Thinking in Public
Netflix and the streaming platforms aren't really growing anymore. Some of them are losing subscribers. The easy growth — everyone signs up once — already happened.
My guess: Netflix's next growth comes from a free tier. Ads, a small amount of movies, first seasons of shows. Enough to get people watching, not enough to let them finish.
The funnel — free gets you in, the ending gets you paying
It's the cable model in reverse. Instead of bundling everything and charging up front, you give away the first taste and charge for the rest. Basic cable ran ads because it had to. Streaming would be choosing it, on purpose, as the front door.
If I'm right, watch for the tier to show up quietly — one market, then a rollout — with a catalog that looks generous until you notice every show stops after season one.