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For the past few years, the big TV networks made easy money selling their reruns to Netflix.
Now they're having second thoughts.
So are they ready to pull back on sales to Netflix and other digital services in the hopes of keeping their core business intact?
Investors will be looking for an answer to that question this week and next, as most of the big entertainment companies report their Q3 earnings and take questions from analysts. But several key TV executives have already signaled that they're going to stop selling their best stuff to digital services — particularly Netflix.
Binge-viewing has been established as the new method to consume content--that is the genie they need to stuff back in the bottle.
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Can the TV Guys Put the Netflix Genie Back in the Bottle?
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Everything you know is wrong!
(Score: 5, Insightful) by edIII on Thursday November 05 2015, @12:26AM
That's not the right question. Can the PIRACY genie be put back in the bottle. That's *the* question they need to be asking. Of course, the answer is a flat out no. Netflix removes M.A.S.H? Fine, it's about 3 hours to download all 11 seasons of M.A.S.H. I should know, I already *did* it. In addition to owning the DVDs as a Christmas present.
Anything they remove from Netflix is *already* available as a full season download on the net. That *includes* Netflix Original Programming. DareDevil is out on the net, when Netflix is only $7.99 a month. Protecting their core business? How? You just eliminated the practically only reasonable solution for most people that's *legal*.
I bet that's what pisses them off. There is a cheap legal solution to binge watch old TV, and us, being the complete bastards that we are, dared to take Netflix up on that offer. Is that the genie they're really referring to? The success at being reasonable?
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2015, @01:08AM
(Score: 5, Insightful) by K_benzoate on Thursday November 05 2015, @02:02AM
They really can't, can they? Thanks to the content cartels dragging their feet and choosing to litigate instead of innovate the standard for my generation became: all content, free, without limits, immediately. You really can't make a business model out of that, but that's not my problem.
"But people will stop making content!"
Yeah, ok. Sure. We'll talk when that happens about how to fix it. But I'll wager that conversation never happens. I'm as certain as I can be that humans will keep producing compelling art for as long as they exist.
Climate change is real and primarily caused by human activity.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2015, @02:27AM
Tough shit for them, but that's exactly what Wall Streeters and business executives think when they hear IT people wail about outsourcing, and the shelf life of IT skills steadily decreasing as new generations of platforms and software pile on top of one another.
If you don't have empathy for people in a different line of work, don't expect any in return.
(Score: 4, Informative) by edIII on Thursday November 05 2015, @02:42AM
I don't have any empathy for Hitler and his work (or solution), and yep, I don't expect any empathy from Hitler anytime soon.
Don't act as if the lines of "work" are equal. I have zero empathy for sociopaths that are no longer able to abuse people as they once did, and as a result, have less millions than they use to. You allude to the Golden Rule and admonish us for lacking empathy for Big Entertainment and its executives, but completely fail to realize that your proposed victims completely lack all empathy and adherence to the Golden Rule in the first place.
It will not be empathy that they are lacking for us, but any measurable levels of respect for others, decency, integrity, ethics, etc.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2015, @02:53AM
I accept bitcoin.
- Godwin
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday November 05 2015, @07:25PM
I accept bitcoin.
- Godwin
And if we don't pay our royalties what possible incentive will there be for Godwin to propose more laws?
(Score: 3, Informative) by jdavidb on Thursday November 05 2015, @03:25PM
Yeah, ok. Sure. We'll talk when that happens about how to fix it. But I'll wager that conversation never happens. I'm as certain as I can be that humans will keep producing compelling art for as long as they exist.
Exactly! I saw the same thing about blocking ads on the web as well.
ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2015, @05:54AM
Exactly this. For years I did the torrent bit (and many other piracy methods before that) for things like TV. First I watched on my monitor. Then I had a PC or a laptop hooked up to the TV. A few years ago this turned into a boxee, then later a WD TV Live after the boxee died. It's like a free DVR that programs out ads automatically - I could hardly watch anything any other way. The only reason I paid for cable/satellite at all back then was live sports. Six months ago I said enough. I dumped the cables/satellite, picked up a Roku 3 and HD Antenna so the wife & co. can still get some content, and added Netflix. I haven't missed paying $100/month one bit.
Here's the funny thing... I don't mind paying a small amount for my content now that I have some disposable income. But for all my streaming services combined I'm not going over about $20 or $25 per month. A while back there was a story about Netflix putting more resources into original programming and dropping some movies/TV from other sources. If Netflix turns into just another TV channel and stuff ends up on Amazon Prime I'll be over there instead. If it ends up on Hulu guess where I will be. If all the legal services have large holes in their content my WD TV Live and torrents still work perfectly fine. They could just shutup and take my money, or they could try to squeeze me for more money and push ads on me, at which point I will drop them just like I dropped satellite. The money is theirs for the taking, it's just a question if they want my few dollars per month or not.