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Netflix Gains Six Million Subscribers After Password Sharing Crackdown
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Damn, that just got real...Sometimes the rebels win, and sometimes they get routed and executed by the sea.
😄
That's right, a tweet is not a contract. However, it's perfectly reasonable for customers to take a public communication from a company at face value. And it's very clear to many of us that Netflix was sending mixed signals about this issue. I suspect at one time, password sharing benefited them by boosting their viewership numbers and so they encouraged it. They have every right to change that stance, but it's reasonable if customers are annoyed by that move.
Seriously, why are people always so quick to be apologists for big businesses, especially when they've clearly screwed up?
I think there's more nuance than that. The point isn't to apologise of big business, but to point out that what people want is simply not feasible.
A lot of this comes down to the problem that we are only now coming to the realisation that video streaming was never really a viable business model to begin with. In hindsight, we should have seen it coming. The internet made news that was once geographically confined widely available to everyone around the world, but the problem was that it made all news free accessible, essentially devaluing it. Plus Google and Facebook would go on to steal all the advertising revenue (because they would do a much better job of matching the advertiser with the potential customer), leaving only table scraps for news outlets.
Then came music streaming. Having access to all the music in the world at $10/month also meant devaluing it, and it shows as most artistes are hardly making any money from the service, yet they really don't have a choice because nobody really purchases any more music of their own these days.
The Internet is now doing to video streaming what it did to news and music, and both video streaming companies and Hollywood are scrambling to figure out how to be profitable. The reality is that video streaming has always been severely underpriced right from the start (remember how much people used to pay for cable, and that cable was just one of numerous avenues a studio could monetise their content). Now, why would I bother going to watch a movie in the theatre if I knew that it would eventually hit a streaming service in a matter of months?
The solution will not be to make better content while charging less but rather, a combination of ads, cheaper content and higher prices (either by charging more or getting more people to pay).
At the end of the day, you don't run a successful business by giving consumers everything they want. That's a surefire recipe of disaster. Ask everyone here and they pretty much expect a steady diet of new content at the lowest price possible. It was clear right from the start that this was never really going to be profitable, and something eventually had to change, either sooner or later.
At face value, when it was posted, in 2017. In 2017, if you'd asked me if it was ok to share your password with your kids at college, I would have seen that post and said "seems like it, yeah".
In 2022, I'd have said "I'd be surprised if they are still promoting that idea, you might want to check".
In 2023 I'd say "they've clearly communicated a change in policy, they don't permit that any more".
If that Tweet went out this month, then yeah, mixed signals. If the tweet went out more than 6 years ago then no, signals aren't mixed they changed. If I go into a restaurant and scream "this 6 year old menu I found on the internet shows that this hamburger used to come with fries!", people would laugh at me.
Accept that change happens, make a decision that suits you, and move on.
It's reasonable if you present it as reasonably as you just did here. But that's not how it's being presented by many unreasonable people.
Now you're back to unreasonable again... Screwed up how? Appologist what? They changed their business model over the past 6 years. You have a month to month user agreement with them. The terms of your agreement changed somewhere in the past 72 months. Happens all the time. You have the choice to not continue your relationship next month.
Pointing out how over-entitled the "but they wrote a tweet!" crowd is, isn't apologizing for anyone.
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This is the best powned ive seen in a long time. I don’t know he’s alive after you slayed him so hard.
Great breakdown btw of the streaming issue. Cable and network tvs provided so much more money for the studios but those days are gone. So much competition and options (YouTube, etc) for your add dollars.
The only way the studios will make it back is to keep consolidate and raise prices.
We can tell our kids that we paid $5 for Netflix back in the day when we are paying $39.99 10 years from now..
Great breakdown btw of the streaming issue. Cable and network tvs provided so much more money for the studios but those days are gone. So much competition and options (YouTube, etc) for your add dollars.
The only way the studios will make it back is to keep consolidate and raise prices.
We can tell our kids that we paid $5 for Netflix back in the day when we are paying $39.99 10 years from now..
You're made of money. Can you adopt me?
Not a comparable thing. With cigarettes, you had competing sources saying smoking wasn't safe. With the Netflix situation, the company was publicly encouraging people to share passwords. Not really the same.
Still, didn't tobacco companies find out the hard way that they were firmly in the wrong and paid the price for it? I don't think this is a comparison you want to use. 😂
Not when a doctor says he smoked Winston. Seems it’s a tacit endorsement
That cigarette smoking was safe. And sure later on the reality was exposed.
Or similar to the apple is doomed memes on social media in 2011. Here in 2023
The shareholders are (mostly) happy. But your point stands people find out that sometimes reality is blinded by bias.
yeah Apple is charging me for sharing my iPad with my family, right to repair only affect people who buy Apple devices at it8s actual prices. The lack of right to repair is exactly why I wait for a sale for all Apple devices or a deal. And jailbreak does exist plus I don’t use iTunes or Mac ( I don’t want to be locked into apple’s ecosystem).
So, with all that supposed headache, why not just get an android device? 🙄
they Are the same except android is easier. no need to look up there is no god and of course no need to be annoyed with the way a person choose to use their devices. I just think Netflix is making his users his… and yeah Apple is doing the same. I guess it’s my way out with all those headaches. I mean the more it annoys u the better looking the completion is.Sad stuff really but the buyers have nothing but an illusion of control HEHE.
It’s interesting (coincidental?) that I had to login to my Netflix account recently on my AppleTV. Haven’t had to do that in ages. Yes, there was a tvOS update but that’s not needed logins before. Hmmmm.