Netflix Jacks Their Prices

Discussion in 'Technology' started by cmdrmonkey, Jul 12, 2011.

  1. Pretty sure Android has had netflix for a long time.
     
  2. http://forum.pcvsconsoles.com/viewtopic.php?id=483

    Time is relative.
     
  3. Netflix's stock dropped 10% and apparently huge numbers of people are dumping the service. They seem to be hoping the price hike will compensate for the loss of customers.

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/07/netflix-stock-drops-as-wall-street-disappointed-with-revenue-and-guidance.html
    http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20083471-261/netflix-now-tone-deaf-on-public-perception/
     
  4. Netflix lost 1 million subscribers because of this:

    http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2011/09/netflix-expects-a-million-fewer-subscribers-in-wake-of-plan-change.ars

    If they continue down this greedy path they're going to end up like Blockbuster. Bittorrent killed Blockbuster, not Netflix, so they'd better keep their prices cheap since they're competing with free.

    Nobody pays to rent movies these days anyway except for computer illiterate Joe Sixpacks, people with slow internet connections, and people with a misplaced sense of morality.
     
  5. I just signed a friend up. She was desperate to get streaming in her movie room so I went out and got her a cheap BR player with a Netflix client and signed her up. She's happy and plans to cancel her HBO now. I still use Netflix streaming a lot. It's gotten so easy with it being built into everything now. I've considered dropping the disk rental since I don't use it much anymore.
     
  6. I have cancelled the disc portion. I'm considering alternatives for streaming currently. I'd prefer to watch things legally, but such a major price increase pisses me off. I considered Amazon as well. I think they have a decent deal going with Amazon Prime if memory serves.
     
  7. The Amazon library is probably only 1/3 of Netflix and Netflix is supposed to expand.
     
  8. That's the key reason why I didn't switch to them at this point. I'm open to moving if they improve their selection down the road.
     
  9. The only reason the price was that low previously was because of how limited the content was when they first started the streaming service. I got unlimited streaming for free due to already having the 3 disc rental plan and rarely used the streaming option due to the limited content. It's only within the past year that I started using streaming more often.

    Currently, I have the 2 disc plus unlimited streaming plan for $20 and still consider it to be just as good of a deal as my past plans since the streaming library is so much better now. I use the streaming more and the discs less. I think I actually watch more content per month now than previously too.
     
  10. Netflix's CEO is now saying the price hike was a huge mistake, and the company will be splitting into two companies, one for streaming and one for movies through the mail. Netflix's demise is coming even sooner than I thought.

    http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20108055-93/netflix-ceo-i-slid-into-arrogance/
     
  11. Actually, he's saying that the way the price hike was announced to customers was a mistake. I doubt there's any correlation between splitting the companies and the negative reaction to the hike. The time in between the two is too short.

    However, I have my doubts about the new split strategy. One of the comments made was that Netflix might be setting up the disc portion of the business to be sold off. It also seems kind of late in the game to be starting video game rentals. It's likely that the next console generation will be the last, so the growth potential is limited. Stealing a chunk of Gamefly's business a few years before it bites the dust isn't that exciting.
     
  12. Qwikster is a name that was born to fail. This will be interesting. Netflix ran Blockbuster out of business with their DVD shipping service and now their own shipping service is going to the wayside.
     
  13. monkey just loves to watch plans fail and fall apart
     
  14. Qwikster sounds like a brand name for chocolate milk.
     
  15. still think tablets will replace consoles? lmao...
     
  16. Sure. Smartphones and tablets are already disrupting the handheld market (both for hardware and software), and the processing power within smartphones/tablets will likely surpass current generation consoles in 2012.
     
  17. Apparently the price hike was to prep for a spinoff of some sort.

     
  18. Good job Sherlock.
     
  19. I'm not sure what the cancelling people were thinking? What alternatives do they have? I'm going to bring some things into perspective here since I never had a kneejerk reaction like most people did when they heard about this so called price hike.

    So people cancelled and now they are probably looking for the alternatives to streaming + dvd rental at same or lower price. There's really only one option for dvd rental now and that's redbox at $1 a night and the inconvenience of you having to drive there to pick up dvd and driving there again to return the dvd. Not to mention the selection is limited to what they have in the box (dvd you want might not even be in stock) so you don't get the wide range of selection as on netflix. Plus, you'll still be stressing to get the dvd back in time so you don't get charged another dollar each extra day.

    And to streaming. There is only Hulu and.. Amazon I guess. To put this part in perspective, Netflix's service includes streaming to your mobile device and all set top boxes, including console systems. Hulu has this down but still limited in this. It requires an $8 subscription to be able to stream to your mobile device and set top boxes/consoles.. and still has ads. Amazon requires Amazon Prime to have this service. That's about $6.58 a month. Amazon doesn't have a mobile streaming app yet.

    If I was a netflix customer, it would seem to most logical thing to do would be to keep the streaming portion and probably rent dvds via kiosk. I'd end up saving money in the log run.
     
  20. Have you tried lovefilm? They send you any two discs (whether films or games) And you keep them for as long as you want. Then when you send them back, you're sent the next two discs on your list. Postage is free too. You can also stream movies to your PC, TV or PS3.

    How much do they charge for this awesome rental service you might ask?

    Last time I checked it was a mere £9 per month, but you can choose to have 4 discs at a time instead of 2 (costs more I think). I rented Xmen origins wolverine for my 360 a couple of years ago and simply kept it until I'd gotten all of the achievements, then I sent it back and got more games!
    I must renew my subscription.