As you’ve no doubt heard, Netflix has decided to separate the business where it physically mails people DVDs from the business that streams content on the Internet and will still be relevant in, oh, five years. Now, instead of paying ten bucks a month for both, you have to pay $16 a month for both. Or you could pick one or the other for eight bucks. Oh, by the way, both of the eight buck plans are unlimited.
Yeah, Netflix could have handled it better: they announced it in a blog post instead of making a big clear deal out of it, and it is a 60% increase. On the other hand, Netflix’s own customers could have handled it a lot better: you’d think Netflix was demanding DNA samples and firstborns instead of an extra six bucks a month. Tech blogs have been acting like Netflix is doomed, although some are actually bothering to lay out what’s going on.
Price increases were inevitable. Netflix managed to get real deals on their content: Disney and Sony, for example, signed away the entire Starz network for $30 million a year; now they want $300 million. And Netflix actually increased their prices the fairest way possible: separating streaming and DVD so if you only wanted one, you’d pay the same price. And honestly, before anybody throws a fit, I want to see when the last time they actually watched a DVD from Netflix was.
No, the real jerks here are the customers. You’d think this was a new Facebook layout or something, the way people are freaking out over six bucks. When one CNET writer pointed out to his coworker that Netflix had to pay more for content, she said “So what? That’s their problem!”
So basically, they should pay through the nose for movies that you want to watch an unlimited amount, and you shouldn’t have to pay more for it. Wow. That’s gratitude right there.
(Photoshop via Boing Boing)
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Thank goodness for voices of reason in the world. $16 bucks a month is not going to make your open wallet comically release a fly. Buying a Blu-ray is $30 for crying out loud. It’s still a far better deal than Cable TV.
SO WHAT THATS THEIR PROBLEM GIVE ME FREE MOVIES NOM NOM NOM
Strip it all down, and here’s how I see it: A company wants you to pay 60% more for a service you’re already getting, gives no real reasons, and calls it a fucking deal. People complain and you’re surprised? You can’t jack the price up 60%, call it your “lowest prices ever” and expect people to not shit bricks over it. It may have been necessary but Netflix handled this terribly and whoever thought this was the way to do it should be fired. There’s no promise of improving their streamed content (which is 75% crappy 80’s movies) or any other added features, so why wouldn’t people get mad? Sure, people who read tech blogs know the studios are the real culprits, but this is America- uninformed is kind of our thing. That, and not wanting to pay money for anything, ever. Really, what percentage of Netflix users are actually aware of how much shit it takes to stream movies? People are stupid, and thinking otherwise or expecting them to be informed is absolutely retarded. Netflix should have seen this coming and increased the price slowly over time. They should have made an effort to lay blame on the studios. They should have promised improvements and streaming library expansion. Basically, they should have promised SOMETHING to justify the price increase- they didn’t. They announce they want more money and leave it up to the customers to find out the real reasons why. Genius business plan right there.
You ask me, the real whiners are the people whining about the whining Netflix users. When you raise prices (especially this much), whining is inevitable. Whining about that is ridiculous.