Netflix Changes

[Movie Memories]

What do users here think of the changes at Netflix? The price increase, the seperation into two programs; one for streaming video, and the other for dvd's. And also, the dropping of SONY movies from the streaming service. Add to that a redesign for their service page that has people complaining all over the net.

I haven't used the dvd by mail program with them as I get impatient waiting for the availability of newer films that may already be available from my cable carrier. For example, The Lincoln Lawyer.

I only use the streaming video for many of the older films offered; especially, the noir films that can be found and not always available on dvd.

I plan on keeping the streaming service for $7.99 only. If you want both streaming and dvd by mail the price goes up to $15.98. I guess these changes were inevitable, but I did notice that their brand has suffered. They have dropped behind Red Box, HULU, and are currently in the unsatisfactory area inhabited by BlockBuster.

[Adam Lounsbery]

I think that $7.99 is a small price to pay for Netflix's streaming service. What they offer is totally erratic, but they offer a lot, and a lot of it's great.

I'm keeping both, because I rely on their DVD-delivery service to see a lot of the movie I review on my blog. I wish their DVD selection was even wider, but it's worth it to me for the price.

[Nauga]

Hmmm. I wasn't aware about the Sony stipulation until I read this.

I was planning on keeping the streaming service, since my Netflix DVDs have been sitting around since January!

I was a fairly early adopter of Netflix, and I think I've been used to having it too good for too long. I'll just have to get used to the changes, because it's still easier for me than Redbox, or Blockbuster (which is practically non-existent in my area). Like Adam said, although I use the streaming more now, there is just not enough selection... especially for those with esoteric tastes.

[Hard-Boiled-Rick]

Netflix streaming is an outstanding deal. At 8 bucks a month, it works out to about 40 cents a movie, if you watch 20 movies a month. Do the math: you would have to watch your $39 Criterion DVD at least 98 times to get to 40 cents a viewing! Imagine watching Breathless (1960-Godard) 98 times! No thanks…maybe a dozen times.

Eight bucks a month is too good to be true, when you consider Netflix already has multi-year, fixed fee content licensing commitments and revenue sharing deals to the tune $1.2 billion as of December 2010.

Over the past 18 months, Netflix doubled its subscribers from 12 million to 25 million, on the back of rapid streaming subscription growth. Studio heads and distributors holding content intellectual property and licensing rights must be salivating with cartoon like $$$ signs in their eyes at the thought of entering into new licensing fee negotiations with Netflix. How much will the content owners stick it to Netflix in the future, as Netflix tries to bring in new content?

Meanwhile tech companies prowl and e-commerce vultures circle aloft with grandiose visions of the CLOUD (massive server farms). Apple and Amazon are eyeballing Hulu as a takeover bait. Apple and Amazon Prime want to muscle in on the action to serve streaming subscribers, for a monthly fee. When cash rich mega-capitalists (Apple has $76 billion in cash) jump into streaming, they could drive up content licensing costs, especially as they bargain for exclusive content rights. And traditional media companies – HBO - and cable companies will want exclusive content too, pressuring license costs – video on demand is their game plan.

Overall the Netflix library is good. Their film noir library has some gems that would be hard to find and view otherwise. Recently, Netflix signed content deals with Miramax, Revolution Studios, Open Road Films, and Relativity Media to bring in hundreds of films. Netflix lost Sony temporarily because of a contract dispute between Sony and Starz. Sony films could return to Netflix, if the dispute between Sony and Starz is settled.

Keep your fingers crossed Netflix doesn’t jack up their streaming subscription rates in the future because of rising licensing fees and subscriber acquisition costs.

[Adam Lounsbery]

I'm with you, Rick. I think that $8 is a great deal for Netflix's streaming services. I think it would even be worth it just for their TV selections, especially now that they've acquired the rights to so many classic CBS shows. "Have Gun Will Travel," "Star Trek," "The Twilight Zone," "Thriller," seasons 7-11 of "Gunsmoke" (although they have tons of mislabeled episodes, which mirrors how they're currently rerun on TV ... when will someone fix that?), "The Virginian," "Rat Patrol," "The Munsters," "The Addams Family," "Cimarron Strip," "The Rockford Files," "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," and so on.

I'm a little burned that "Babylon 5" is no longer available. I was really getting into the series and was about halfway through. I can still get the discs, but mostly I reserve those spots for old movies I want to review.

[Movie Memories]

There's no question that Netflix is a bargin. It's the bargin aspect of the service that I hope won't disappear. With the home streaming options constantly growing and the providers, as Rick has pointed out, all wanting some kind of exclusive content rights, it seems we may be headed in the direction of increased rates and the necessity of having to subscribe to multiple providers, as each tries to corner their own piece of the pie, in order to get what we want.

Though the TV selections offer a lot of what someone might want to go back and view (myself included), for me, it's the old films that would be my first interest. The cable companies (I have Comcast) already charge too much to see many films. Our rates are $4.99 for a digital view, $5.99 for a high-def view, and anywhere from $6.99 to $9.99 for many independent films.

These rates make Netflix a steal, especially for lovers of older films and film noir in particular. You can easily understand the increase in subscriptions and I guess we can only hope the bidding wars for exclusive content don't drive up the prices to much.

[Movie Memories]

A little update to the Netflix situation. It looks as though the future of streaming films on TV will end up much the same as cable content with different studios signing with different services requiring multiple accounts in order to make all films available to us viewers.

Netflix to lose Starz their source for newer films

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ente...ew-movies.html

Brand Damage to Netflix

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ente...-guidance.html

Original Price Increase Article

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/...ed-its-prices/

[Nauga]

Got this email this morning...

Dear Kelly,

It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.

This means no change: one website, one account, one password…in other words, no Qwikster.

...starting to think I could run Netflix.

RIP Qwikster! (2011-2011)

[dungeonmaster20]

My wife and I swear by Netflix. We don't subscribe to cable or satellite television, and truth be told we don't even attempt to get the local free channels. Streaming our favorite t.v. shows and films through our xbox 360 is the way we like it.

We never could get hooked on the dvd by mail program, when they separated their billing into a streaming option AND a delivery option we rejoiced because like Nauga said, we would just let the dvds sit for months.

All in all, we're happy with their service.