Netflix shoots itself in the foot... aka no more free streaming

Discussion in 'TV & Media' started by bigdaddy, Jul 12, 2011.

  1. Skywalker

    Skywalker Admiral Admiral

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    I dunno, man. Sometimes porn is better when it's not in HD. Just sayin'.
     
  2. Professor Zoom

    Professor Zoom Admiral Admiral

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    Isn't that an oxymoron?
     
  3. Star Wolf

    Star Wolf Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    So you are the guy who must see the new hot brand name girl.
     
  4. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

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    I prefer indie porn. :p
     
  5. Temis the Vorta

    Temis the Vorta Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    You're absolutely right, you know. It's Netflix's fault that consumers got "entitled." Netflix set the expectations, and consumers followed along, as they are wont to do, especially when the expectations are so attractive (free stuff, whee!!!) Marketers love it when consumers follow their lead like a pack of sheep. That's what Netflix's consumers did, but oh no, this time the sheep have fangs.

    Netflix violated a very basic rule of marketing, that you don't set a price so low that you can't maintain it. And if you simply got the price wrong and got blindsided later on (even if movie studios being "greedy" about streaming should have been predictable), then you need to prepare for the PR shitstorm that your lack of foresight will unleash and de-fang the sheep before they bite.

    It's that last part - lack of preparation for the PR shitstorm - that was Netflix's biggest blunder. Even if they couldn't predict Hollywood greed, they definitely should have predicted the ire of consumers who have been made to feel entitled.

    I know you meant that as a joke, but it turns out the porn industry is headed towards zero-value content even faster than digital media in general, probably because it's so easy for amateurs to compete and undermine the entire business model. So fans of free amateur porn are going to be very happy indeed.
    What you need is a Netflix-style "ranking" site, which filters the porn in the same hive-mind way that Netflix does. That will clear away all the "crap," however you define it.

    If that doesn't exist, then someone needs to start it. It could support itself pretty well via nothing more than advertising and maybe some DVD sales, for as long as that business lasts.
     
  6. Brolan

    Brolan Commodore Commodore

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    I'm an old Netflix customer, so one day they just added the streaming to the DVD plan without any cost. My apologies to those who started with Netflix with both DVD and streaming, if that was the plan you signed on for, you had reasonable expectations it would continue to be that way.
     
  7. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

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    Same here. I guess the newer streaming cost doesn't really bother me because I always considered it kind of a bonus feature.
     
  8. Hound of UIster

    Hound of UIster Vice Admiral Admiral

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    You clearly were not looking very hard.
     
  9. RoJoHen

    RoJoHen Awesome Admiral

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    Nerds: Masters of Porn
     
  10. Skywalker

    Skywalker Admiral Admiral

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    Is anyone really surprised? :ouch:
     
  11. Avalon

    Avalon Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Well, crud. I thought today was the last day to watch Starz items, but they're already gone. Drat.
     
  12. OmahaStar

    OmahaStar Disrespectful of his betters Admiral

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    As I recall, they recently signed a new multi-year deal with Starz that included everything from the Weinstein Company, so they'll be back soon.
     
  13. OmahaStar

    OmahaStar Disrespectful of his betters Admiral

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    Update - It seems the article I originally read no longer mentions Starz, and the other articles I've found indicate that Netflix's deal is with TWC directly. Alrighty then.
     
  14. bigdaddy

    bigdaddy Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah Netflix is moving away from movies and more to TV shows it seems. The Stars deal is dead. Netflix will just go directly to the studios if they want certain movies.
     
  15. Temis the Vorta

    Temis the Vorta Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    TV shows? Do they have HBO streaming?
     
  16. Professor Zoom

    Professor Zoom Admiral Admiral

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    I doubt HBO will ever make that deal.

    Netflix IS beginning to produce content. Not just the Arrested Development stuff, but a couple of other shows.
     
  17. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

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    HBO has a competing service, HBO Go, which is (currently) tied to the sale of subscriptions. There's no way they'll make a deal with Netflix unless HBO GO fails.
     
  18. Skywalker

    Skywalker Admiral Admiral

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    And with HBO Go coming to the Xbox this April (and if that succeeds, probably to the PS3 in the future), I don't think we'll be seeing HBO content streaming on Netflix any time soon.
     
  19. tighr

    tighr Commodore Commodore

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    I actually watched my first "movie" on Netflix streaming this week in quite some time. I've been watching nearly exclusively TV shows for the past 8-9 months or so. (I cancelled cable in June). The movie selection is still fairly poor, but the TV selection is mind-boggling. I'm subscribed to the "Netflix Streaming Gems" thread over on AVSforum, and folks update that with new movies they find.


    (The movie, by the way, was Suspect Zero, with Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley. Its sci-fi/cop thriller, but I don't really recommend it. 2 out of 5 stars.)
     
  20. Harvey

    Harvey Admiral Admiral

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    I wish they sold the HBO Go service separately (and had it available on Sony devices). I don't have cable, but would easily ditch Netflix for what they're offering (or, if I had the money, supplement Netflix with it).