The stream became a binge: Netflix has hit rough times but streaming has permanently altered Hollywood with a deluge of TV and film

Earlier this week Netflix announced what many thought was previously unthinkable: The streaming service’s indomitable upward trajectory was no longer a sure thing. For the first time in a decade, Netflix lost subscribers — some 200,000 — in the first quarter of the year, and it anticipates losing another 2 million in the second quarter. Does that mean the streaming giant has been brought to its knees? Not quite yet, but the company announced a series of plans to stem the tide: Cutting down on password sharing and a cheaper ad-supported tier.

But even if these measures work in the short run, there’s a larger reality that viewers, as well as Netflix, and its competitors must contend with: A marketplace flooded with options. Maybe too many options. One might argue that’s one of the reasons Netflix is starting to slip. The company may pull back and produce fewer shows going forward — or not, all we have are hints and speculation right now. Either way, the average viewer may not notice a difference because we’ve already tipped over into a world of endless options.

There are more than 800,000 titles now available on streaming platforms and traditional TV channels in the United States, according to a recent report from Nielsen, the research company that tracks and analyzes what