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Show HN: Podfio – Netflix of Podcasts

3 points by Andriyas 9y ago

Andriyas 9y ago
Founder here. This is the prototype that I have been working on. We applied for YC W2018 batch. Any comments/suggestions would be helpful.
- brudgers 9y ago
  To me, the reference to Netflix seems like something that may be problematic in terms of what it communicates to investors with an historic perspective regarding technology companies. The technology problem Netflix solved to become a successful startup was bandwidth. It did so by mailing DVD's using 'snail mail' and the value proposition it offered consumers was unlimited DVD rental for a flat fee. It's competitive advantages were convenience for a specific class of customers -- those with internet access to view the catalog and comfort using the web -- and the lower overhead of a website versus retail locations for video rental stores. One enabling technology was DVD's which could be mailed for less cost than VHS tapes and were less subject to physical damage and provided higher quality (for which retail locations initially charged a premium despite requiring less shelf space). There's nothing on the web page that conveys those kinds of similarities to Netflix...instead from a business standpoint I wondered how it would compete with iTunes. From a personal standpoint, all I want in terms of podcasts is an interface to handle whatever URL I throw at it. In terms of the podcast industry, I get the sense that there may be plays in the B2B end from listening to Jeff Meyerson's Software Engineering Daily. But I am not sure that exclusive content is part of it...I wonder why a podcaster would want to be exclusively on Podfino versus iTunes? Exclusive content requires a two sided marketplace and the moves by Netflix and Amazon (and HBO years ago) came long after they had established large subscriber bases for third party content. All that of course is absent knowledge about "What problem this solves" or why it will destroy iTunes. Good luck.
  - Andriyas 9y ago
    Thank you for your feedback!

3 points by Andriyas 9y ago

Founder here. This is the prototype that I have been working on. We applied for YC W2018 batch. Any comments/suggestions would be helpful.

brudgers 9y ago
To me, the reference to Netflix seems like something that may be problematic in terms of what it communicates to investors with an historic perspective regarding technology companies. The technology problem Netflix solved to become a successful startup was bandwidth. It did so by mailing DVD's using 'snail mail' and the value proposition it offered consumers was unlimited DVD rental for a flat fee. It's competitive advantages were convenience for a specific class of customers -- those with internet access to view the catalog and comfort using the web -- and the lower overhead of a website versus retail locations for video rental stores. One enabling technology was DVD's which could be mailed for less cost than VHS tapes and were less subject to physical damage and provided higher quality (for which retail locations initially charged a premium despite requiring less shelf space). There's nothing on the web page that conveys those kinds of similarities to Netflix...instead from a business standpoint I wondered how it would compete with iTunes. From a personal standpoint, all I want in terms of podcasts is an interface to handle whatever URL I throw at it. In terms of the podcast industry, I get the sense that there may be plays in the B2B end from listening to Jeff Meyerson's Software Engineering Daily. But I am not sure that exclusive content is part of it...I wonder why a podcaster would want to be exclusively on Podfino versus iTunes? Exclusive content requires a two sided marketplace and the moves by Netflix and Amazon (and HBO years ago) came long after they had established large subscriber bases for third party content. All that of course is absent knowledge about "What problem this solves" or why it will destroy iTunes. Good luck.
- Andriyas 9y ago
  Thank you for your feedback!