Warner Bros. So Thrilled With Netflix 28-Day Delays, It Wants To Have Longer Delays
from the driving-fans-to-piracy dept
Hollywood continues to seek new and ever-more creative ways to shoot itself in the foot and drive movie fans to unauthorized copies of movies. Earlier this year, Warner Bros. studios was successful in pressuring Netflix and Redbox to delay rental releases by 28-days, with the hope that people who couldn't rent the movie would buy it. Warner Bros. has been claiming this strategy succeeded and that they've sold more DVDs because of it. I would doubt that it's the delay that's increasing sales, and it seems like a pretty short-sighted strategy to look to increase sales of a format like DVD right now. Either way, Warner Bros. is now claiming it may try to increase the window over 28-days. It's as if they want to drive more people to get the movie from unauthorized providers. Making it more difficult to let people watch movies the way they want to isn't a solution that will work long-term.
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Filed Under: delays, movies, rentals, windows
Companies: netflix, redbox, warner bros.
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Streaming, FTW.
If they choose to delay the availability of new releases by 28 more days in exchange for greater streaming access to Warner's catalog, I'm all for it.
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Re: Streaming, FTW.
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Re: Streaming, FTW.
so make it two months, go ahead!! just give us more of the old catalogue.
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Re: Re: Streaming, FTW.
but, there is alot of money to be made in impatience. and the studios know it.
eventually you will be able to see avatar for free. it will be on ABC on sunday, or what have you. But you will have to wait. and a lot of people didn't they wanted to see it now. then when it came out on dvd, they had to own it now.
me? i waited. i have impatient friends, they bought it, and i watched it at their place.
so be patient. they are making money on your impatience. a 28 day wait for a netflix movie? seriously? you think you'll be able to get iron man 2 in the mail the day it was out? they only have so many, chances are you were going to wait a month anyway.
but if that 28 days buys me countless movies from the 80's and 90's, or even newer ones, then bring it on. i can wait. i'd rather have the streaming library increase.
make a release window. it is fine. i'll still wait. i have 300 entries in my netflix streaming que, most of which are series. i can watch stuff for a long time before i'll miss iron man.
now... mike may say they could make MORE money by not playing on my impatience but giving us what we want... and that is probably valid as well. but in this case? give me the streaming library.
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Re: Streaming, FTW.
One word: DVDRip :)
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Why Windows Don't Work For Me
If I'm looking for something to watch, I'm going to use my delivery method of choice to find something. I'm not looking for a specific movie per se. I'm looking for something to fill time - almost anything will do. I have no intention of buying this movie and wouldn't "rent" a movie I want to buy. I'm not going to Blockbuster or even RedBox because that requires me to actually get up out of my chair and spend energy on travel.
So I'm going to stream. But because I don't care about the latest releases (again... just passing time here), I don't care how long the window is. If a movie isn't available on Netflix Streaming (or even as a DVD for that matter) I won't know the difference - or care. Plus, the "window" just changes the "release date" for people like me. Its no different than WB pushing back the actual sale back 30 days or whatever. The release date is relative and since movies are always getting released, I don't care that one title was delayed 28 days but available for stream vs some other movie thats in retail stores but not streamable. It will eventually so why should I care?
The issue the movie companies are facing is indifference to the effort needed to see a movie. Who wants to go to Target or Best Buy, pay $30 plus for a movie, stand in a long line, greeted by unskilled "employees" where I'm usually treated poorly, and have to walk or take the subway home to enjoy what I just spent an hour or more buying something I'm only going to watch twice if that.
I suppose this long rant was to say that instant gratification is what people want. If they can't give them that or delay titles, that's fine. They'll find alternatives to the content they want with legal streaming or the actual content they want through less than legal means.
If they want to use windows, fine. It won't change the way people are consuming content in their homes at all.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Why Windows Don't Work For Me
I like Linux, but until the Linux crowd stops shooting it'se self in the foot by treating new users like they have no business in their sandbox, Linux has absolutely no chance.
