How Netflix Is Fixing Hollywood

from the slowly-but-surely dept

Business 2.0 has apparently decided to rewrite a Wired article from last year that we posted, talking about how Netflix's recommendation engine was it's "secret weapon", against competition from Blockbuster and Walmart. This version also discusses the logistical nightmare of managing Netflix's ever-rotating inventory. However, the most interesting part (which I don't think gets enough attention) is the power that Netflix has in generating interest (and revenue!) in independent movies or movies that completely flopped at the box office. This is mainly due to the recommendation engine that hypes up movies that people have never heard of, giving many of them a second (if not first) life. This is the power of the internet that those in Hollywood still don't understand. In their simplistic top-down view of the world they only want to see big hits. Movies that they can sell across the board, based on a "lowest-common-denominator" formula. However, in the internet world the end users are empowered to find what they will really like, rather than blandly accepting what's handed to them. This changing world is likely to have an even bigger impact on Hollywood than the dreaded "digital distribution" they all seem to fear.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  1. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Jun 2003 @ 9:05am

    But they aren't free

    I'd be more enthused if netflix didn't demand a credit card number just for their free trial.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Jun 2003 @ 9:47am

    Could your tone be any more obnoxious?

    Oh, Business 2.0 decided to re-write an article that Wired wrote last year? What, pray tell, in your background gives you the right to criticize the editorial decisions of a pretty damn good magazine? I'm curious to know. What is readily apparent is that Business 2.0, both the magazine and the website, has attracted a lot more attention and garnered more respect than this site! So perhaps there may be a bit of jealousy in your analysis?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. icon
    Mike (profile), 24 Jun 2003 @ 10:37am

    Re: Could your tone be any more obnoxious?

    Um. I actually thought it was a pretty good article. However, the focus is exactly the same as the Wired article from last year. There was no negative connotation in my comment, and I'm sorry if you read it that way.

    Go ahead and read the two articles and tell me they're not similar.

    link to this | view in thread ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.