8 ms·

Then keep paying Netflix to stay in the lighter gray side of morality, and still torrent the shows of theirs you want to watch but can't.

problems 9y ago
Does Netflix pay out if you don't watch the content? It also may make it more likely that Netflix will drop the content if it's not getting good enough numbers.
- e40 9y ago
  I often wondered this. I don't believe it does. My guess is that royalties are paid on a per-use basis. Anyone know?
  - bpodgursky 9y ago
    I really doubt there is any per-view payout. There would be no point in their constant content churn if they were able (or wanted to) negotiate per-view contracts.
    - Fizzer 9y ago
      The view numbers surely get used during contract negotiations, though. When a movie's contract runs out and Netflix needs to figure out how much they're willing to bid to renew it, they'll look at the view numbers as one factor in determining how much they're willing to bid. So even if there isn't a per-view payout, I'm sure the view numbers do contribute to the studio getting more money.
  - jdmichal 9y ago
    My complete guess: Netflix mass-negotiates content contracts with distributors for lump sums. The distributor then pays out one-time royalties from that lump sum.
    - logfromblammo 9y ago
      My guess is similar, except that the distributor never actually pays out royalties; instead using Hollywood-accounting to funnel the extra money away into the contract for some captive film-rights service company owned by contacts and cronies.
- aaron695 9y ago
  You'd have to imagine Netflix does more than viewing numbers since it's not ads that makes them money but subscribers to the overall service. If a show is getting press and social media talk then they probably value that higher since new subscribers is of very high value. Retention is a different problem and not as particular to one show.
kuschku 9y ago
That’s exactly what I do. I pay for Netflix and Amazon Prime, and still pirate all the content. I’m on Linux, and they only provide 144p video for me, so pirating is easier for getting access to content I paid for.

problems 9y ago

Does Netflix pay out if you don't watch the content? It also may make it more likely that Netflix will drop the content if it's not getting good enough numbers.

e40 9y ago
I often wondered this. I don't believe it does. My guess is that royalties are paid on a per-use basis. Anyone know?
- bpodgursky 9y ago
  I really doubt there is any per-view payout. There would be no point in their constant content churn if they were able (or wanted to) negotiate per-view contracts.
  - Fizzer 9y ago
    The view numbers surely get used during contract negotiations, though. When a movie's contract runs out and Netflix needs to figure out how much they're willing to bid to renew it, they'll look at the view numbers as one factor in determining how much they're willing to bid. So even if there isn't a per-view payout, I'm sure the view numbers do contribute to the studio getting more money.
- jdmichal 9y ago
  My complete guess: Netflix mass-negotiates content contracts with distributors for lump sums. The distributor then pays out one-time royalties from that lump sum.
  - logfromblammo 9y ago
    My guess is similar, except that the distributor never actually pays out royalties; instead using Hollywood-accounting to funnel the extra money away into the contract for some captive film-rights service company owned by contacts and cronies.
aaron695 9y ago
You'd have to imagine Netflix does more than viewing numbers since it's not ads that makes them money but subscribers to the overall service. If a show is getting press and social media talk then they probably value that higher since new subscribers is of very high value. Retention is a different problem and not as particular to one show.

kuschku 9y ago

That’s exactly what I do. I pay for Netflix and Amazon Prime, and still pirate all the content. I’m on Linux, and they only provide 144p video for me, so pirating is easier for getting access to content I paid for.