The purge is here but it’s not what you think.
Netflix has added and removed more than 80 shows and movies for the month of February.
Netflix practices this purge every month because of renewal and expiring licensing agreements with television networks, according to its 2013 mission statement.
“We’re now investing over $2 billion per year in content licensing and the creation of original shows,” said the statement.
Shows and movies are chosen based on popularity and longevity — long-lived shows such as “Friends” are what Netflix is looking for, as opposed to reality shows and sports.
“For us to be hugely successful we have to be a focused passion brand. Starbucks, not 7-Eleven. Southwest, not United. HBO, not Dish,” continued the mission statement.
Shows and movies leaving this month include most BBC titles —although fan favorites such as “Dr. Who” and “Luther” are spared — the “Batman” film series and “Nacho Libre” will go, while shows and movies including the revived “Hawaii Five-O” series, “Robocop” and “Spartacus” will be available through February.
Most shows and movies were removed on the first of the month, but a handful are scheduled to be removed later on as the month progresses.
“I like what they [have] recently put on [Netflix],” said Delta College student Gabe Gallegos.
Gallegos is a frequent Netflix user and enjoys watching shows and movies on the stream service because it streams uncensored and unrated versions.
Student Darlene Martinez enjoys watching Netflix’s new content on her phone.
“It’s customizable. You can link to multiple accounts. I’m satisfied,” said Martinez.
Gallegos and Martinez weren’t disappointed by the list of removed shows and are excited for the newest batch offered.
“I’m most excited for [the] ‘Bleach’ and ‘Naruto Shippuden’ movies,” said Gallegos.
While both Gallegos and Martinez enjoy watching anime on Netflix, Martinez also watches Netflix original programs such as “Orange is the New Black” and would like the stream service to air more original programming as well as anime.
Gallegos also prefers more anime and movies.
“They need to add ‘Superbad,’ ‘Superman’ and bring back ‘South Park,’” said Gallegos.
There have been cases where licenses ended for movies on Netflix and were taken off but subsequently renewed months later.
Most recently, Netflix removed “Mean Girls” from its roster in October and then reissued the teen comedy in January.
While reissues do happen, they don’t happen often.
Enjoy your shows and movies before they’re purged.
