3 ms·

The killer feature of streaming is ad free, on demand content imo, not great content or accessibility to all the content. Netflix is replacing cable TV not all

The killer feature of streaming is ad free, on demand content imo, not great content or accessibility to all the content. Netflix is replacing cable TV not all the great / transformative movies / tv shows you've watched in your lifetime.

jjk166 6y ago
That's what Netflix has been forced to become. It started out, however, as an extremely convenient movie library with basically anything you'd ever want to watch that cost substantially less than the ticket price of even a single movie per month. It was exactly what many people were looking for, and they flocked to it, but its success led to many content licensers ending their contracts in the hopes of offering their own streaming services for which they would get a bigger cut.
- ghaff 6y ago
  I think a lot of people look at the history of Netflix through rose colored glasses. I remember talking with a senior engineering exec I knew at Netflix quite a few years ago now and he made a comment along the lines of "People come to Netflix for the movies and they stay for the shows." (This was before House of Cards etc.) It may have once been better than today, but Netflix never had a great (streaming) film catalog. There's also the fact that there are relatively comprehensive film catalogs on Amazon and Apple modulo streaming service exclusives and various older content. You just have to pay for it. The financial reality is that you're not going to get all the video content ever created for one low $10/month fee.
  - jjk166 6y ago
    In 2012 I deliberately watched a new movie every night for the whole year on Netflix, and I never had to scrape the bottom of the barrel. There were thousands of good films in the categories I enjoy, and vastly more titles that just weren't my cup of tea. What catalogue has ever been greater? What catalogue has ever even come close to it?

jjk166 6y ago

That's what Netflix has been forced to become. It started out, however, as an extremely convenient movie library with basically anything you'd ever want to watch that cost substantially less than the ticket price of even a single movie per month. It was exactly what many people were looking for, and they flocked to it, but its success led to many content licensers ending their contracts in the hopes of offering their own streaming services for which they would get a bigger cut.

ghaff 6y ago
I think a lot of people look at the history of Netflix through rose colored glasses. I remember talking with a senior engineering exec I knew at Netflix quite a few years ago now and he made a comment along the lines of "People come to Netflix for the movies and they stay for the shows." (This was before House of Cards etc.) It may have once been better than today, but Netflix never had a great (streaming) film catalog. There's also the fact that there are relatively comprehensive film catalogs on Amazon and Apple modulo streaming service exclusives and various older content. You just have to pay for it. The financial reality is that you're not going to get all the video content ever created for one low $10/month fee.
- jjk166 6y ago
  In 2012 I deliberately watched a new movie every night for the whole year on Netflix, and I never had to scrape the bottom of the barrel. There were thousands of good films in the categories I enjoy, and vastly more titles that just weren't my cup of tea. What catalogue has ever been greater? What catalogue has ever even come close to it?