Netflix users in the US will soon find their options more limited: the site is to lose thousands of movies after it decided not to renew a deal with distributor Epix. However, the change marks an increased focus on "exclusive content".
Netflix has some 60 million users worldwide - and by commissioning its own shows has emerged as a serious rival to the major TV networks. The jewel in its crown is the Kevin Spacey drama series House of Cards.
Announcing the decision, chief content officer Ted Sarandos said that the films he was jettisoning were "popular" but were "widely available on cable and other subscription platforms at the same time as they are on Netflix".
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He said Netflix will soon carry shows made specially for the streaming site by Ricky Gervais, Idris Elba and Adam Sandler - as well as an exclusive documentary about Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.
The films the site is losing, including the Transformers and Hunger Games series, will now be available in the US on Netflix rival Hulu.
Analyst Jim Nail told the BBC that Netflix was making a calculated gamble in handing its competitor this advantage.
He said Netflix was trying to position itself as a premium content provider, adding: "Netflix is a very smart data company. They didn't make this decision without looking at how many people are viewing these titles."
Nail added: "They're not trying to please everyone. They're pleasing people who want premium content. That's not all of America."
The library the company offers is different on this side of the Atlantic: UK deals between distributors and Sky mean Netflix's British offering is already more limited. But the change will affect Britons accessing the site by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to trick Netflix into thinking a viewer is based in the states.
People pulling that trick will now find their viewing options are more limited: though they may be able to watch Netflix's exclusive new content before it is officially available in the UK.
Here is a list of all the titles US Netflix will lose by the end of September, including the Epix films:
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London
Better Than Chocolate
Bratz: Rock Angelz
Care Bears: Big Wish Movie
Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-Lot
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!
Doomsday Preppers: Season 1-3
Electrick Children
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
Ink Master: Season 2
Jackie Brown
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
Mortal Kombat: The Movie
Patch Adams
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Rules of Engagement
Rumpelstiltskin
Sarah’s Choice
School of Rock
She’s the One
Sleepless in Seattle
The IT Crowd: Series 1-4
The Lost Boys
Total Recall
W.
Cheech & Chong’s Hey Watch This
Dinosaurs: Seasons 1-4
Delta Farce
Marilyn in Manhattan
Ramsay’s Best Restaurant: Season 1
Bratz: Friendship is Always in Style
Kicking It
100 Below Zero
Becoming Chaz
Crash & Bernstein: Seasons 1-2
War Witch
High Fidelity
Corky Romano
Best of Teletubbies
Bratz: The Video: Starrin’ & Stylin’
Coach: Season 1-9
Spiral: Season 4
Valhalla
Hank: Five Years from the Brink
The Slap: Season 1
Reporter
National Geographic: Inside Guantanamo
National Geographic: The Battle for Midway Indy 500: The Inside Line Lethal Force Ron White: A Little Unprofessional LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu: Seasons 1-2 My Boys: Seasons 1-4
Undeclared: The Complete Series
Bratz: Desert Jewelz
Comic Book Men: Season 2
Coriolanus
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Apocalypse Now
If I Stay
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
Nebraska
Saved!
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Star Trek Into Darkness
The Expendables 3
The Good Guy
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Prince
The Skeleton Twins
The Wolf of Wall Street
Transformers: Age of Extinction
World War Z
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