Netflix's Movie Catalogue Is About to Get a *Lot* Smaller

Obbi

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May 7, 2008
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Didn't like any of those movies personally, but I'm not happy to see them go.

Hulu probably is, though.
 

JaredJones

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SlumlordThanatos said:
The problem with this is that Hulu sucks. Blocking your views if you're running Adblock, and their Plus plan doesn't even get rid of the ads. I tried watching Stargate SG-1 on my sister's Hulu Plus account, but couldn't because of the stupid, unskippable ads that I assumed would be removed SINCE I'M PAYING FOR THE SERVICE. (To clarify: I was thinking of getting my own account, so I tried out my sister's for a while) Ads are there to make money off of free users, not to mooch more money off of people who are already paying for it.

The damn point to paying for a streaming service is so that you don't have to deal with ads. If Netflix is losing a huge chunk of their content to fund shows that I probably won't watch anyway, what's the point of paying for it?

Am I going to be made to start my own streaming service? With blackjack and hookers?
Preach on, my brotha. Preach on.
 

Darth Sea Bass

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I really think sites need to quantify which netflix they mean in articles, Or I need to take into account whether a site is US or UK based. I'm leaning towards the former.
 

Aesir23

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I really hope only US Netflix will be affected by this (I doubt it) since those of us outside the US don't actually have access to Hulu.

Since I'm in Canada we're still better off than places like the UK but depending on how much content might be removed it might just not be worth it to pay for the service anymore. There's few enough decent movies as it is.

However, I can see why Netflix would do it as well partially because of their new focus on original content along with the fact that, no matter how you spin it, $1 billion is a lot of money. Still disappointing but I can see why.

Hopefully in exchange they'll try and bring more BBC content to Canadian Netflix. Hey, I can dream!
 

frizzlebyte

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SlumlordThanatos said:
The problem with this is that Hulu sucks. Blocking your views if you're running Adblock, and their Plus plan doesn't even get rid of the ads. I tried watching Stargate SG-1 on my sister's Hulu Plus account, but couldn't because of the stupid, unskippable ads that I assumed would be removed SINCE I'M PAYING FOR THE SERVICE. (To clarify: I was thinking of getting my own account, so I tried out my sister's for a while) Ads are there to make money off of free users, not to mooch more money off of people who are already paying for it.

The damn point to paying for a streaming service is so that you don't have to deal with ads. If Netflix is losing a huge chunk of their content to fund shows that I probably won't watch anyway, what's the point of paying for it?

Am I going to be made to start my own streaming service? With blackjack and hookers?
It's not ideal that *all* the ads are unskippable by paying customers, but I don't necessarily see the problem with serving paying customers some form of advertising, since it's a revenue stream that (presumably) keeps the cost to customers down by subsidizing part of the cost of the service. If that business model allows a service like Hulu to pay more license fees to keep a larger content collection online, I think ads are pretty fair, and no different from what cable does, really, except that the cost is, ideally, less and the customer, again ideally, isn't beholden to a network's program director to decide what they want to watch and when.

Let me put it this way: if Netflix said they were going to make their customers watch advertisements in exchange for a catalog of titles that's not in flux as it is now, believe me, I'd be more than happy to put up with ads. There would, of course, be better and worse ways to implement such a thing, but I don't reflexively blanch at the idea of ads on a pay-to-stream service. It depends on whether and how the customer benefits from the arrangement.
 

Something Amyss

Aswyng and Amyss
Dec 3, 2008
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Casual Shinji said:
Isn't the digital era grand? I mean, what's the point anymore in having physical copies of our entertainment when we can just go online and hope some studio conflict hasn't gotten dozens of movies removed watch it?
You know, back in the 1990s, I had a teacher who made this shit sound so cool. He said once the infrastructure was common enough, we'd be seeing on demand TV programming, potentially even in real time. He gave all sorts of examples, and it sounded super cool. A pity then, that he forgot to mention the need to subscribe to several different services, hoping at least one would carry them. Or that "on demand" really meant the studio's whim. Or that there would be commercials on paid services.

JaredJones said:
You get that that joke was an Airplane! reference, right? As in the movie mentioned in the line the preceded it. I can't see anyone confusing that with something Hastings actually said, but in either case, duly noted. This is probably one of the most level-headed criticisms I have ever received. Cheers.
I loves me a good Zucker Brothers reference, but I don't think the bit where it's a Lloyd Bridges joke was the problem. They specifically reference attributing it to a third party, which does come off as unprofessional (even in the context of then saying the interview never happened).

SlumlordThanatos said:
The damn point to paying for a streaming service is so that you don't have to deal with ads. If Netflix is losing a huge chunk of their content to fund shows that I probably won't watch anyway, what's the point of paying for it?
The problem is, Netflix has been losing content since well before they decided to do original programming. I suspect that their change in focus has more to do with their options. They've bee losing business because you can get more money out of Hulu Plus users who both pay and watch ads than you can from Netflix subscribers. It seems like they think their only option is to provide something that can't be picked up on a competitor's service.

