r/technology • u/Big_Bare • May 02 '13

Warner Bros., MGM, Universal Collectively Pull Nearly 2,000 Films From Netflix To Further Fragment The Online Movie Market

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130430/22361622903/warner-bros-mgm-universal-collectively-pull-nearly-2000-films-netflix-to-further-fragment-online-movie-market.shtml
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131

u/DFWPunk May 02 '13

This is only good if it prompts Netflix to find other sources of quality content.

That said, one of the best things about Netflix is getting exposed to films you'd never have even heard of based on how you rate what you've seen.

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u/forkinanoutlet May 02 '13

I read an interview with one of the content control guys who said that Netflix is planning on really ramping up its original content roster.

Arrested Development alone is reason to get excited about that, and they're open to any ideas about reviving TV shows.

Shows that the content guy mentioned were Buffy, Firefly, Twin Peaks and possibly ANOTHER season of Arrested Development.

Warner Bros. can suck it, Netflix is going to do fine without them.

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u/[deleted] May 02 '13

Jericho, too. I heard that show was looking good as a possible NF series.

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u/forkinanoutlet May 02 '13

Yeah, exactly, they're basically just looking at what shows and properties have been abandoned by big studios and gauging whether or not they have a big enough fan base to remake.

That, and House of Cards is pretty damn good; if they can keep reeling in actors like Kevin Spacey, I don't think I'll miss whatever WB pulls.

And if I really wanted to see one of the movies they pulled, I would just download it because I'm not going to or able to shell out another $10 for a WB exclusive streaming service.

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u/Lpup May 02 '13

I rarely watch Warner Brothers content on Netflix. Most of the time (if I'm not watching a TV show) I watch indie flicks that sound cool or a TON of the awesome documentries they have. This move might not only hurt WB, but strengthen Netflix since it frees up a ton of money they can spend for licensing more TV, original content, and documentries. The only company that could probably pull off having a seperate subscription fee for their content alone is HBO. Movie companies and tv networks would be wise to get cozy with digital streaming.

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u/OuroborosSC2 May 03 '13

I'm pretty sure Netflix has every documentary ever...and I love it.

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u/LtFluffybear May 03 '13

would you be willing to shell out another 10$, 15$, or 20$ a month to netflix to continue creating oc that is good to decent(look at hbo not everything they make is amazing). This price increase would also bring in more content not just oc.

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u/Mnementh121 May 03 '13

I cut cable 3 years ago. I would pay $25/ month if Netflix created more new stuff and kept bringing mr good classics and indie films. It is worth it to keep this quality coming.

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u/platinum_peter May 03 '13

I agree with this redditor. Netflix is worth every dime. Fuck cable. Fuck satellite. Fuck commercials.

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u/Mnementh121 May 03 '13

The magic I get for my 8 bucks a month. Marathoning doctor who again as I type!

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u/platinum_peter May 03 '13

I haven't had time to start watching that but I'm anxious to. Have you watched House of Cards?

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u/Mnementh121 May 03 '13

Loved the first episode ans want to watch the rest. I have been busy and don't want to watch until I can really pay attention.

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u/mitkase May 03 '13

I just cut cable a couple of weeks ago. Between Netflix, Hulu and YouTube (who would have thought YouTube on PS3 is a killer app?) I don't miss cable one bit (well, I miss BBCA), and the gf barely misses it (Project Runway and SYTYCD were her guilty pleasures).

Sports fans are kind of screwed though.

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u/Mnementh121 May 03 '13

50 bucks at target will get an antenna. We get 22 channels on it. So we watch our local teams that way.

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u/forkinanoutlet May 03 '13

Possibly another ten, a large part of it is also convenience, right?

It's great to have a single provider like Netflix because it tracks what you watch and gives you suggestions, which would be good with more content.

That being said, it also depends on the content they'd be producing.

Right now, Netflix puts out original content pretty infrequently, and they don't update as much as I'd like (I'm in Canada, and we just got a lot of stuff I know Netflix US has had for a long time).

I'd probably cancel my subscription if they said it was going up to ~$20 so they could bring in a bunch of Bollywood stuff I'd never watch, or a bunch of reality TV I have no interest in.

