You might have to wait 30 days to see NEW movies on Netflix.

[LuvOrlando]

I think the movie business is misplacing the blame for slumping sales. Everything's sales are down because people do not have money. Further, sometimes I will purchase a movie if it is a good film. I haven't bought anything in a while because the quality just isn't there, why would I re-watch garbage? Making it hard for me to get the movie as a preview won't alter my behavior at all. If I couldn't be bothered with plunking down $40 to see it in the theater why on earth would waiting another 30 days change me?

The wait will have zero effect on me other than putting more distance between me and their advertising. Chances are the wait would only make me forget all about it, unless they plan on 3 media blitzs: one while in theaters, one for DVD sales and one for rentals. I tend to think they are shooting themselves in the foot to be honest.

BTW, I love movies and watch about 20 a month, sometimes new, sometimes old but only if its rated 3 stars or better.... unless it's a cult favorite like X-men etc. or if I really like the actor, like Robert Downy Jr. Oddly I am beginning to think the critics only favor alternative lifestyles in film lately, regardless of talent, so even the ratings are beginning to become diluted in their effect upon my behavior.... the whole industry is a gigantic propaganda caricature. I don't mind the message if the quality is there but if its a gigantic infomercial my eyes just roll.

Unless the talent pool shores up I think reading will make a big come-back. Netflix and Red box aren't the enemy, big money for little talent is.

 

[bicker]

I don't think it is fair to blame talent. AFAIC, entertainment is as good as it has ever been, and there is a lot more of the not-as-good stuff as there have ever been. Overall, that means there is a smaller percentage of the "good stuff", but people don't watch a percentage of what's offered -- they watch a certain number of hours.

Personally, I don't see the value in buying stuff as much as I did in the past. That's not because what there is to buy isn't as good as what used to be available to buy, but rather because I've come to the realization that owning a durable license to watch something isn't worth as much as I once believed it did. Indeed, because of the availability of transitory license to view things (i.e., being able to catch it as a rebroadcast, or via a re-release, or renting an old movie on disc via Netflix, whenever I want), the value of a durable license is a fraction of what it once was. I remember giving VHS tapes of Star Trek as a gift, many years ago. Now, I see that that with Netflix, you can watch any episode you want, whenever you want -- or just put it in your queue and enjoy the episodes like you never were able to before, remastered into HD via Blu-Ray discs.

I don't understand why you think they're shooting themselves in the foot.

The video distributors don't need a third media blitz. Rentals promote themselves, just by being on the shelves, and/or coming up via the various online services' recommendations. I know that I typically put movies into my Netflix queue when the movie comes out into theaters, as a sort of reminder for when the finally make it to rental.

 

[LuvOrlando]

If you think the quality is as good as it's ever been I won't argue, that is an opinion and you are as entitled to yours as I am mine.


Shooting oneself in the foot means self injury based upon a rash decision. What I mean by that is that the industry is looking to stop the hemorrhaging of money out of the industry and instead of thinking through the underlying causes they are looking for a quick fix. This particular quick fix will probably cause self inflicted harm because they will no longer be able to tap 2 markets at once (rental market and buyer market) with the same advertising dollars. If they put in this lag they will then have to re-engage the rental market 30 days after they engage the buyers market. Basically they will create 3 separate openings. Since they do not have the $ to court the final rental market, rentals will drop, and so will the final viewership count and the fan base will shrink. It's just my opinion, but I tend to think it's reasonable.

 

[bicker]

What I mean by that is that the industry is looking to stop the hemorrhaging of money out of the industry and instead of thinking through the underlying causes they are looking for a quick fix.

There is not much about this move that smells like a "quick fix". They've been talking about it for years, and have been studying research on it for almost as long. And most importantly, there is no indication that there is any down-side... that mostly what I'm curious about with regard to your perspective: What's the downside? Where is the evidence or indications that the downside is significant?

This particular quick fix will probably cause self inflicted harm because they will no longer be able to tap 2 markets at once (rental market and buyer market) with the same advertising dollars.

Interesting perspective, but do you really think they haven't thought of that? that they didn't review the costs and benefits? that they didn't determine that this new approach represented an advantage regardless? It doesn't seem likely to me that they wouldn't have factored all of that in and their decisions along these lines very clearly indicates that their conclusion, based on all their consideration and research, is that this is still a good move for them.

I question just how much the video distributor directly benefits from the marketing they do for the rental market, these days. In many ways, they're essentially just marketing for the benefit of the rental service providers, and it does make sense to me that it would be better for the distributors to make the rental service providers pay for their own marketing, especially given just how much of the rental market is now driven by queues, recommendations and by whatever happens to be available in the local kiosk. In a way, I think we can blame Netflix, Blockbuster Online, Red Box, etc., for segregating the rental market from the retail market more strikingly than ever before.

Since they do not have the $ to court the final rental market, rentals will drop, and so will the final viewership count and the fan base will shrink. It's just my opinion, but I tend to think it's reasonable.

In order for that to fit together, though, it would have to be reflective of a general decrease in the interest of viewers to view content, above and beyond the decrease attributable to other factors (such as the ascendancy of the Internet, video game systems, etc.) (or, as I alluded to above, a migration of interest from disc to commercial television -- and even in that case that migration may actually better serve the interests of the distributors).

The only losers I see in this scenario are the rental service providers. No question that that lose out, but it isn't their decision, and the fact that rental service providers are adversely affected it isn't the distributors' problem. That's part of the issue, perhaps: While there has been a lot of vertical integration in the industry (producers also being distributors), that hasn't extended into the rental side of things. Blockbuster has, at times, been talked-about as a potential suitor for distributors when they've come up for sale, but at this point, it seems extremely unlikely that that is really going to come to pass, ever.

 

[N.Bailey]

If it allows me to stream the movies faster, not only will I not mind waiting, I would jump at the chance to wait. I really don't like waiting on the hard discs anyway. As a matter of fact, I have 4 movies at my house right now and I've had them since Oct. 3rd or 4th (and still haven't watched them). I am always watching stuff on instant watch though.

If it's a movie that I really want to see at release, our local Bookstore rents them for $1.00 per day and they aren't affiliated with Red Box at all, so I'd imagine that will always be an option for us. Not many movies fit the must see immediately list though. If they're that good, chances are, we'd have likely went to the theater and saw them on the big screen (though our home theater is pretty nice too so the draw at the theater isn't what it used to be).

 

[N.Bailey]

I don't often see the new releases right away, but lately I have been trying too. Though, now that I just hooked my XBOX 360 up for Netflix streaming to my TV, I have started watching more older movies, and more TV shows.

Don't miss:
Lost
Dexter
Jericho
Weeds
The Office
Heroes

EDIT: Oh and if you love horror/thriller movies and haven't done so, try one of the foreign films sometime. The Orphanage is a really good one to start with, or Them (or even, The Eye - not with Jessica Alba). You'll probably find reading isn't half as bad as one anticipates it to be.