Netflix in the News Again... Qwikster

So, since my last article explaining the Netflix price increase debacle, people got mad. Most folks don't care if the problem was created by Big Content to do exactly this (hurt the Netflix brand,) and Netflix can't defend themselves on this point without angering huge companies who they need to have any sort of future in their industry. People see that their bill is going up, while offerings for the services they enjoy are declining in terms of selection, and they need someone to blame. The reactions to my initial article on the subject included some legitimate questions about how much the price increase would actually effect Netflix, whether many people would grouse and threaten and huff and puff... but continue to pay the higher prices, or at least those who made good on their threats would be replaced my enough new customers that it wouldn't matter. Netflix was surprised by the number of cancellations this month (revising expected subscription numbers by 1 million,) a number likely boosted by the news that their content deal with Starz! would not be renewed. So they had to do something, and they did.

Reed Hastings, on his "Taking the Blame For the Studio Bastards I Need To
Be Successful" 2011 Tour.

I'm active in a lot of different social media, so I got the apology from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings from many sources, all at once, and I was surprised by it. Not so much the apology, someone had to say something to mollify customer outrage, and throwing the true culprits under the bus isn't realistic, nor will it ever be a business-safe option. Like many others, the bit that surprised me was the sudden announcement that the streaming and DVD-by-mail businesses would be separated out completely, and the DVD option would be rebranded as "Qwikster." The reaction from the public was, at the risk of understatement, not satisfied with either the apology, the explanation, or the plan moving forward. The torches and pitchforks came right back out, and people started mocking the company, asking "what were they thinking?"

Before I give my take on what they are thinking, and despite the current prevailing opinion, why I think it is a good move in the long run, let's talk about the downside. In all fairness to the angry mob, there are a few things about this announcement that suck. Anyone interested and even willing to pay more for what they had before just had everything about these services made more complicated for them. Two websites, two bills, separate tracking of preferences for movies, reviews and ratings which, without a lot of duplication of user effort, means that the recommendations for both services are weaker. And while they currently honor announced pricing, separate companies with separate cost structures could lead those customers who just want 1 DVD and Unlimited Streaming to be paying a whole lot more for two services down the line, if either division is forced to raise prices again.

I'd given up on DVD by mail, but this move might make me reconsider.
Why? There's a clue on the right of the bowl of popcorn.

That said, the vast majority of the people yelling loudly that Netflix is making a terrible business decision frankly have no idea what they are talking about. The core fear in a business like Netflix is the idea that new technology could make you obsolete, the same way Netflix itself made the local video story redundant. Physical media for digital content is a dead-end technology. People wondered a few years back "What comes after Blu-Ray?" The answer is: nothing. Going to a store or having a box shipped to you with video, sound, games on them... the tech isn't quite dead, but it is dying. Do you want to have your main business associated with the buggy whip a few years after the average person has embraced the automobile? Netflix knows exactly what it is doing, when (and it is a question of WHEN, not IF) DVD-by-mail dies, their coroporate identity isn't tied to the sinking ship.

Before all that happens, there are other advantages to this new plan. Companies typically don't die gracefully overnight, they thrash around in the throes of obsolescence for years, and are sold off piece-by-piece. If that becomes necessary, having a separate division with no structural ties to the Netflix streaming website and databases makes the sale of the division much easier. In shorter terms, revenues from a division no longer have to support the development costs of the other unrelated business. DVD profits don't have to go to content licensing for streaming, and streaming profits don't have to worry about paying for shipping, inventory and warehousing of physical goods. In the short term, selection and service for both divisions can be improved proportionally to their level of success. This allows Netflix to focus on expanding its offerings and delivering the best content possible without fear that a sudden dip in the DVD business will affect the operating budget it desperately needs to remain relevant.

Profile picture (since changed) for the Twitter account that had the Qwikster name
long before this move was announced.

So... Qwikster. The name has already been mocked, but that doesn't mean much to a good product or service being successful (anyone remember what people said about the Nintendo Wii?) The separation also allows the by mail service to finally offer video games as part of an upgrade package similar to the Blu-Ray upgrade available now. Taking advantage of the distribution network and postage deals in place currently would make this an attractive alternative to competitor Gamefly, whose mailings are a lot slower, prices are a lot higher, and who pay more than Netflix does for postage. Personally, I'll have to carefully measure a price break and faster shipping against my current Gamefly subscription that allows me to keep games I've rented or buy used games for a fraction of even used game prices, plus $5.00 off purchase coupons issued every few months. It'll be a rough choice for me, considering through Gamefly I just bought Fallout: New Vegas for $4.00.

