Netflix has released a new user interface geared towards kids on the Sony PS3. The Just for Kids interface is now a choice when you start Netflix on the system and only shows selected movies and TV shows suitable for children.
Netflix stated back in January that they would introduce the concept of different user profiles and tailor content to each member of the household in 2012, and hopefully the new kid-friendly option is just the start.
Cable giant Comcast is set to launch a new video-on-demand service for its clients called Streampix. This is surely an effort to keep people from cutting the cord on their cable subscriptions and switching to a streaming service like Netflix.
From the announcement:
“This new service complements the 75,000 TV shows and movies currently available on Xfinity On Demand, XfinityTV.com and through the Xfinity TV app. To launch Streampix, Comcast has entered into licensing agreements with leading movie studios and programming providers including Disney-ABC Television Group*, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution and Cookie Jar and built a line-up of top-rated content, which is available starting this week.”
If you have Xfinity Triple Play (TV, internet, and phone service) from Comcast, you get Streampix for no additional charge. Other customers can subscribe for $4.95 a month.
Netflix has decided not to split its DVD service into a separate company named Qwikster and has announced that DVD rentals and streaming will stay together with no new price hikes in the near future.
In a blog post, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings sums it up simply: “This means no change: one website, one account, one password… in other words, no Qwikster.”
I’m sure no one is saddened by the loss of Qwikster but there’s no news on whether additional features planned for Qwikster, like video game rentals, have been abandoned or if they’ll be integrated into the Netflix library.
Today Neflix and AMC Networks announced a multi-year agreement that adds new AMC, IFC, and Sundance Channel content to Netfilx’s streaming library. Netflix has gained exclusive rights to AMCs hit series The Walking Dead and non-exclusive rights to other series like IFC’s Portlandia and Sundance Channel’s All On The Line with Joe Zee.
It looks like Netflix is done apologizing and is on the offensive to hunt down more content for its streaming service.
Netflix has a had a bad few months. First they raise their prices, then they lose a contract with Staz, and recently they decided to split their DVD by mail service into a new brand called Qwikster.
Netflix has been hard at work trying to recoup, they’ve recently landed deals with both Dreamworks and the Discovery Channel, but now they have their eyes on a bigger prize: the new season of Arrested Development.
The show has a sizable (and dedicated) fan-base and would be a solid addition to Netflix’s new push for original programming. Of course, it’s not a done deal as other competitors like Hulu hope to land exclusive rights to the new season.
Just when it seemed like Netflix was due for some good news, the company is dealt another blow–although this one comes as a result of choosing not to raise prices.
The premium cable network Starz Entertainment has decided to end their deal to provide movies to Netflix’s Instant Watch catalog. Netflix’s new rates only came into effect yesterday, and while many customers complained about having to pay more, Starz still thinks the price is low enough to attract people away from subscribing to the cable company directly. The rise in popularity of video on demand and streaming services has inspired a lot of people to “cut the cord” and cancel their cable or satellite TV, and that’s exactly what Starz is afraid of. Even though Netflix offered Starz $300 million to continue their deal, Statz insisted that the company require subscribers to pay extra for access to their movies. Netflix refused, and the deal fell apart.
It’s really a case of being stuck between a rock and a hard place for Netflix. Starz was their main source of popular new releases, but the idea of asking people to pay more for what they’re already getting yet again might be even more of a death knell. The lost doesn’t take effect until February, and Netflix plans to put the $300 million to good use acquiring other content before that happens.
By now, everyone’s heard about Netflix’s decision to raise its subscription rates for the second time in less than a year. The internet is positively abuzz with angry commentary and people swearing to drop the service for something else. The new prices certainly aren’t outrageous in and of themselves, but the timing—so soon after a small price increase and the loss of Sony movies from instant—makes them look arrogant.
One hit after another has left people wondering if this is a sign of things to come. From a consumer perspective, the company looks complacent and many feel like it’s a matter of principle to knock them down a peg. And if nothing else, the news has put a few of Netflix’s competitors in the spotlight. Personally, I’ve thought about switching to Hulu Plus and Vudu in the past, but I could never rationalize trading an all-in-one service for two, and it seems Netflix has made the decision for me.
I don’t think Netflix is trying to gouge its customers or capitalize on its monopoly—if anything they’re trying to gear up for a disc-less future. Time will tell if the gamble works or if Hulu and others can use the new rates to their own advantage. There’s talk of Apple buying Hulu, but I’m hoping to see Amazon do more with their Prime streaming service. The low-cost shipping alone makes Prime a good deal, but it’d be nice if it didn’t feel like streaming movies (free or otherwise) was an afterthought for Amazon. Of course, if they did improve their selection and they became more popular, they’d probably have to raise prices as a result…then we’re back to square one on the conundrum.
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