Netflix might delay new release shipping by 1 month

[Josh]

First, let me say that if this story holds true, I WILL cancel my subscription. I don't buy DVD's anymore, and I own almost 900 of them. I buy blu-rays for movies that are worth owning in the format and most new movies will be purchased in a downloadable format.

Oh yeah....2000 POSTS!!!

Hollywood studios are sick of you renting their DVDs and want you to start buying them again. The way to trick you into this, they figure, is to withhold the discs from rental companies for a month, forcing you to get all antsy and run out and buy them.

What's frightening for customers is Netflix is willing to go along with this thick-headed plan, PaidContent reports, as long as the company gets its DVDs for half off.

If the deal goes through it will no doubt hurt both parties. Trashing the value of its service, Netflix will lose subscribers, and the studios won't see the sales bump they're hoping for since a chunk of otherwise honest would-be renters will either opt for piracy or just sit out the 30 days to rent the movies.

Netflix customers, will you be more likely to buy a DVD or Blu-ray if you're not allowed to rent it until a month after it's released? Will you stick with Netflix even if it stops offering new releases in a timely manner?

Source

[Shades]

Here in Paraguay it happens that I can rent a movie sooner than it is shown in the theater. Theater releases 6 months after the US release is quite normal over here.

Those studios should really pay more attention to proper release schedules (outside the US, I mean). A theater ticket costs here 3,5 bucks, the refreshments (2x750cc Cokes and a big bag of popcorn) cost about the same. 10 Dollars for two, that is not a deal breaker. Now renting a movie for two days sets you back 1,8 dollars, renting for one day is 1,1 dollar. There are rental plans you can buy into, dropping the price even more.

My main complaint here is crappy release schedules and US prices for legal media. In general people make here about ¼ of US minimum wage here, so you can imagine why rely on rental plans with no intent of buying. A 30 day wait period? Where can we sign up for that?

Josh, you really should come and live here for a while to learn a thing or two about patience. I honestly think that 'mañana' (phonetically: man-jana) is the most used word in these parts of the world. Ah well, as long as the beer is cold, the girls are minimally dressed and the meat is on the grill...you will learn patience and to appreciate what raggeaton does to earlier mention girls

Ok, back to the story before my mind is too much sidetracked. Prices are very reasonable for services rendered. Granted, it is not on the same level as Netflix, but it is something I can certainly live with. Besides that, the general consensus of the people responding to the article is actually quite similar to mine.

[housetier]

Wasn't capitalism or at least a market all about "consumer choice"? Now that there is no choice, do they really wonder where the consumers went?

By taking away your choice to rent a movie now they are essentially telling you to take your business somewhere else. I don't like arguments so much so I would follow their hint and cancel any subscriptions, plans, and anything that makes you give them dollars.

[40hz]

Oh yeah....2000 POSTS!!!

-Josh (November 12, 2009, 05:11 PM)

Yay Josh! Looking forward to your next 2000.

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I suspect part of it has to do with helping out Blockbuster if the release delay wouldn't apply to out-of-store rentals as some reports have claimed.

Not that I'm a fan of Blockbuster, or pretty much anybody else in the entertainment industry (although I am a mainly contented NetFlix subscriber) - but I can understand why the studios might want to take a little wind out of the 'new-age' rental provider's sails. Otherwise, there's a very good risk of creating a new monster if things continue the way they're going for NetFlix.

Look at Amazon. They went from being a well respected book merchant to something of a pariah for book publishers in the last few years. Ditto for Walmart and all the other "big presence" retailers out there.

Although the movies industry is fighting what will most likely be a losing battle to maintain absolute control over pricing, release schedules, and rights management, there's nothing to stop them from trying. I'm guessing this is just another skirmish in the much bigger war.

From a personal perspective, I'm not all that put out by a one month release delay for NetFlix. I may not be too big on meat on the grill, or cold beer (being an ale drinker myself), but I do find myself in agreement with Shades' attitude regarding mañana and patience as being a virtue. (The presence of  minimally dressed females and the effects of raggeaton on same merits some consideration as well!  )

I dunno. Guess I'm just getting old.

[Josh]

My issue isn't so much about the delay, I could care less as I can always buy the movie in good quality over my PS3. My issue is that netflix is entertaining the idea. Consumers use their service when they cannot afford to buy the new movies or they don't watch them enough. Lets face it, it is far more economically sound to rent movies for 18 bucks a month than shelling 18-25 bucks on a single disc. I already buy the movies I feel justify being bought (even after my first viewing). Often times I even opt for the disc set that has a bonus disc costing me $5 more, or in the case of disney the 3 disc set which gives me a digital copy, a dvd copy, and a blu-ray copy.