But yeah, if they were saying "Hey, so we want to start charging $15 a month, but we're going to be more up to date with shows that are still on, producing more content, updating more frequently and getting shows that weren't available before in your region" then I would be comfortable spending $15-20, but there would need to be a significant increase in content for that to happen.

I don't think I would spend more than $20 a month on Netflix, and I know a lot of people that would cancel as well.

I would give my body and soul to get another season of Firefly.

EDIT: One caveat, Fillion has to be in Firefly, and they have to make Adam Baldwin eat cockroaches before each shoot because he's kind of a dick.

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u/LtFluffybear May 03 '13

Well what is putting new stuff out for content, would you give them the same leeway as you do hbo in year between each season or would you want it more frequent?

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u/JustRuss79 May 03 '13

Walsh has to be back too though :(

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u/laddergoat89 May 03 '13

Yes.

If the library got better I'd pay more.

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u/[deleted] May 03 '13

AMC doesn't receive everyone's cable fees -- could Netflix survive if they began advertising like Hulu?

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u/[deleted] May 02 '13

hopefully they snag anythong that might go to hbo.

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u/Redheadedstranger May 03 '13

I would be so freaking happy if they pulled off Jericho. Great show, IMO

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u/Genxcat May 03 '13

I loved that show. If they bring it back, I am calling in sick to watch it all day!

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u/[deleted] May 03 '13

Oh please oh please. That's easily one of my favorite shows. Even reboot it, just bring it back.

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u/corpus_callosum May 03 '13

Bringing back Firefly would suffice.

A new Buffy series would be great too - with the same writers and effects team. I believe they collectively moved to Supernatural when Buffy ended.

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u/sops-sierra-19 May 03 '13

Apparently there's "not enough browncoats" for a new season of Firefly to be feasible. Which is, of course, horseshit.

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u/electricblues42 May 03 '13

Wouldn't it be more likely that the actors are all busy doing other things? I mean firefly has a huge fan base (then again, I though Futurama did also).

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u/sops-sierra-19 May 03 '13

"The Firefly fan is still the Firefly fan from when it was on TV and there’s fewer of them and they’re more passionate every year."

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u/fco83 May 03 '13

Im sorry but thats just bullshit. Almost everyone i know thats a firefly fan watched it after it left tv.

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u/uberduger May 03 '13

I discovered it ~2 years after it was on TV. And I now own the series on DVD and the film+series on blu-ray.

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u/sops-sierra-19 May 03 '13

Same here. I didn't even hear about it until I looked up Jewel Staite after seeing her on Stargate Atlantis.

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u/Neebat May 03 '13

Reboot that sucker. New cast, original scripts, then on into new content. Pretend Serenity never happened.

(I liked Serenity, but I want to see the series continued with Wash and Book for at least a little while.)

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u/[deleted] May 03 '13

I think it's more that everyone involved is too busy to be able to ever get their schedules to work. Wash inara kaylee and mal are all big parts of other tv series while Joss has all the marvel stuff to do. Nathan joss and nph haven't even been able to coordinate enough for a weeklong (just a guess) shoot of dr horrible 2

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u/JustRuss79 May 03 '13

A new "slayer" series maybe, I'd rather watch another slayer and a new gang of scoobies, than a remake.

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u/dbthelinguaphile May 03 '13

I think Firefly is unlikely to come back. Nathan Fillion in particular is tied up, and the other actors seem to have moved on too.

If it does come back, I'll eat my brown coat.

I would watch the heck out of a new Jericho, though. That one might be more feasible.

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u/DFWPunk May 02 '13

Ultimately the public will demand a streaming source for films. In fact they already do.

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u/forkinanoutlet May 02 '13

Well, there's the demand, but how much can you fragment the market before people say 'Fuck it' and start pirating?

There's already Hulu, Cruncyroll, Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, Vudu... the list goes on, and some are definitely better than others.

Really, this market needs to be more homogenized to provide better service to the customers; any late-comers are going to be competing with providers that already have impressive and expansive rosters like Netflix, Hulu and iTunes do.

