Oh sigh. We'd been hearing that
Warner Brothers would be pushing for month-long rental delays for mail-order services in order to boost sales, and it looks like Netflix has been pushed into submission: under an agreement announced today, Warner Brother DVDs and Blu-rays won't be available to Netflix subscribers for 28 days after they're released for sale. What's worse, Netflix says it expects to reach similar deals with the other major studios as time goes on. Why would Reed Hastings agree to a clear imposition on his company's rights under the first-sale doctrine? We're guessing this is the only way the studios would open up and allow more movies to hit Watch Instantly -- and the AP says Netflix is also getting a discount on the actual discs. Yeah, it's lame, but honestly we'd rather take more streaming content over new releases in the mail straight away, so let's hope all this wheeling and dealing pays off.
posted January 6th 2010 6:10PM
We better see a better fucking streaming catalog or else I'm out! This will not make me buy their damn discs. I will go back to bittorrent!
Why don't they do this crap to the brick and mortar rental shops?
@funkyp56 brick and mortar rental shops don't exist anymore....because of netflix.
My friend got a job at Blockbuster a little over a year ago. It closed a month later. He got transferred to a different store, worked there a few months and even got promoted to assistant manager, and it closed 3 months after that. Now he's working at another store that they brought him in just to help the closeout sale.
@KeegdnaB ouch, guess I haven't left the house in a while. WOW FTL? ;)
@funkyp56 Ditto: MORE STREAMING TITLES. Google has "Don't be evil". Netflix's motto should be: Don't be lame.
@funkyp56 Exactly what I was thinking. This just hurts both WB and Netflix as it will be easier and without a doubt cheaper to move away from services like Netflix and picking up a copy off the cloud.
@funkyp56
Exactly. If I can't find it on my Netflix subscription, I'm just going to steal it.
Somebody needs to get the whole subscription-based home video streaming thing down.
People pay $70/month for HD cable w/ DVR and HBO/Showtime, an extra $15/month for Netflix, etc..... and they STILL can't watch what they want, when they want. Instead, I get 5 year old B movies in the "New Releases" category of my Netflix on demand, and the DVR from the cable company can't edit out commercials.
I'd pay $100/month if it meant I could watch EVERYTHING, in HD, commercial-free, on-demand. Likewise, I'd be willing to watch commercials, if it would significantly defray that cost. Til then, happy torrenting!
@funkyp56 No kidding. NF's streaming is a sad joke. I have as of yet even seen a reason to have that service. If they gave me a choice I'd drop streaming entirely for day1 Bluray. You already have to wait a week sometimes for highly demanded movies. This just might make my local rental stores more profitable...
@funkyp56
Brick and mortar stores don't have the volume or market penetration Netflix has.
@Zavrion Theyre still here in small town America. In fact they all have walls for Bluray now. The reason why I signed up to Netflix a couple of years ago was to rent Bluray for my PS3, back before the rental shops had them. Now Netflix is telling me I'd be better off stopping by the shop on the way home. Sound business strategy. Reel-em in, then turn them away.
@crawdad689 Well said. I'm with you 110%
@funkyp56 "You wouldn't do drugs.
You wouldn't steal a car.
You wouldn't punch a cop in the face.
You wouldn't steal a movie... oh uh, you would? Nevermind. Me too."
I dropped Netflix when I realized that they had started delaying shipment of all my DVDs by 2 days because I watch them too fast. Excuse me for misinterpreting the word "unlimited" (and not having cable). This doesn't change my mind about coming back, I can tell you.
@funkyp56
Yeah, they need to realize that they just lose any form of monetary compensation when they pull this bull....
@funkyp56 I'm with you. If we get a lot of extra Watch Instantly content (*GOOD* Watch Instantly content), I'm fine with this. But if all we get out of the deal is more 1-star crap, then consider my subscription cancelled. It's too easy to get whatever I want elsewhere to justify the extra wait.
I'm not buying movies any more. Period. Warner and their ilk can cry about it all they want, but why spend $40 on a BRD that you'll watch maybe twice in 4-5 years? No thanks.
@KeegdnaB
Thanks you for this story, terrible for the blockbusters, but hilarious.
Ya know since I got Netflix my pirating has dropped way way down but now it looks like its about to jump back up again. Studio Fail.
@magic6435 Greedy movie execs are totally out of tune with their own business model.
I don't want to buy a movie to see it again unless I've already seen it once, likely either in theatres, or by renting. How then, am I to know whether it's something I want to buy if I can't even rent and view?
It's the kind of catch-22 and completely lacking mindset that seems at home with the industry right now. Don't bother embracing a new format and roll with the changes, force old crap down our throats.
Already RedBox has to buy directly from walmart. Yes, it's that insane...
@magic6435 too true. It's like they're trying to kill themselves.
@Nerdtalker amen sir! I'm just glad RedBox has stood up to the movie companies so we can still drop a dollar every now and then if a movie really needs to be seen ASAP. Love me some redbox!
@magic6435 As much as I don't like getting the shaft by the movie studios, which makes bittorrenting seem very tempting I don't want to go to jail (there's a joke in there somewhere) also I don't know how to use bittorrent
The downfall of the industry will be entertaining to watch.
Pass the popcorn, please.
@telepheedian
Absolutely right, and it'l better than most WB newest releases, netflix account not required for viewing.
IF we get more watch instantly, I am fine with not getting discs right away, I mainly get older TV shows that arent streaming anyway for my discs. But if we dont, this could be bad for Netflix.
Wish we could get netflix in Canada...
I got netflix and tried hard to be a good, paying consumer. I can download it before its on netflix as it is. This just makes it even worse. Why would I pay to wait a MONTH when I can just download it for free?
When will they learn?