My issue is that this just appears to be a way for the movie studios to attempt to grab every last dollar out of the customers that make them what they are rather than letting those who are better off renting as opposed to owning.

And yes, my original post made it sound like I don't have patience and typically I don't when it comes to my job I hate waiting on others so that I can do my job, but for this type of stuff I have no problem waiting. It's the principle I disagree with here.

[40hz]

My issue is that this just appears to be a way for the movie studios to attempt to grab every last dollar out of the customers that make them what they are

-Josh (November 13, 2009, 05:21 AM)

I think you've hit the nail on the head with that point.

And yes, my original post made it sound like I don't have patience and typically I don't when it comes to my job, but for this type of stuff I have no problem waiting. It's the principle I disagree with here.

-Josh (November 13, 2009, 05:21 AM)

Actually you didn't sound all that impatient to me. I was just agreeing in a general way with what Shades was saying. Sorry if my post came across as being directed at you. That was not my intent.

[scancode]

From a personal perspective, I'm not all that put out by a one month release delay for NetFlix. I may not be too big on meat on the grill, or cold beer (being an ale drinker myself), but I do find myself in agreement with Shades' attitude regarding mañana and patience as being a virtue. (The presence of  minimally dressed females and the effects of raggeaton on same merits some consideration as well!  )

-40hz (November 12, 2009, 11:50 PM)

I should give you dcredits just for that comment alone.

[wraith808]

Well, I don't doubt it- I don't know if anyone on here knows this, but they *do* restrict your viewing based on how efficiently you use them, i.e. I primarily use the online viewing, and have had the same DVD for 3 months+.  If I tried to rent UP, for instance, and you'd been renting 4 DVDs a month on a 1 DVD out at a time subscription, I'd get prioritized for the UP rental, even if I added it to my queue after you.

[Kamel]

Honestly, all they are doing is giving people darn good reasons to start pirating movies. Netflix actually got many people to stop pirating, and that in itself probably helped the MPAA more than anything.

All they are doing is shooting themselves in the foot, and they wonder why people don't respect them

[mouser]

i think kamel hit it on the head.. the faster videos get to netflix, the less piracy -- most (or enough) people are willing to pay to watch the movies if they can do so easily; if the movie companies tried to delay the time between availability for purchase and availability to rent too much, i suspect piracy rates will jump up accordingly.

[40hz]

If the studios had an ounce of brains in their heads they'd release on all channels simultaneously.

There's no real reason why the DVD and rentals can't be available on the same day the film comes out in theaters. Major music groups don't even think of touring until they have their new CD available for sale at the concert itself.

The argument gets made that the studios are trying to protect the theaters. But that's mostly a crock.

People who go to see a film (in a theater) are looking for a totally different experience than the people who merely want to watch a flick at home.* The smarter thing to do would be to upgrade said theater experience: more comfortable seating, nicer screens, cleaner theaters - and a zero tolerance policy towards any idiots who misbehave during a film. Make it more like an event - and charge a premium for the experience. Gain extra points if you also make the movie available on DVD at the theater where it is showing. Why let the people out of your theater without first giving theme a chance to buy their own copy while they're still pumped and talking about what they just saw?

For an industry that complains as much as they do about getting ripped off, the movie people sure seem to feel a need to do everything possible to keep people from giving them their money. It's absolutely insane!

If somebody comes into a store with cash in hand to buy a product, does that store immediately lay down a bunch of conditions before they'll accept it? No, they don't. Nobody in their right mind would do that. And no self respecting customer would put up with it either.

So what does that tell the movie industry about their business model and their customers?

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*Note: DVDs don't keep people out of theaters. But they might have the potential to lure some people in if they were released early enough.

Although the average 'home viewer' doesn't go to theaters, the DVD could have the benefit of convincing some of them to go see the movie on a big screen. The problem with releasing a DVD so late is that by the time somebody gets it and decides they want to go see the film, it's already been out of the theaters for six months.

How many times have you watched something on DVD only to wish you could have seen it on the big screen afterwards?

[JavaJones]

"How many times have you watched something on DVD only to wish you could have seen it on the big screen afterwards?"

That is a *really* interesting point, but I do wonder whether the number of people who would want to see it a second time in theaters, especially for a premium as you described, are really the vast minority. I think they might well be. Though I know I might be one of those people.

- Oshyan