By the end of 2018, Netflix will have 700 original movies and TV shows available to stream. That's 700 full series or feature-length films available to watch exclusively on Netflix. Which is an astonishing number, and one which actually fills me with dread.

Netflix used to be filled with old TV shows and movies that had already aired elsewhere. Then the company started producing its own content, and raising prices to pay for it. Now, Netflix is set to have 700 original movies and TV shows available to watch.

More Originals Than Anyone Can Watch

This figure of 700 original shows and movies is according to David Wells, Netflix's Chief Financial Officer. According to Variety, Wells made the bold claim at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco.

Netflix ended 2017 with 117 million subscribers, but there are hundreds of millions of people out there who haven't yet signed up for Netflix. As CFO, Wells believes providing more original content is going to be the key to driving growth from this point forwards.

For Netflix this is a no-brainer. Because people will subscribe to Netflix if that's the only way they can watch just one or two original shows they really want to see. And the more Originals there are the more chance Netflix has of appealing to every single subscriber.

However, there's not enough time in the world to watch everything on Netflix. Which means subscribers are having to make difficult choices. Which is rather frustrating for those of us who have jobs and families and lives which require our time and attention.

Netflix Is Ruining Its Reputation

I actually think Netflix now has too much good content on offer. And by trying to produce shows to appeal to everyone, it's in danger of ruining its reputation for quality programming. This is most definitely a first-world problem, but it's a problem nonetheless.

How many Netflix Originals have you watched? Have you stuck to the big names like Stranger Things? Or found some hidden gems? Do you want more original content? Or is Netflix flooding its own platform? Please let us know in the comments below!

Image Credit: Jenny Cestnik via Flickr