here are 10 popular movies on Netflix. Some are extremely popular in Russia:
▪ Marriage Story ▪ The Trial of the Chicago 7 ▪ Chasing Bonnie and Clyde ▪ Diamonds in the Rough ▪ Bird Box ▪ The King ▪ The Irishman ▪ The Devil Is Always Here ▪ El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie ▪ The Two Popes
Rental results
The growth in demand for Russian-produced theatrical content continues both in offline distribution and in online cinemas. However, content from Hollywood studios and other foreign producers continues to be in demand among viewers. Thus, the most popular film among Okko viewers in 2021 was Thor: Ragnarok. However, there are two Russian sports dramas in the federal top 5: “Coach” and “Moving Up.” Thus, the leaders in theatrical and online distribution are the same, minor differences can be explained by the peculiarities of rental windows for digital releases: some films become available for purchase or rental online after several months, which can affect annual sales results, especially at the end of the year.
Three Russian series at once in the corresponding top: “Policeman from Rublyovka”, “Olga” and “Interns” (2nd, 5th and 10th places, respectively) compete equally for the interest of viewers with such foreign projects as “Game of Thrones” ”, “Westworld” and “The Good Doctor” (1st, 6th and 9th places).
The Russian film also entered the federal top 10 cartoons: “The Fixies: The Big Secret” took 4th place in terms of views. The rest of the cartoons in the top ten are foreign, the leader is “Moana”. Due to the nature of children's viewing, the top 10 includes cartoons released before 2021: “Tangled” was released in 2010, but is still interesting to young viewers. In general, this is the main characteristic of children’s content: the children’s audience is less focused on new products, while the “adult” top is usually formed by the premieres of the current and previous year.
Netflix is good on iPad, but the TV version is disappointing
I watched Netflix primarily on the 4th generation iPad Air. By the way, this is the best platform for watching movies. It gives a combination of a large screen and mobility; you can watch a movie on the road or anywhere in the apartment - on the balcony, in the kitchen, in the living room on the sofa.
With the iPad I don't feel tied to a specific room like I do with the TV. That’s why even at home I watch Netflix on my tablet rather than on TV, where the sound is better and the picture is bigger. Moreover, when I leave the living room for the kitchen, I have to pause the movie so as not to miss anything. And you just take the tablet with you and that’s it.
Visually, the iPad application is almost no different from the iPhone version. The only difference in terms of user experience is that the larger display makes it easier to interact with the app. A 10.86 inch screen fits more data than a 6.1 inch screen. And it’s more convenient to navigate the application on a tablet: you see more sections, and the application is more usable in horizontal orientation.
The app's stability on the Apple TV 4K was disappointing. Sometimes there Netflix freezes and refuses to do anything. The only way to solve the problem is to force close and restart the program.
After studying Russian-language articles about the problem and English-language forums, I realized that the instability and slowness of Netflix software for ATV is a widespread problem. The search offers materials that list as many as 10 ways to solve the problem.
In addition, the program is slow. It feels like Kinopoisk, Okko and Apple TV+ load faster.
On the one hand, the problem is not terrible. It’s just that when using the search, opening the desired section or movie page, you wait not one second, but three. But imagine how many such processes occur during one session. Therefore, after a while, the slow loading of the application begins to infuriate.
Friends also say that the application is slow and freezes periodically. In general, there are questions about the optimization and stability of the application for smart TVs and set-top boxes.
This is the most expensive online cinema
Cost of different tariffs per month:
▪ Basic: 599 rub. ▪ Standard: 799 rub. ▪ Premium: 999 rub.
A free trial period is available for new users - all Netflix content can be watched for 30 days for 0 rubles.
The price is higher than that of Kinopoisk (199 rubles) and Okko (First month for 1 ruble, second for 199 rubles, then each subsequent month for 399 rubles). But you also get more benefits.
Which is better – Kinopoisk, ivi or OKKO: comparison of online cinemas
If we consider these cinemas from the point of view of new Russian and foreign cinema, we can immediately identify the leaders. For new film distribution in Russia - this is Kinopoisk, for foreign film premieres - Okko. But with TV series, Kinopoisk will lead.
So you can start from the video content that interests you the most. But this is certainly not the only online cinema rating parameter that you are going to use. The cost of services is also a serious aspect when choosing; here are the prices for each of the resources under consideration:
- OKKO and ivi have a minimum subscription rate of 199 rubles per month.
- The price for the minimum tariff plan on KinoPoisk is 399 rubles.
At the same time, on OKKO, in addition to watching videos, entertainment programs, movies and TV series, you can listen to radio broadcasts. Those who are interested in this option should choose this resource. Moreover, they additionally offer a free promotional period of 7 days. During this time, you can evaluate the quality and content and make a final decision.
Note! Based on the budget side of the issue, the most profitable would be to watch films in OKKO and IVI cinemas.
But in terms of interface convenience, the ivi online cinema took the lead. Here we are talking not only about ease of navigation, but also about the assistance provided on the resource. The presence of clear instructions on the service brought this application to the top.
