Quote:
Originally Posted by dordale
I'm still a Netflix subscriber, but I have to agree with you on their original programming. There are a couple of their original shows that I enjoy, but for the most part I'm not impressed--wish they would go back to where they were before they got on the "original programming" bandwagon!
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They can't.
For the same reason Amazon has APub and uses KU to feature Indies: if you are solely a distributor of others' content you are at the mercy of their whims (and conspiracies).
Note that Disney is pulling all their movies and series off Netflix and starting *two* streaming services. WB is also starting their own streaming service later this year. Last year, the CW pulled their shows off Hulu in favor of their own ad-supported free service.
The media companies see Netflix raking in all the money and believe that as owners of the content they should get a bigger cut of the subscription fees. Or all of it.
That is why Amazon has been investing in products they actually control and not merely distribute for others; books, movies, and hardware. The future is not going to be kind to middlemen and the creator-to-consumer chain will not tolerate many links.
Disintermediation is a threat to everybody: Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Fox, WB, AT&T...
The only defense is to own enough of the product to survive. So Disney buys Fox, AT&T buys TimeWarner, and Amazon owns APub and Kindle Unlimited to minimize their exposure to BPH hijinks.
And everybody who can builds a library of exclusive content.
Its a survival requirement.