Just try to find out how to fix or change something in Linux, and if you find your answer in under 50 clicks I's be totally shocked.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Why Windows Don't Work For Me
You should be able to wipe windows, partition and install Linux, as well as any needed apps, update all, being ready to go, with no issues to fix, in less than 50 clicks.
Use the LiveCD first. If it works, install.
I just put it on a Dell Lattitude(?) last night. Took an hour and a half to do above (I wasn't impressed with the 830MB of updates. Get the newest release to avoid this and save time.).
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Re: Why Windows Don't Work For Me
So true, as for me I bought one single DVD set in my entire life, no kiding: Star Wars Original Trilogy Collection, the one with the golden box. Everything else I can just wait until it comes out for rent(I have a HUGE list of backed up series to keep me entertained until). If I absolutly can't wait I resort to "more unorthodox channels" ;)
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Re: Re: Why Windows Don't Work For Me
I have a Netflix subscription with a Boxee laptop (my box will arrive next week).
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Stupid
After her company shut down, we got Netflix, and I haven't pirated a single movie since. Every single hassle was completely mitigated by the streaming service. Even for $13/month, it's totally worth it.
I rarely use the discs, so the new releases aren't usually my thing anyway, but if the mood strikes, and I have the choice between waiting another 3 months or pirating a perfect DVD rip from somebody who didn't wait, well, I've done both, and I know which I would choose.
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I'm still watching Netflix and not buying nor renting DVDs so screw you Warner Bros.
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Makes no diff..
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Re: Makes no diff..
There are already stories of studios blocking access to Google TV. They aren't that stupid. They know Google TV is a threat, they will try their hardest to avoid that threat. Make no mistake about that, soon Google TV will be deemed a national security issue or something and made illegal.
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I'm getting this weird sense of deja-vu...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebTV
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Delay?
The funny thing is I know someone that has terabytes of downloaded content, and they do it just to do it. They told me that 90% of what they have, they have never even seen. Kind of silly IMHO.
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Re: Delay?
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WHEN WILL PEOPLE LEARN?
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They need to change their business model
However, upon going through what I have, first, all my music is illegaly downloaded apart from a couple of OST's that came with a game and an Aerosmith album.
But its the movies and games that are going to be though provoking here. Lemme check my hard drive...my video files folder is 507 GB while my Games folder is 739 GB. In both folders are illegaly downloaded files as well as backups of media I actually have bought. In fact, there's quite a collection in my room I haven't backed up yet - things like Stargate SG1 and Smallville, both entire series (If I was to a full 1:1 disc dump of those two alone, I estimate it would be larger than 500 GB).
Now, what does this have to do with this article? Simple, when I want digital media, often the foremost thought in my mind is convenience. Would it be easier to download or to buy? In fact, just today, that was what I weighed when I bought Darksiders for PC (I bought it originally for PS3, but gave up Sony for good once they took out Linux, a feature on a piece of hardware I owned - so Sony will not see any of my money ever again). I could have downloaded the game. My preferred method is cyberlockers. But, the hassle of finding links and hoping that the one collection of links I'm downloading from doesn't get blocked, plus my slow speed (2 Megabit connection), meant I was looking at potentially days of downloading all 13 GB.
Now, however, that is a rare event for me. Most of the time, the convenience of downloading is greater than the convenience of going to the store and buying the disc. If I had Netflix, there would be no convenience to get the movie disc legally. I would then decide to download. I see Warner Bros. actively trying to shut down a legal business model - the rental of movies. You don't sell your product by limiting access to it as much as possible.
Another thing that has to be fixed is pricing. Just today, in Ireland, I walked into HMV (a DVD/games/music chain). I spotted Ghost in the Shell. Specifically, it was the Stand Alone Complex movies (the first two were compressed versions of the two season anime, while the third was an actual movie sequel). I love Ghost in the Shell. However, the price was 55 euro (that's about 77 dollars at current market rates). For a three movie boxset that don't sell that well in Ireland, since anime isn't as popular here. The discs were there. It would have saved me hours of searching on the web, and downloading, but the price was just too high. That, and I heard the English dub for these movies used a different cast than the one in the actual show, which I actually liked (but that's beside the point).
