4 ms·

I expect from Netflix no less. As soon the growth phase is over. They will turn to ads.

by Bombthecat 10y ago

thomasz 10y ago
In that case, I'm dead sure that a lot of their customers will return to piracy.
- hkmurakami 10y ago
  How many is a lot? If the proportion of revenue increase outweighs subscriber loss, it's still worth inserting ads.
  - Freak_NL 10y ago
    Only if all competitors did the same. Unlike cable or terrestrial broadcast television, with Netflix the consumer has choice and can simply go to a competitor (this includes piracy). If Netflix starts experimenting with advertisements, they will give competitors a chance to move in on the subscribers that won't stand for it. Losing subscribers is fine if they don't go anywhere else (because they can't), but losing subscribers to a competitor is a risky move.
JoshTriplett 10y ago
They have too many competitors right on their heels for that. Netflix introducing ads would drive people to Amazon Prime, and vice versa. (Hulu partially gets away with it because they have an offering their competitors don't, namely seasons still in progress.)
- sleepychu 10y ago
  Amazon Prime has gotten awful for adverts. They have pre-rolls for their other shows, which you could consider OK at the moment but this is exactly what happened with their Fire $TV_DEVICE line. They had a banner ad for new shows and that banner ad slowly morphed into advertising for financial services and such. I've never been so upset about a product like this. I think I paid ~70GBP for the Fire TV and 20 each for two Fire TV sticks and then they sneak advertising in with a software update after the fact. It's particularly egregious because they've recognised the equivalence of ads and charging you money on their tablet range which I think you can buy at a discount if you agree to have ads shown to you on the home screen.
  - mysticmarvel 10y ago
    Bin them. Bin Amazon Prime too. Be sure to tell them why you're doing it. Cable was originally advert-free. It was slipped in gradually over time. They got away with it because people put up with it and didn't call foul and stop subscribing. Expect Amazon, Netflix, everyone to do it. Precedent was set with cable subscriptions. The bar is set very low, and our resistance is known to be pitiful.
    - sleepychu 10y ago
      > Cable was originally advert-free. I don't think that's true, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13460306 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13460306 > Bin them. Bin Amazon Prime too. That would be altruistic but I don't think that enough people will do it with me (and I have no interest in organising them to do so). I'm tempted to return the device since they've changed the fundamental functionality, IMO.
- dogma1138 10y ago
  Both Netflix and amazon have season in progress with weekly releases not as much in the US tho.
- ethbro 10y ago
  I realize I'm not the prime demographic for this. But why would I ever be interested in watching a season in progress when I can watch backlog until it finishes, then watch the entire season on my own schedule?
  - wmil 10y ago
    There's a social aspect to popular TV shows that are airing. If you keep up to date you can discuss the EP on various forums right after it airs. Then it's something to talk about with your co-workers who are also fans.
  - JoshTriplett 10y ago
    Two reasons. First, because during the initial transition from cable, you might want to keep watching existing shows from where you left off, without having to wait for the end of the season. And second, because other people watch the show live and you want to keep up with them. The first problem goes away after the initial transition, and the second goes away when everyone you know also uses Netflix and/or Amazon Prime. But don't underestimate the value in getting people to switch.
tehwebguy 10y ago
No chance IMO. The pool of competing content buyers is rapidly growing.
sriku 10y ago
I expect the same too. In a capitalist economy, companies need to market their products and they will always find a way to pay media companies for eye time. At the outset, I think fighting ads is. Lost cause though depending on the novelty of media there may be temporary relief.

I expect from Netflix no less. As soon the growth phase is over. They will turn to ads.

thomasz 10y ago

In that case, I'm dead sure that a lot of their customers will return to piracy.

hkmurakami 10y ago
How many is a lot? If the proportion of revenue increase outweighs subscriber loss, it's still worth inserting ads.
- Freak_NL 10y ago
  Only if all competitors did the same. Unlike cable or terrestrial broadcast television, with Netflix the consumer has choice and can simply go to a competitor (this includes piracy). If Netflix starts experimenting with advertisements, they will give competitors a chance to move in on the subscribers that won't stand for it. Losing subscribers is fine if they don't go anywhere else (because they can't), but losing subscribers to a competitor is a risky move.

JoshTriplett 10y ago

They have too many competitors right on their heels for that. Netflix introducing ads would drive people to Amazon Prime, and vice versa. (Hulu partially gets away with it because they have an offering their competitors don't, namely seasons still in progress.)

sleepychu 10y ago
Amazon Prime has gotten awful for adverts. They have pre-rolls for their other shows, which you could consider OK at the moment but this is exactly what happened with their Fire $TV_DEVICE line. They had a banner ad for new shows and that banner ad slowly morphed into advertising for financial services and such. I've never been so upset about a product like this. I think I paid ~70GBP for the Fire TV and 20 each for two Fire TV sticks and then they sneak advertising in with a software update after the fact. It's particularly egregious because they've recognised the equivalence of ads and charging you money on their tablet range which I think you can buy at a discount if you agree to have ads shown to you on the home screen.
- mysticmarvel 10y ago
  Bin them. Bin Amazon Prime too. Be sure to tell them why you're doing it. Cable was originally advert-free. It was slipped in gradually over time. They got away with it because people put up with it and didn't call foul and stop subscribing. Expect Amazon, Netflix, everyone to do it. Precedent was set with cable subscriptions. The bar is set very low, and our resistance is known to be pitiful.
  - sleepychu 10y ago
    > Cable was originally advert-free. I don't think that's true, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13460306 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13460306 > Bin them. Bin Amazon Prime too. That would be altruistic but I don't think that enough people will do it with me (and I have no interest in organising them to do so). I'm tempted to return the device since they've changed the fundamental functionality, IMO.
dogma1138 10y ago
Both Netflix and amazon have season in progress with weekly releases not as much in the US tho.
ethbro 10y ago
I realize I'm not the prime demographic for this. But why would I ever be interested in watching a season in progress when I can watch backlog until it finishes, then watch the entire season on my own schedule?
- wmil 10y ago
  There's a social aspect to popular TV shows that are airing. If you keep up to date you can discuss the EP on various forums right after it airs. Then it's something to talk about with your co-workers who are also fans.
- JoshTriplett 10y ago
  Two reasons. First, because during the initial transition from cable, you might want to keep watching existing shows from where you left off, without having to wait for the end of the season. And second, because other people watch the show live and you want to keep up with them. The first problem goes away after the initial transition, and the second goes away when everyone you know also uses Netflix and/or Amazon Prime. But don't underestimate the value in getting people to switch.

tehwebguy 10y ago

No chance IMO. The pool of competing content buyers is rapidly growing.

sriku 10y ago

I expect the same too. In a capitalist economy, companies need to market their products and they will always find a way to pay media companies for eye time. At the outset, I think fighting ads is. Lost cause though depending on the novelty of media there may be temporary relief.