And it's just a damn shame they're so terrible at it.
 

Soviet Heavy

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Jan 22, 2010
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This will mildly inconvenience Americans, but it is absolutely going to gut Canada and other smaller Netflix providers.
 

FoolKiller

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Feb 8, 2008
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hahahahahah.....hahahhahha

And this is my first month of watching Netflix. If this is the case, they won't actually be getting to the paid portion from me.
 

Cowabungaa

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Feb 10, 2008
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It begs the question; is this a US-only deal or not? Because Epix is moving to Hulu apparently, and Hulu is US-only. That and a spokesman already said the movies will still be available in the UK. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/netflix/11836075/Netflix-to-lose-thousands-of-major-film-titles-by-dropping-Epix-catalogue.html] So what about the rest of us?

Maybe it's an idea to make this news article a little more complete.

Casual Shinji said:
Isn't the digital era grand? I mean, what's the point anymore in having physical copies of our entertainment when we can just go online and hope some studio conflict hasn't gotten dozens of movies removed watch it?
Thanks to this kind of news I too get more and more worried about the 'Data Dark Age' we seem to be getting into. More and more cultural products seem to become so very...throw-away. Yeah I don't like it, I don't like it one bit. I hope that, later in life, I can actually acquire a good physical collection. But with my tastes and passion for anything media, that'd be neigh-impossible to finance.

And I just finally, properly started watching the Rocky movies. I'd better get on with it then.
Charcharo said:
That moment when you have no idea what Netflix is... :p ...
...

How?! I mean sure not having it I get but, having no idea what it is?! In this day and age?! Man that boggles my mind.
 

Imperioratorex Caprae

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May 15, 2010
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frizzlebyte said:
It's not ideal that *all* the ads are unskippable by paying customers, but I don't necessarily see the problem with serving paying customers some form of advertising, since it's a revenue stream that (presumably) keeps the cost to customers down by subsidizing part of the cost of the service. If that business model allows a service like Hulu to pay more license fees to keep a larger content collection online, I think ads are pretty fair, and no different from what cable does, really, except that the cost is, ideally, less and the customer, again ideally, isn't beholden to a network's program director to decide what they want to watch and when.

Let me put it this way: if Netflix said they were going to make their customers watch advertisements in exchange for a catalog of titles that's not in flux as it is now, believe me, I'd be more than happy to put up with ads. There would, of course, be better and worse ways to implement such a thing, but I don't reflexively blanch at the idea of ads on a pay-to-stream service. It depends on whether and how the customer benefits from the arrangement.
I have to agree with this. Ads are annoying, true but in the case of Hulu they're fairly well timed, do not take up a lot of the time in-between viewing and are easy to ignore plus they do not break up movies. I haven't watched cable TV for a while until quite recently and found myself extremely annoyed at the sheer amount of time spent on ads alone. I do hope that Hulu realizes theirs is the best policy for a streaming service that is partially subsidized by ad revenue and does not increase the amount of ads and time spent watching said ads.
The only Cable network I ever found was at least sane with their ad breaks was Adult Swim as they tended to do 1/2 the show and an ad break then show the other half. Or in the case of an 11 minute show, the full show with no stop, then ads then another 11 minute show.
 

shintakie10

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SlumlordThanatos said:
The problem with this is that Hulu sucks. Blocking your views if you're running Adblock, and their Plus plan doesn't even get rid of the ads. I tried watching Stargate SG-1 on my sister's Hulu Plus account, but couldn't because of the stupid, unskippable ads that I assumed would be removed SINCE I'M PAYING FOR THE SERVICE. (To clarify: I was thinking of getting my own account, so I tried out my sister's for a while) Ads are there to make money off of free users, not to mooch more money off of people who are already paying for it.

The damn point to paying for a streaming service is so that you don't have to deal with ads. If Netflix is losing a huge chunk of their content to fund shows that I probably won't watch anyway, what's the point of paying for it?

Am I going to be made to start my own streaming service? With blackjack and hookers?
Two things that might interest you.

First off, for 5 bucks more a month you can buy the ad free Hulu Plus version. Its not totally ad free, as there are like...4 shows that have some sort of weird deal with networks that they have to run ads on, but other than that you're golden.

If that's not your cup of tea then Amazon Prime also has all the Epix movies on it, totally ad free. Its a tad cheaper overall too, and you get the awesomeness that is 2 day shipping for free.

On topic!

I really only use Netflix for their original programming anyway. When I want anime I use Crunchyroll or Hulu. When I want movies I use Amazon Prime. When I want current TV I use Hulu.
 

Lightspeaker

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Dec 31, 2011
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"We're confident you'll enjoy our ever-improving catalogue."

An ever-improving catalogue that is apparently getting dramatically smaller? Look...electronics are "improving" when they get smaller, because it means you can have flat screens and more convenient phones and clever stuff like the iWatch (even if nobody bought it its a pretty cool piece of kit). Satellites are "improving" when they're getting smaller because it means it becomes increasingly easy to launch them into orbit. Bills are "improving" when they're getting smaller because it means you save money.