To summarise: What Warner Bros. have to figure out, in order to encourage me to buy, is how to balance the two conveniences of downloading versus purchasing. You do not do that if I cannot get at your product legally. And as I said, the pricing. It's far too high in areas where it shouldn't be.
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Re: They need to change their business model
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Back on topic, carry on.
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10TB and growing, but I have an 18Mb connex
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Re: They need to change their business model
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Re: They need to change their business model
My movie and TV collection is all AVI files, burned to data DVDs. By my estimates, based on the number of disks that I have, I'd say that I have around 6TB of stuff. I don't have Stargate SG-1 though. It's not the size/number of episodes that prevent me from getting it, it's trying to track down good copies of all the seasons from reliable sources. I hate when the filenames just list the title and episode number. What group is it by? Is it a DVDRip? Etc.
I don't have that many games though. My system is older and can't play the more recent stuff and a lot of the older stuff doesn't appeal to me for one reason or another (no in level saving, fixed camera angles, etc).
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Do Netflix have some indirect resposibility for this?
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Gives me time to forget the ads
On a different thread, I wonder how much Blockbuster pays Times-Warner for skipping the delay. I also wonder how long a withering Blockbuster will be around to pay a premium for same-day releases.
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Re: Gives me time to forget the ads
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Re: Re: Gives me time to forget the ads
MGM I think just filled that.
http://www.hd-report.com/2010/11/03/mgm-files-for-bankruptcy-protection/
How the grossed 2 billion dollars in 2009, a record in history.
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Re: Gives me time to forget the ads
I believe its a profit sharing agreement.
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That is ok though, I don't buy movies and it has been a decade now.
DRM, ridiculous prices and the general attitude of those companies really put me off.
I used to get angry about those things, not anymore I realized I was angry because I thought they were taking away my fun, when was I being stubborn and not letting it go, I found alternatives to have fun and other places to find interesting stories, contrary to popular belief there are other ways to get entertained without being in front of a box.
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Re:
They weren't zombies, they were infected humans! ;)
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Warner Bros. Pictures grossed 2 billion dollars in 2009 a record in history, no other studio made that much ever.
It is true they filed for chapter 11?
If so Hollywood accounting is doing wonders.
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Warner Bros. Cable double standart
Warner Bros. sued Greenlight(Muni fiber) to get data from its operations, but the funny part is that the same cable companies don't like to give that information away.
"Wilson now not only has to give up private network information (something Time Warner Cable traditionally fights against at every level), but has to pay Time Warner Cable's legal fees. Time Warner Cable meanwhile is among the slowest U.S. cable providers when it comes to DOCSIS 3.0 upgrades -- preferring apparently to put that money into turf protection, campaign contributions and lawyers."
So I don't think they will stop shooting themselves in the foot anytime soon.
They are fueling a sentiment that when it spills it will be uggly, I doubt they will be prepared to what is coming to them.
When people turn their backs on companies it won't be pretty.
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Ok - lets make it much larger ... say forever.
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Subject
Yes, that'll make Warner Brothers a lot of money. *shrug*
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Fcuking Microsoft Greed
Until I see that I have to buy a Gold Membership on Xbox Live in order to access Netflix. It's free to get Netflix on the PS3 and Wii, so it's pretty obvious I won't be using my Xbox, which, incidentally, was always my first choice.
Everybody wants their kilo of flesh from the consumer, don't they?
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From Yahoo New's article on the subject
At least they aren't even trying to hide it anymore.
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Isn't this illegal?
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Warners has always been nuts.
That program ended also after a few months. But they keep trying. Any bets when some smart suit will come up with the idea of shortening the window as a way to increase profits?
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Casting My vote
I don't buy DVDs, and delays for new releases won't change that. All it does is prevent WB from getting any revenue from Netflix for streaming those movies while the DVDs collect dust on store shelves.
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Yawn...
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Shows how idiotic these companies are and how they could NOT care less about consumers but simply to screw them so the company can make more money on top of their already making millions CEO
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Obvious conclusion
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Why Am I Not Surprised?
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