*By Conor White*
One of Netflix's most beloved features may also be a reason the service is losing viewers, at least in the short term. That's according to Alan Wolk, co-founder at media research firm TV{R}ev.
In an interview Tuesday on Cheddar, Wolk pointed to FOMO ー or in Netflix's case, the lack thereof ー for subscribers.
"If all your friends are watching 'Westworld', then you might think, 'Hey, I want to watch this too, even if this other show on Netflix might be slightly better targeted to me,'" he said.
Netflix is [expected to spend](https://www.indiewire.com/2018/07/netflix-original-content-spending-13-billion-1201981599/) as much as $13 billion in 2018 on original content ー some of that could go towards the next "Stranger Things" or "The Crown", but much will likely create super-niche offerings that don't attract broad audiences.
And unlike broadcast or cable, all of Netflix's content ー whether it has a broad appeal or not ー is available to stream at any time, so there isn't necessarily a sense of urgency for viewers to watch right away.
That might be part of the reason the company added 600,000 fewer subscribers in its latest quarter than analysts were expecting. Shares [dropped](https://www.barrons.com/articles/netflix-earnings-stock-tanks-on-weak-subscriber-adds-1531772206) roughly 14 percent after the company reported its second quarter results. It also faces stiff competition from the likes of Amazon, Hulu, and [maybe Walmart](https://cheddar.com/videos/walmart-gets-serious-about-streaming) in the coming years.
Wolk said the spend-on-original-content strategy is a risky one.
"It's a big ask for people to invest in a brand new show," he said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/dc-enters-streaming-fray).
A moon landing attempt by a private US company appears doomed because of a fuel leak on the newly launched spacecraft. Astrobotic Technology managed to orient the lander toward the sun Monday so its solar panel could capture sunlight and charge its onboard battery.
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The first U.S. lunar lander in more than 50 years is on its way to the moon. The private lander from Astrobotic Technology blasted off Monday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, catching a ride on United Launch Alliance's brand new rocket Vulcan.
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The Biden administration is docking more than $2 million in payments to student loan servicers that failed to send billing statements on time after the end of a pandemic payment freeze.
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A U.S. labor agency has accused SpaceX of unlawfully firing employees who penned an open letter critical of CEO Elon Musk and creating an impression that worker activities were under surveillance by the rocket ship company.