But the catalogue of a consumer-based service for entertainment getting smaller does not count as "improving". Its actually the exact opposite of "improving". Its pretty much a definitive example of something getting worse.

In any case I don't have a Netflix account. I've got friends with subscriptions and the fact is we get godawful service here in the UK compared to across the pond so I've never seen a need for it. Its never seemed worth it to me. What I DO have is a Crunchyroll subscription and an anime backlog list roughly the length of the Bible.
 

Double A

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frizzlebyte said:
SlumlordThanatos said:
The problem with this is that Hulu sucks. Blocking your views if you're running Adblock, and their Plus plan doesn't even get rid of the ads. I tried watching Stargate SG-1 on my sister's Hulu Plus account, but couldn't because of the stupid, unskippable ads that I assumed would be removed SINCE I'M PAYING FOR THE SERVICE. (To clarify: I was thinking of getting my own account, so I tried out my sister's for a while) Ads are there to make money off of free users, not to mooch more money off of people who are already paying for it.

The damn point to paying for a streaming service is so that you don't have to deal with ads. If Netflix is losing a huge chunk of their content to fund shows that I probably won't watch anyway, what's the point of paying for it?

Am I going to be made to start my own streaming service? With blackjack and hookers?
It's not ideal that *all* the ads are unskippable by paying customers, but I don't necessarily see the problem with serving paying customers some form of advertising, since it's a revenue stream that (presumably) keeps the cost to customers down by subsidizing part of the cost of the service. If that business model allows a service like Hulu to pay more license fees to keep a larger content collection online, I think ads are pretty fair, and no different from what cable does, really, except that the cost is, ideally, less and the customer, again ideally, isn't beholden to a network's program director to decide what they want to watch and when.

Let me put it this way: if Netflix said they were going to make their customers watch advertisements in exchange for a catalog of titles that's not in flux as it is now, believe me, I'd be more than happy to put up with ads. There would, of course, be better and worse ways to implement such a thing, but I don't reflexively blanch at the idea of ads on a pay-to-stream service. It depends on whether and how the customer benefits from the arrangement.
What if I use Netflix over Hulu because I really, really hate ads? Honestly I would probably prefer Hulu's selection, but I get visibly pissed when I have to wait even 3 seconds to watch what I actually want to watch.
 

Xman490

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May 29, 2010
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That reminds me: I got a free month of Netflix to try out and NOT RENEW.
That in turn reminds me: I have laundry to fold and no streaming service to help pass time with.
That in turn in turn reminds me: I don't have time to keep at this, because it's late and I have work in the morning.
 

frizzlebyte

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Oct 20, 2008
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Double A said:
frizzlebyte said:
SlumlordThanatos said:
snip
What if I use Netflix over Hulu because I really, really hate ads? Honestly I would probably prefer Hulu's selection, but I get visibly pissed when I have to wait even 3 seconds to watch what I actually want to watch.
Would you be willing to pay an extra $3-5 to go ad-free? I suppose I might be, which is why I'm asking.
 

thewatergamer

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Hulu does have ads but from what I've heard they aren't as bad as many say and they have alot more shows/movies than netflix does...especially now evidently (I'm just going to ignore the fact that Hulu is US only and I'm Canadian), alot of the stuff thats going doesn't affect me too much but I am completely against it because one, it sucks for anyone it does majorly affect, and two, the whole idea that netflix is just going to start gutting it's libary because they want to make more "original content" is not something I want to encourage...
 

Baresark

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If you were to pay the monthly fee for subscribing to all major streaming services, it's still significantly cheaper than cable. An amazon prime membership, a hulu plus membership, and a netflix account will run you less than $30 a month. No cable company can compete with that.
 

byte4554_v1legacy

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Feb 23, 2010
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Wait. Hulu is getting the movies? The main downside to Hulu has always been its movie selection. Hulu is going to be a goddamn streaming powerhouse. (Even more than they are now)
 

Strazdas

Robots will replace your job
May 28, 2011
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so US is now going to get the same netflix as everyone else?

Yeah, this is exactly why copyright laws needs a COMPLETE REWRITE. shit like this should not be legal. it should not be legal to regionlock your online content, for any reason. it should not be legal to randomly pull out of services because you want to cling to a dead 20th century idea of distribution.

Charcharo said:
It is not a thing here. It just... well it probably exists and no one uses it here. It is dead as a console here.

Sure someone uses it... but they are the absolute minority.

So much so that I dont know what it actually is.

*Did check now though... sounds uninteresting to me, but I am a person that mostly reads books and plays games...
No, you cannot get netflix in your country. only a few western European countries and north America can use it. unless you use VPNs or something. oh yeah and Australia i guess.

byte4554 said:
Wait. Hulu is getting the movies? The main downside to Hulu has always been its movie selection. Hulu is going to be a goddamn streaming powerhouse. (Even more than they are now)
no, the downside to Hulu is that after paying an extortionate amount they still think its ok to serve ads in the middle of your viewing experience.