@g00n because people make those movies that you steal. If you were working in the movie industry dont you want people to buy the products that pay your bills so that you can continue to have work? Netflix has soo many things to watch streamed and DVD. Remember when we had VHS we would wait a year from the first release in Movie Theaters?
Same for music.
I think this is getting a little ridiculous. There has been no clearer statement from a company of such anti-consumer sentiment in recent memory. To me they're saying, "We're not interested in people watching our films, and frankly, we'd rather they not."
@Duositex
Couldn't agree more. This is absolutely ridiculous. I don't buy every movie I watch. Movie renting's primary benefit is that there is minimal financial loss if you watch a movie and end up not liking it. So, why on earth would I purchase a movie not knowing if it's going to be good or not? Warner Bros = fail
How is this going to get people to buy more new movie releases? The studios may succeed in making torrents more popular....
Give us HD through Media Center and we will call it even.
Still not buyin the discs.
Extremely disappointed in Netflix. I've been using them since 2002.
They should have seen what their customers would have said if they told us WB was refusing to sell to them or some bulshit. Power to the people but no, they caved, and now you know WB wasn't the first every one else is going to do this stupid stuff.
Honestly, I'm not that bummed about this. My current Queue on Netflix is around 190, so I rarely get new releases immediately, anyway.
Agreed. It's been a long time since I've ever gotten a new release from Netflix right when it came out...they're always listed as "long wait." So lately I've been getting new releases from Redbox, and use Netflix for other films & TV series. And the fact that Netflix will be able to stream more WB titles is great! Streaming video is clearly the future IMO, not physical disc, so this seems like a win-win to me.
I got a blu-ray player for chistmas. guess how many disks I bought.
0
I got it for the netflix streaming! you idiots!
@funkyp56 If you're just gonna stream and not watch actual blurays, you should've just gotten a Roku.
@MJGAMER 1991 XBL I didnt say I didnt want to watch BD, I am just not running out to buy them. I HAVE NETFLIX!
@MJGAMER 1991 XBL
roku sucks!!! All u can do is look at your instant qeue(if that's how u spell it) the blu Ray players are better because they let u watch movies that are not in ur queue without going to ur pc and adding movies to the list. Besides, I got one for my inlaws from best buy for the same 99$ price and it includes blu Ray too!! I personally use my ps3, it gets a little loud but the HD stuff is crystal clear.
Doesn't seem too much of an issue for me. It's not like I was getting physical disc's in the mail on or close to release day. Which is why I streamed more than waiting for them in the mail. But if Netflix is going to save $$ from this hopefully that can be trickled down to the consumer. :/ lets wait and see
@JezerVenti9 Good for you! When I see a movie coming out that I want on disk, I add it to the que, and move it to the top so its my next disk. I want them the day they come out like Inglorius Basterds. thats how I roll!
"Shit, this movie's not on Netflix, so I guess I'll go out and buy the DVD instead!"
@crawdad689
His eyes are open and he's typing... I read what he posted but he must be f'ing dreaming!
@crawdad689 "Shit, this movie's not on Netflix. I think I'll go do something else, like watch a $3 bargain bin DVD of a movie that came out 3 years ago."
@crawdad689
"Shit, this movie's not on Netflix (A service I pay for), but the torrent is out. I'll just go watch that instead."
They're getting too greedy, In the end they'll be loosing money because that small percent they get from 100,000 watching it on netflix is greater then the $10 they get for one person to torrent it for 100,000 people.
i think i gonna be cancelling my subsciption pretty soon. this is just sad. whats the point in renting movies if i cant even get new realeses? this is the kind of stuff that might just bring blockbuster back.
Where's the "Thanks" memo Nilay?
Pretty easy to be angry at WB here, they're being really anti-consumer (have been for a long time).
But really, I'm mad with Netflix. Today, I pay a set price, and in exchange for that, I get to rent movies, even WB movies when they come out. Tomorrow, I won't be able to, but I doubt Netflix will adjust my rates or give me any additional benefit for it.
The question now is, why should I stay with Netflix when they are proving they'd rather do these back-office deals that give me less for my money than I had yesterday?
Also, WB, this is your idea of a business plan? Let's create a product and then artificially limit how many people can get their hands on that product? While those same people can literally go out and obtain your movie for free immediately? Wow, awesome business sense.
Well, most studio decision makers are brainless. so they'd probably be looking for brains...like zombies.
There were zombie-like creatures in the movie "28 Days Later"
Guys! This almost makes sense!
Seriously, it's not a big deal to me. I stopped pirating for the most part, but I also stopped buying a lot of movies. Guess who just got dropped off of my list of companies I'll actually buy a movie from, though? Oh that's right, WB. I still don't like pirating, but I'm going to get the content I want on my schedule, not theirs.
The funny thing is Netflix actually wins. DVD is going the way of the dodo. Streaming is where the next generation is going to be...and WB just signed over MORE of their content to the exact thing that's going to steal their DVD sales. Netflix may piss off some people in the short term, but i every studio is dumb enough to dump their back-catalogues onto Netflix just to delay the DVDs, they are chumps.
Who lets these people make business decisions?
If they want people to buy their movies, then they need to start making good movies. As it is now, I reserve buys for certain movies. Avatar is on my buy list, I bought Star Trek last year, Iron Man the year before that.
My point is by the time I leave the movies I know if its going to my buy list. If I can't see a movie until its on dvd it doesnt make me say.. I can't rent it I'll go buy it. I usually won't buy it if I haven't seen it before hand. I only buy movies I know I'll watch more then once.
Equilibrium is a great example. I had never heard of it, saw it on netflix rental and I turned around and ordered it. This was years after it had already been out. I think these studios are just shooting themselves in the foot if they think they can force us to buy mediocre movies.