Netflix Doesn't Cancel More Shows Than Other Networks Or Studios, It Says

It sure seems like Netflix cancels a lot of shows. We listed 13 canceled Netflix shows in August, and then 11 more by the time we revisited the question in November. But Netflix says it's no different from other services.

Netflix's Global Head of TV, Bela Bajaria, said at the Paley International Council Summit (via Deadline) that the service renews two thirds of its shows.

"If you look at season twos and more, we actually have a renewal rate of 67%, which is industry standard," Bajaria said. "We also do make a large amount of first season shows, which sometimes feels that we have more first season cancelations, but if you look at the renewal rate, it's really strong."

One thing that sets Netflix apart, Bajaria said, is that the company orders full seasons rather than pilots. That "results sometimes in more season one cancelations. Even with that, I still believe a season order is a better creative expression of a writer's idea, so I still think that's the right model for us."

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos chimed in, too, to explain that one of the problems Netflix faces is the changing way in which TV success is measured.

"The things that marked success prior to Netflix and OTT really had been getting to syndication, that was the goal and anything that didn't get to 100 episodes...didn't feel like a success, whereas I think many shows can be a success for being exactly what they are and you could tell that story in two seasons or one season or five seasons. I think it gets talked about so much because it's measured against the old way of doing things," Sarandos said. Television viewership habits have changed more in the past 10 or 15 years than they did in decades before that thanks to the advent of streaming and cable video recording, and things like Nielsen ratings that were once reliable are no longer go-to metrics.

Sarandos also said that while it does feel sometimes like Netflix cancels more shows than others, stories about Netflix cancelations are treated as "disproportionately" big news. And yes, we're still mad about GLOW being canceled.