The Popular Streaming Service Has Seen A 50% Decrease In Its Movie And TV Show Library In The Last Four Years.

Unless you’re binge-watching an original Netflix series like Stranger Things or Luke Cage, finding something to watch on the streaming service can sometimes be tricky. That is, providing the service doesn't shut off completely at peak time.

Netflix has been very public about plans to make half its catalogue up through original productions. But new reports suggest that catalogue is shrinking dramatically.

In fact, when compared to the amount of content available in 2012, the service has shrunk its offering by about 50%, claims streaming blog Exstreamist.

Luke Cage is the latest original series from Netflix. The blog spoke to sources who used to work at the company and estimates that four years ago there was “close to 11,000 movies and TV shows” available on the service. Now they say the Netflix library stands at about 5,300.

Part of the reason for the big drop is the aforementioned focus on creating original content. One of its original shows, The Get Down, created by Baz Luhrmann, is reportedly costing $120million (£93million) to create.

Exstreamist also says that other companies are “pulling the plug” when it comes to putting their productions on Netflix for us to enjoy.

Stranger Things has been a big hit on Netflix. The streaming service is also facing tough competition from Amazon's Prime Video service. Next month, Amazon will be unleashing Jeremy Clarkson's post-Top Gear show, The Grand Tour, which it hopes will fuel a rush of new subscribers.

Despite this, Netflix says it will release 600 hours of original content by the end of 2016 - the equivalent of 25 days solid viewing.