6 ms·

It's never been well explained to me how this is a profitable model, especially considering the ease with which popular shows are pirated - in full HD and digit

It's never been well explained to me how this is a profitable model, especially considering the ease with which popular shows are pirated - in full HD and digital sound I might add. What do studios really stand to gain by keeping Germany et al from so much content?

sgift 11y ago
They sell it over different channels (Amazon Prime, DVD, etc.) and somehow seem to think that people will use more than one to get all content they want. They probably do this to get better rates from Netflix, e.g. "You know, if you don't pay us x we can always give our content someone else". To me this sounds like madness, I would never use multiple streaming services, but I'm not an Hollywood exec, so maybe there is some method to the madness that I'm not able to see.
- joshuacc 11y ago
  FWIW, I regularly use Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube. In the past I would also use iTunes.
rhino369 11y ago
Why is everyone assuming that greedy German companies aren't willing to sell? Is it also possible that Netflix isn't willing to pay the going rate or hasn't bothered to negotiate for the rights. Netflix launched globally without taking the time to negotiate content for most countries on earth. I'm not sure you can assume that Netflix is being diligent in trying to acquire content. Especially since even in the USA netlix appears to be pivoting into being a content creator instead of a content aggregator.
- Grishnakh 11y ago
  >Why is everyone assuming that greedy German companies aren't willing to sell? The OP isn't talking about greedy German companies, he's complaining about greedy American companies who won't let Netflix in Germany show American content to German viewers. Greedy German companies are a different issue. This whole issue is mainly about greedy American companies, because if there's one thing that America produces that people around the world want, it's our movies and TV, and a lot of people outside the US were/are using VPNs and other such things to get access to a US-based Netflix account because the versions in their own countries didn't have all the content that the American version has, and now Netflix is restricting that access. There aren't many people outside Germany/Austria who really want to see content from German media companies.
  - rhino369 11y ago
    But it most of these situations some German company already bought the rights to the show. So the greedy American companies already got paid.
jamstruth 11y ago
The companies get to sell the distribution rights more than once. Its more chances to get a good deal for the producers of the content. Then they need to maintain this barrier so that the deal is good for both the Producer and Distributor involved. If they don't force Netflix to do this then the deals don't look as good to the distributors.

sgift 11y ago

They sell it over different channels (Amazon Prime, DVD, etc.) and somehow seem to think that people will use more than one to get all content they want. They probably do this to get better rates from Netflix, e.g. "You know, if you don't pay us x we can always give our content someone else". To me this sounds like madness, I would never use multiple streaming services, but I'm not an Hollywood exec, so maybe there is some method to the madness that I'm not able to see.

joshuacc 11y ago
FWIW, I regularly use Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube. In the past I would also use iTunes.

rhino369 11y ago

Why is everyone assuming that greedy German companies aren't willing to sell? Is it also possible that Netflix isn't willing to pay the going rate or hasn't bothered to negotiate for the rights. Netflix launched globally without taking the time to negotiate content for most countries on earth. I'm not sure you can assume that Netflix is being diligent in trying to acquire content. Especially since even in the USA netlix appears to be pivoting into being a content creator instead of a content aggregator.

Grishnakh 11y ago
>Why is everyone assuming that greedy German companies aren't willing to sell? The OP isn't talking about greedy German companies, he's complaining about greedy American companies who won't let Netflix in Germany show American content to German viewers. Greedy German companies are a different issue. This whole issue is mainly about greedy American companies, because if there's one thing that America produces that people around the world want, it's our movies and TV, and a lot of people outside the US were/are using VPNs and other such things to get access to a US-based Netflix account because the versions in their own countries didn't have all the content that the American version has, and now Netflix is restricting that access. There aren't many people outside Germany/Austria who really want to see content from German media companies.
- rhino369 11y ago
  But it most of these situations some German company already bought the rights to the show. So the greedy American companies already got paid.

jamstruth 11y ago

The companies get to sell the distribution rights more than once. Its more chances to get a good deal for the producers of the content. Then they need to maintain this barrier so that the deal is good for both the Producer and Distributor involved. If they don't force Netflix to do this then the deals don't look as good to the distributors.