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> Netflix became popular because it was easier then piracy. It really didn't. Lots of people do not pirate. It became popular because it was cheap, and sold co

> Netflix became popular because it was easier then piracy. It really didn't. Lots of people do not pirate. It became popular because it was cheap, and sold content for less than it cost Netflix to acquire or make it, and subsidised that with debt to built marketshare. Now those days are coming to an end, Netflix is running out of road to borrow money, and it needs to bring in a sustainable amount of revenue or it will go away.

FractalParadigm 5y ago
We can throw anecdotes around all day, but I personally know a good ~dozen or so people including myself who were huge into piracy before Netflix came along. Over the past few years, we've all gone "back to our roots" because paying for all the services today costs more than a full cable TV package did 10 years ago. It looks like I'm headed back that way for music too. I'm a huge fan of rap and Death Row recently removed some of their most popular releases for the sake of NFTs?[0] This isn't how you get customers to go buy your music, it's a great way to piss them off and get your music for free. It's becoming a seemingly regular thing, with artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removing their libraries where possible. You can even look at Steam with their relatively wild success in Russia; GabeN himself has said "It's by giving those people a service that's better than what they're receiving from the pirates"[1] that you realize it's not a pricing issue, it's an availability issue. It's a similar deal with Netflix, if we're browsing through movies we probably want to watch one right now, not wait a few hours to download one or go to a store to rent a disc. [0]: https://thesource.com/2022/03/14/snoop-dogg-removes-most-of-death-rows-catalogue-from-dsps/ https://thesource.com/2022/03/14/snoop-dogg-removes-most-of-... [1]: https://www.pcgamer.com/gabe-newell-on-piracy-and-steams-success-in-russia/ https://www.pcgamer.com/gabe-newell-on-piracy-and-steams-suc...
- skydhash 5y ago
  Another case is that in my country, there is no easy way to get anything - credit card not easily available and services just not available. People have been paying to get access to a Netflix account (about 5 USD per person). Most people can't download torrent, but they will go with the easier option anytime - right now is telegram groups.

FractalParadigm 5y ago

We can throw anecdotes around all day, but I personally know a good ~dozen or so people including myself who were huge into piracy before Netflix came along. Over the past few years, we've all gone "back to our roots" because paying for all the services today costs more than a full cable TV package did 10 years ago. It looks like I'm headed back that way for music too. I'm a huge fan of rap and Death Row recently removed some of their most popular releases for the sake of NFTs?[0] This isn't how you get customers to go buy your music, it's a great way to piss them off and get your music for free. It's becoming a seemingly regular thing, with artists like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removing their libraries where possible. You can even look at Steam with their relatively wild success in Russia; GabeN himself has said "It's by giving those people a service that's better than what they're receiving from the pirates"[1] that you realize it's not a pricing issue, it's an availability issue. It's a similar deal with Netflix, if we're browsing through movies we probably want to watch one right now, not wait a few hours to download one or go to a store to rent a disc. [0]: https://thesource.com/2022/03/14/snoop-dogg-removes-most-of-death-rows-catalogue-from-dsps/ https://thesource.com/2022/03/14/snoop-dogg-removes-most-of-... [1]: https://www.pcgamer.com/gabe-newell-on-piracy-and-steams-success-in-russia/ https://www.pcgamer.com/gabe-newell-on-piracy-and-steams-suc...

skydhash 5y ago
Another case is that in my country, there is no easy way to get anything - credit card not easily available and services just not available. People have been paying to get access to a Netflix account (about 5 USD per person). Most people can't download torrent, but they will go with the easier option anytime - right now is telegram groups.