How We Review Streaming Services: The Five-Axis Scorecard Behind Every Rating
Our review methodology, published in full — catalog value, UX friction, ad load, price trajectory, and churn risk, each scored on a transparent rubric.
Review sites that hand out stars without showing their work are just vibes with a logo. Every score on this site comes from the same five-axis scorecard, applied the same way, by the same rubric. Here’s the whole methodology — including the parts where we’re still figuring it out.
The Five Axes
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. Catalog Value (35%) — hit density × freshness │
│ 2. UX Friction (20%) — nav, search, resume │
│ 3. Ad Load (15%) — minutes/hr + placement │
│ 4. Price Trajectory (15%) — hikes over 24 months │
│ 5. Churn Risk (15%) — catalog volatility │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Axis 1: Catalog Value (35%)
Weighted heaviest because it’s why you subscribe. We count hit titles (≥7.0 aggregated rating or top-50 chart presence), not raw volume — a 12,000-title catalog of filler scores worse than a 2,500-title curated library.
Axis 2: UX Friction (20%)
Measured, not vibes:
- Search accuracy: can you find a title by partial name + year? (We test 20 queries)
- Resume reliability: does “continue watching” actually resume at the right timestamp across devices?
- Navigation depth: clicks from app launch to playback start
Axis 3: Ad Load (15%)
From our ad-tier measurement protocol — minutes of ads per content-hour, weighted by midroll placement quality (scene-cut vs arbitrary interruption).
Axis 4: Price Trajectory (15%)
We track each service’s price history over 24 months. A service that’s raised prices 3 times in 18 months gets penalized — the $7.99 today is a loan against $12.99 next year.
Axis 5: Churn Risk (15%)
Monthly catalog churn percentage plus licensing-risk factors (owned-vs-licensed content ratio). High churn means your watchlist is a depreciating asset.
What We Don’t Score
- Originals hype — a service’s flagship show gets discussed, not scored; one hit doesn’t carry a catalog
- Interface aesthetics — pretty vs functional is measured under friction, not style points
- Awards — Emmys don’t predict whether you will find something to watch tonight
“The scorecard is boring on purpose. Good reviews should feel like accounting, not advertising.”
Known Limitations
- Regional catalogs differ; our scores reflect the US market
- Sports content is deliberately excluded — the calculus is completely different
- Rubric weights are judgment calls; we publish them so you can re-weight if your priorities differ
Every published review links back to this methodology. Score archives and raw data at The Dude Reviews.