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I don't think it makes sense to define monopoly as a binary state. There are ways that companies with monopoly power behave even if you can argue the company it
by mrkurt 7y ago
I don't think it makes sense to define monopoly as a binary state. There are ways that companies with monopoly power behave even if you can argue the company itself isn't a monopoly.
And, for what it's worth, copyright owners are the canonical monopolies. There's no suitable replacement for Stranger Things. What's new is that TV show copyright owners are now able to monopolize distribution.
I get that there's a more diverse set of good content, you'd expect that to happen with the explosion of the internet. But that's happening in spite of monopolist behavior, not because of it. Most of the wealth in movie/tv creation is getting captured by a smaller group of companies.
Hence the article focusing on Netflix canceling shows after the second season. The creators of shows make more money when they run a long time, Netflix would prefer to keep those people working for cheap if it doesn't create churn.
- scarface74 7y agoCompare Netflix’s library to Disney’s, especially with the Fox acquisition. Which library would you rather have going into the next decade?
- mrkurt 7y agoI don't think people will give Netflix subscriptions for Disney, I think they'll buy both. I'm sure Netflix would rather have Disney's library, but there's always a second place in a duopoly.
- scarface74 7y agoBut the problem is there is a chance that Netflix could be fourth at least in the US. Especially with Disney taking over Hulu. Hulu is already only $5.99 a month with commercials and $12.99 a month with no commercials. Disney will be moving most of it’s less kid friendly content over to Hulu. Disney Plus will only be $7.99. It’s not hard to imagine a bundled price for both - with better content - that’s less than Netflix. If someone has Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video (because everyone already has Amazon Prime), do they really need the low budget originals on Netflix?
- mrkurt 7y agoDisney owns Hulu, I expect that'll be rolled into Disney+. I might be over estimating Netflix's skill in this area, but I suspect they are really good at converting production money into subscribers. All that said, none of this is good for creators or customers, it doesn't really matter if Netflix is first, second, or dead.
- scarface74 7y agoDisney isn’t going to roll Hulu into Disney+. Why would they when they can charge for both. Besides, Disney+ is suppose to be family friendly. Hulu isn’t it. Disney doesn’t own Hulu outright yet. Warner Bros still has its 10% stake and Comcast still has its stake for now.
- pkroll 7y agoTechnically they don't own it outright yet, but they have full control as of May 14: https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/disney-full-control-hulu-comcast-deal-1203214338/ https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/disney-full-control-hu...