An amusing sidenote to the whole business is the story of Jason Castillo, the overnight Twitter celebrity who has the handle @Qwikster, and has for years, (though he rarely tweeted on it before the last few days.) The current owner of that account seems to be a foul-mouthed student and pothead who overnight went from a few followers to over 10,000 as a result of the new Netflix division wanting to purchase the handle from him. The young man was previously overwhelmed by events such as losing his "bowl" and hitting himself in the head with a wrench, so a large company suddenly wanting to do business with him seems a little beyond his capabilities. He has posted and since removed tweets about people offering to buy his name, and not being sure who to trust. Considering all the assumptions, misinformation and anger tied up in all of the stories the last few days about his namesake, I can't say as I blame him for his confusion.

Netflix Streaming – The Controversy and the Price Hike

From the very beginning of my period of unemployment, I've had to stretch my entertainment dollar as far as it will go. Gas prices the way they are, this also means that a lot of my entertainment (aside from the occasional movie or social engagement with friends) has to also be delivered to me, rather than having me fire up the Ford to go to it. In my wild and reckless youth, I'd have had a simple solution. I'd have pirated until my (1 TB) hard drive could take no more. As I've grown older, and hopefully wiser, I've approached what little media piracy I engage in with a personal ethical code. Something has to be: unavailable in the format I need it in when I need it for a reasonable price in order for me to pirate. I've long said that if a fair-priced and convenient legal alternative is available, I'll use it in order to support another solution to the piracy problem aside from random thuggish lawsuits. I've talked a lot about Steam, and how it reduced my game piracy to almost nothing, but for TV and movies... it has been all about Netflix.

This is what I asked for. A fairly priced, convenient alternative to piracy.

A little over a year ago, I decided that a Netflix subscription might be right for me when I was investigating the options on this PC, which is a Media Center computer with a few hardware modifications to allow for gaming. Exploring what I could do to play movies and watch TV on my new-ish computer, I first noticed Netflix streaming. I'd considered Netflix before, but I really don't watch nearly enough DVDs to make it seem worth the price. I prefer streaming digital content when I can get it. Browsing the offerings on Netflix streaming, and seeing that it was included with the “1 movie out at a time” option, made it a no-brainer. I set it up right before we moved in here, and Netflix was waiting for us before we'd unpacked a single box.

I wasn't really surprised when I got the first e-mail with a small price increase. What I'd been getting was a value that was, really, too good to be true, so I wasn't really surprised or angered by that first tiny price increase. More recently, however, I got the e-mail that so many people got stating that September 1^st, those of us used to a single DVD and unlimited streaming would have to either choose one or the other, or get hit with a 60% price hike. Like so many others, I sharpened my pitchfork and got my torch ready. So many people are regularly disappointed and mistreated in their business relationships with big companies that it feels like a real betrayal when something like this comes from a company that most of us consider “one of the good 'uns.” Before shooting my mouth off online, however, I decided to do a little research into why this happened.

Recent customer reaction to the controversy found on Reddit.

It appears that Netflix has had some troubles recently, victims of their own success. As compared to a lot of the big media multinational corporations, it is still a fairly small company. In the period of the last few years, though, the streaming option has become so popular that during peak usage hours in the US, Netflix streaming accounts for a higher percentage of all used bandwidth than any other program, product or service. Those big corporations have taken notice of the popularity of streaming video, and they aren't happy that a little upstart company has a foothold in the market and is offering it cheaper than, say, they might choose to price it. The large companies responded as they usually do, by screwing over Netflix in order to run them out of the market so that competing video streaming services can be launched. Several studio contracts with Netflix either just ran out or are about to, and the renewal of those contracts is, in many cases, either off the table entirely or at 10x the previous licensing fees.

I'm still angry, but most of my ire is now directed at the studios that are forcing this showdown to happen. Netflix is taking a beating in the scandal, with irate customers canceling at a rate polls suggest will approach 50% of the current users. Trapped between offering fewer streaming options and raising prices on their service, the company is in a bad spot. If this controversy is the beginning of the end for Netflix, their loss would be a tragedy. I've dealt with the customer service at Netflix as well as the departments at Comcast, Sony, and several other potential players in the upcoming streaming content wars. I have 100% satisfaction with all of my dealing with Netflix on customer service issues, and a terribly spotty history with the giants that want to take its place.

If you're really looking for a villain in all of this...

Personally, the question of what to do isn't a difficult one for me. I'll drop the DVD option, pay a little less on my bill and use the streaming. When content options disappear and only show up on an inferior and more expensive competing service, I won't have a single ethical problem with turning to piracy. I will not reward companies who bully smaller corporations and threaten/pursue legal action against the public with my business. When corporations behave in this manner, I'm not even seeking justification for illegal behavior, they've made it personal. Millions of customers have turned their ire toward Netflix, which after a little bit of online research, seems to be a case of misplaced aggression. Me, I feel plenty aggressive, but Netflix only gets a very little bit of that. The rest is reserved for Time/Warner, Sony, Comcast and the major TV networks.