

Netflix Plunges on Guarded Outlook for New 2012 Signups - mikexstudios
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-25/netflix-plunges-on-guarded-outlook-for-new-2012-signups

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rogerbinns
They just sent me an email begging me to sign up again. I quit the streaming
service because I ran out of interesting things to watch.

(Of course the email is a "no reply" - we want to talk at you, not hear from
you - and gives no indication that there is any new worthwhile content.)

~~~
dionidium
I might suggest that either you have already watched _a lot_ of movies or your
definition of interesting is rather narrow. I have hundreds of films in my
instant queue. The number of critically acclaimed TV shows is pretty large,
too. Have you seen all of Mad Men? Battlestar Galactica? Breaking Bad?
Arrested Development or Louie? It would take a while just to get through
those. There are, of course, many more. Lots of documentaries and smaller
films you might not yet have heard of, but that you might like a lot.

It's hard for me to understand why anybody would think there's nothing
interesting to see there.

~~~
rogerbinns
I have 400 laserdiscs and 700 DVD cases (some are TV shows with multiple discs
or films and their sequels). I stopped buying DVDs many years ago, but then
again Netflix hasn't been acquiring recent films either - one example article
[http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2011/02/02/netfli...](http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2011/02/02/netflixs-
lousy-selection-of-movies/)

I also haven't had TV service since 2003 and don't torrent or similar - all my
viewing has been by buying DVDs, seeing things at the cinema/on planes etc or
on Hulu.

And once I did sign up for Netflix I did catch up TV shows (eg the new series
of Futurama). Out of your examples I already own BSG on DVD. The others don't
really interest me as I'm not a particular big fan of them. (I'm British and
have lived in the US for over a decade, but my tastes don't really go for the
things you list.)

To be clear there is a heck of a lot of stuff I did want to watch. When I
first signed up for Netflix I spent several weeks typing things into their
search engine only to get responses along the lines of available for mail
order only, or doesn't exist. Following recommendations etc did mean I ended
up with a queue, but it is mediocre stuff. So I gave up and read more books
instead.

Two random content examples for you. Try to find "Northern Exposure" (TV
series) or marvel at how Netflix thinks Keanu Reeves has only ever done 6
films.

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bvlaar
At the end of the day, it all boils down to content. We're going through an
age of amazing television, especially with AMC and HBO. Netflix needs to
either provide GREAT content that they create, or they have to get HBO and AMC
on board (which is pretty difficult). I'm sure sports broadcasting rights are
really ratcheted down, but It would be cool if they broke into the live
streaming side of things. I'm sure they have the capacity to handle a football
game or hockey game.

~~~
danso
AMC _is_ on board, at least with past seasons of Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and
Walking Dead

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apartridge
Not surprising. Netflix lost their connection with their core business and
stopped listening and responding to feedback. Ultimately, this will be what
destroys them.

A few names come to mind: Polaroid, Kodak, RIM (ok, not quite yet but soon
enough). Any others?

~~~
trustfundbaby
I think this is what really bothered me about them, its almost like that
cliched part in a breakup where you get to go "you've changed".

Years ago, I was a netflix evangelist, getting into heated online arguments
with my friends about how awesome netflix was and how it was going to decimate
blockbuster (Can you imagine how chuffed I was when that actually happened and
my friends had to issue mea culpas, one by one?)

I really thought people were being hyper reactive when netflix first announced
their pricing changes and Qwikster, I was actually going to buy a ton of the
stock when it was at $64.

But I witnessed their newfound intransigence first hand, they wouldn't let me
use the ipad app unless I had signed up for streaming (even though I was a
paying customer with an actual DVD queue that I wanted to manage), they
removed the ability to put an account on hold, forcing me to cancel my account
after almost 6 years as a loyal customer, and the kicker was when I actually
went and got an AppleTV and realized that for the way I watch movies, netflix
was just a waste of money.

Oddly enough, I was such a fanboi that I would have continued to support them
anyway, but there was just this corporate ugliness that I saw in their new
direction that made me sever my ties with them.

Netflix never really built on the lead that they got in the movie rental
space, they should have built a box that they'd have sold to users as a loss
leader to let people watch movies directly from them ... but they never did,
now they're dependent on the studios, and hardware makers (Sony, Samsung,
Apple etc) to actually deliver movies to people which is not a good place to
be. It almost reminds me of how Microsoft surrendered it mobile and tablet
lead to Apple ... only Microsoft had strengths in other areas that let it
absorb such a massive screwup.

I don't know that Netflix can do the same thing, especially in the face of
_vicious_ competition.

I really do wish them the best of luck though, because (just like most real
life relationships) even though we've broken up, I still think of them very
fondly from time to time.

~~~
rdtsc
> they should have built a box that they'd have sold to users as a loss leader
> to let people watch movies directly from them ... but they never did, now
> they're dependent on the studios

There is Roku, an app for Android tablets (used it on ASUS transformer, works
great), an app on my Vizio TV (also works great), my LG blue ray player also
has Netflix support (also works great). I wouldn't want another box in my
house or around me like Roku even it was free just to handle Netflix.

What I want is a better selection of streaming movies. And unless Netflix
starts producing their own movies, I don't see what you mean by them not being
dependent on studios.

Content owners, it seems, think they can and should run their own streaming
and distribution and they see Netflix eating their lunch. I bet each one of
them think they are the shit and their content is so awesome, customers will
trip over themselves to pay extra or buy specific hardware just for them for a
premium just to watch that content.

And I would guess every contents owner thinks that. Except I really don't see
myself having 10 different apps for each of the studio and picking based on
owners what to watch (For ex. I wouldn't say, hmm, I wonder what wonderful
movies Sony Studio App has today).

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pasbesoin
After finding yet one more set of episodes removed from streaming -- in
addition to however many movies I'd previously queued up -- I'm about done
with Netflix. I'd hung in there because I liked the service and their early
attitude.

But now, even if this is not Netflix' fault, I think I'm done sending any of
my money -- even via the Netflix indermediaries -- to content owners who jerk
me around this way.

There was a fellow -- in France, IIRC -- who wrote a fairly well-worded if
polemic argument for no longer enabling these content owner abusers through
one's financial contributions.

While I've never been a content pirate (not that I don't endorse some of the
associated goals and principles), I'm ready to retreat further into my books
and works and do my 2 cents to help "big media" starve -- perhaps, hopefully,
at least enough to get hungry enough to try harder to find a better
distribution model. Or to help the real content producers (in all their
various roles) do an end run around these self-serving, rapacious middlemen.

