quote: New release titles on DVD and Blu-ray will be made available to Netflix members after a 28-day window, giving Warner Bros. the opportunity to maximize the sales potential of those titles and Netflix the benefits of reduced product costs and significantly more units and better in-stock levels four weeks after street date. At the same time, a renewed and expanded license for Warner Bros. streaming content will allow Netflix to offer its members more movies they can watch instantly.
Not a good idea in my opinion. I really don't think this will encourage people to go out and buy the movie. If anything I really think this will encourage people to download them. If Redbox and Blockbuster follow suit, I see more people turning to Pirate Bay and such sites for movies.
Most people I know don't buy movies they haven't seen already anyways. If its that great of a movie, people will buy it after renting it or seeing it in the theater.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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And I agree with you. This is the wrong decision. With the incredible ease of finding a movie torrent online, and the cost of purchasing a DVD versus getting it through Netflix or RedBox, I think many are going to opt for the cheap and easy route. I think Warner Bros. is going to just have to face it: people are not going to buy movies like they use to. If you've tasted the ease and access of Netflix, it's very difficult to go back.
Posts: 1711 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
Legally, anyone with a business can go out and buy movies to rent them. I remember the Weinstein film company making an exclusive deal wih Blockbuster, but they really couldn't stop Netflix from renting the same movies.
Maybe this could be time for independent rental places to make a come back. I know if I owned a small grocery store I would very much consider renting new release movies Netflix, Redbox, and Blockbuster weren't.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I've worked at an independent movie store. The owner would buy his movies from Walmart and rent them out (I think he had a license or permit, never really asked).
He's still in business, but barely. I think he's offering more of a community service (archiving and maintaining cinematic history) rather than a successful business.
Posts: 1711 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
*shrug* It won't make much difference to me. I rarely Netflix DVDs the instant they become available anyway.
But for those who usually do, I suspect this will tick them off enough to bypass Netflix entirely (as was already mentioned). So yeah, dumb move.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
<shrug> I've been kind on nonplussed by how quickly movies move from theaters to DVD of late anyway. In my town, they're frequently still in the second run theaters when they do so. If I didn't feel I had to see it in a theater, I'm not going to be in such a rush to see it on TV that I'm going to have to buy it 28 days after release. And if I did see it in a theater, rare is the movie that I would be that desperate to see again so soon.
Posts: 3826 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: Bah! I wish I could hear the arguments for why this is a good idea.
Netflix will get Warner's movies at a discount and get access to more Warner content for their streaming services.
Posts: 212 | Registered: Nov 2006
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posted
I think he meant "why this is a good idea for Warner"--as mentioned, it is as likely to drive people to pirate films instead of Netflix them as to buy them instead of Netflix them.
Posts: 368 | Registered: Dec 2005
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