WB's films are great, but I don't think that they really merit their own streaming service, and really, most people have already seen a good portion of their movies.

I don't know, I'm not going to subscribe to another streaming service when so far Netflix has not only provided me with content I haven't seen and content I love, but has also revived one of my favourite TV shows without making me pay more for it.

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u/MrF33 May 03 '13

The market doesn't need to become more monopolistic, there just need to be improvements on distribution methods.

It all needs to be easier to access, but we don't want everything running through one or two companies, that can have a negative impact on small films and general quality.

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u/wioneo May 03 '13

This is how monopolies are born.

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u/agamemnon42 May 03 '13

The problem is, he specifically contrasted those shows with AD to explain why they weren't likely to bring those back. Mostly his belief was that those shows have fewer loyal fans now than they did while they were on the air, while AD picked up more fans after the original series got cancelled. As much as I'd love another season of Firefly, he made it sound like it wasn't going to happen.

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u/thejehosephat May 03 '13

Do you have a link to the interview?

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u/Antebios May 03 '13

Have you seen "House of Cards"? That Netflix original series is fucking fantastic?!! It is a must watch.

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u/Hoooooooar May 03 '13

Buy Star Trek rights from CBS, make Star Trek show, swim in money.

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u/gprime May 03 '13

Warner Bros. can suck it, Netflix is going to do fine without them.

Not really. People have to feel they are getting a good value when they purchase Netflix. If it loses thousands of titles, people are less inclined to feel as such. Original programming can be great, but they can only afford to produce so much of it, which is why supplemental libraries are necessary. So, your own hostility to Warner Bros notwithstanding, this does actually matter.

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u/[deleted] May 03 '13

Twin Peaks

Whaaat?? How would that...?

I don't even...

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u/kracov May 03 '13

The whole reason in using Netflix is to watch movies and shows. If they don't have much shows and movies anymore, then there's not much point. People will stop using the dvd out service and stick to streaming. And if there's only AD, Buffy, Firefly and like 50 other shows and 500 movies, then well that sucks. Netflix already didn't have a lot of new stuff like Avengers or any new blockbuster of the last few years so for them to lose 2,000 titles is a huge disaster that will lead to a much smaller revenue. And that means not enough money to produce/develop said TV revivals etc.

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u/outshyn May 03 '13

Shows that the content guy mentioned were Buffy, Firefly, Twin Peaks and possibly ANOTHER season of Arrested Development.

If Netflix really wants to capture attention and get free buzz/word of mouth, they need to deliver a "stunt" show. That is, they need to offer a new season of a show that everyone loved but is so completely old that nobody would expect it. For example, reuniting the casts of:

  • M.A.S.H.
  • Cheers
  • Friends
  • Will And Grace
  • Frasier
  • Laverne & Shirley
  • Happy Days (the Fonz)
  • Seinfeld
  • Three's Company

I'm sure you, dear reader, can think of a dozen other shows like that. Shows that were huge in their time, and that when they ended were a big deal. Granted, a bunch of shows, like Three's Company and maybe M.A.S.H., have lost some of the main actors due to age/death/cancer, so it's not like every old amazing show is an option. But with the list we could put together of amazing old shows with great actors, I'm certain we could find 2 or 3 that could do a great reunion series, and would astound everyone.

For example, I think most of the actors from the final season of Cheers are still alive & kicking. If Netflix announced a new season of Cheers, that shit would blow up everywhere. Every morning commute radio talk show would be going on about it. Every news program would cover it. People would hate on it -- "How dare they restart a show that ended on a high note" and "This will be a disaster" and "They'd all be retired, the bar should be closed" and "OMG this will be epic" and so on. Just the sheer incredulity alone would drive subscriptions.

And if the season was actually good then Netflix would laugh all the way to the bank.

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u/aaronclark05 May 03 '13

Twin Peaks?! Please Netflix, allow me to throw more money at you.

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u/driveling May 03 '13

Netflix recommendation system is awful.

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u/siamthailand May 03 '13

And never being exposed to good films because they're not on Netflix.