Netflix has spent years adding subscribers, expanding its programming library, and convincing more people to pay for streaming. Now, the company has another problem to solve: its customers are spending less time watching.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Netflix subscribers are opening the app on fewer days each month than they did a couple of years ago. The average customer is also watching less, raising concerns inside the company about whether the service is giving people enough reasons to keep coming back.
The decline has continued even as Netflix has added more subscribers. Total time spent on the platform increased by only a couple of percentage points during the first half of 2026, according to people familiar with the company’s internal data. That increase came from having more customers, rather than individual viewers spending more time watching.
Netflix tracks how often customers use its service through a metric called qualified play days, or QPD. The company has reportedly seen that measure decline over the past couple of years.
The findings come at a difficult time for Netflix. Revenue growth is slowing, advertising sales have fallen short of expectations, and the company has recently cut jobs and overhauled its content leadership.
Netflix Has More Subscribers, but Keeping Them Engaged Is Getting Harder
Bloomberg reports that Netflix’s engagement decline began around the time the company cracked down on password sharing in 2022. Executives initially believed the drop would be temporary because fewer people were watching through shared accounts. However, the trend has persisted.
There is no evidence of a mass subscriber exodus, as U.S. customer churn has remained around 2%, according to research firm Antenna, and Netflix has said its latest price increases have not caused an unusual spike in cancellations.
However, third-party app data offers another warning sign. According to Bloomberg, Apptopia found that the share of U.S. Netflix subscribers who did not open the app increased 16.6% year over year in the third quarter. Netflix has pointed to several possible reasons for the slowdown, including stronger competition, a weaker run of hit programming, changes to the user interface, and insufficient promotion of titles outside the service.
Meanwhile, the competition extends beyond paid streaming rivals such as Disney+, Prime Video, and HBO Max. Free platforms such as YouTube, which was the largest source of TV viewing in the US from July 2025 to July 2026, are also competing for viewers’ time on the small screen.
For Netflix, the challenge is to give people a reason to open its app instead of heading somewhere else for entertainment.
Netflix’s Layoffs and New Content Chief Arrive at a Turning Point
Netflix has already made major changes in response to slowing engagement and pressure to improve its business.
On October 14, the company announced layoffs affecting roughly 1,000 employees, or about 6% of its workforce. Product, technology, legal, and human resources teams were among those expected to be hit hardest. Days later, the streaming giant announced a major leadership change. Peter Rice, a former Disney and 21st Century Fox executive, became Netflix’s new chief content officer on October 26, replacing Bela Bajaria.
Rice will oversee Netflix’s global programming operation, including scripted and unscripted series, films, and live events. His appointment comes as the company looks to strengthen its lineup and produce more programming that captures viewers’ attention.
Netflix can continue adding subscribers and raising prices, but those strategies become harder to sustain if customers increasingly view the service as something they can go weeks without opening.
Furthermore, its latest financial results show it’s under pressure to find new sources of growth. Netflix reported $12.9 billion in third-quarter revenue, up 11.8% year over year, yet it was its slowest quarterly revenue growth in three years. The company also lowered its 2026 advertising revenue outlook from approximately $3 billion to $2.7 billion, citing a slower-than-expected rollout of advertising products.
Despite those challenges, Netflix remains profitable and continues to grow. The question is whether it can translate that growth into more consistent viewing.
Could Live Sports and More Content Bring Viewers Back?
Netflix has been expanding beyond its traditional lineup of films and television series in an effort to give subscribers more reasons to visit.
In recent years, the streamer has added more live sporting events, podcasts, gaming, and other programming categories. Live events offer a particularly useful draw because they give people a reason to tune in at a specific time rather than wait until something catches their eye.
The company has also explored bigger changes to its service. As we reported in July, the company was considering live TV channels and bundles with other streaming services. Those discussions reflected concerns about declining engagement despite strong financial results and customer retention.
More recently, a potential Netflix purchase of NBCUniversal is an idea that has surfaced. Wolfe Research analyst Peter Supino floated the idea of Netflix acquiring the media business after Comcast completes its planned separation of those assets.
Such a deal could give Netflix access to a larger library of films and television shows, along with major live sports and other programming. However, this remains an analyst’s proposal, not an announced Netflix acquisition plan. Yet, the broader idea is worth considering because Netflix’s engagement problem is about more than finding the next hit series. The company needs a steady stream of programming that convinces people to return throughout the month.
More content, live events, and additional distribution options could help. But none guarantees that viewers will spend more time watching.
Netflix Needs Viewers to Do More Than Keep Paying
Netflix’s latest challenge highlights a problem facing streaming services across the industry. Winning a subscriber is one thing; becoming part of that person’s regular viewing routine is another.
The company has several advantages, including a large global audience, a well-established brand, and the money to invest in programming. Its relatively steady churn also suggests that declining engagement has not yet translated into widespread cancellations.
However, Netflix is facing a more crowded entertainment market than it did a few years ago. Free video platforms are competing for attention, rivals are spending heavily on programming, and households are becoming more selective about which subscriptions they keep.
The company’s recent layoffs, leadership changes, and interest in expanding its programming all point toward the challenge of giving people more reasons to press play, especially as studies show streaming apps recieve different levels of viewer attention.
For subscribers, the real test will be whether Netflix’s next wave of shows, films, live events, and other additions makes the service feel worth opening more often, particularly as monthly prices rise
