Netflix Unveils 'Watch Now' (free movies) With Membership

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Just on CNBC but I missed part of their interview. You either get 18 movies a month or 18 hours a month of free DVD movie viewing on their site.

[heydensmom]

huh interersting, I wonder if it's going to be an either get dvd's in the mail or watch from there website.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

huh interersting, I wonder if it's going to be an either get dvd's in the mail or watch from there website.They said it's on top of getting your DVD's in the mail, a perk for being a member.

Blockbuster has a good deal too. You take your online DVDs to any store and trade them for any movies they have in store and your traded movies automatically register as mailed back in and the next movies in your list online ship out to you.

[Play2win]

I tried Blockbuster a while ago, and half of the DVDs they sent me were either completely broken or didn't work. Plus, the customer service was poor. Like it was my fault I got bad disks.

I have been with Netflix for quite a while, and haven't had any problems. Their system works, and customer service was good, though, I didn't need to use it much. I get their DVDs quick and they have a great sellection.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

I tried Blockbuster a while ago, and half of the DVDs they sent me were either completely broken or didn't work. Plus, the customer service was poor. Like it was my fault I got bad disks.

I have been with Netflix for quite a while, and haven't had any problems. Their system works, and customer service was good, though, I didn't need to use it much. I get their DVDs quick and they have a great sellection.
They've completely revamped. You get the same amount of bad DVDs from either company now. With Blockbuster 3 @ a time and in store trade in you could conceivably rent up to 35 -40 DVDs a month for the $18 fee.

[OrangeShadow]

I think this is designed to counter blockbusters new exchange your movie at the store feature.

[SportinOne]

It definitly is, but i don't see it being as effective.

[Paladin]

They've completely revamped. You get the same amount of bad DVDs from either company now. With Blockbuster 3 @ a time and in store trade in you could conceivably rent up to 35 -40 DVDs a month for the $18 fee.

Who - I say who - in the wide world of sports and Internet cameraderie would ever in their right minds - assuming right minds in the first place - want to even think about that many DVDs in a month? That would be between 108and 140 hours of neurological and visual assault. Between 45% and 50% of the month would be spent in watching a movie or girlie show. From what I have seen, most of you spend nearly 25% of your time on these august pages, discussing the local herors and distant anti-heroes, and that means you are not getting enough sleep. Or Pootang. I read that 51% of all eligible women in this country are not married. That does mean that men are being unshackeled, but it also means that there is a glitch in the idealistic "family values" for which we all seem to sheepishly vote but do not live. Since all of my money is invested, I am not subject to the obvious problems you can see here.

The curse of technology.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Who - I say who - in the wide world of sports and Internet cameraderie would ever in their right minds - assuming right minds in the first place - want to even think about that many DVDs in a month? That would be between 108and 140 hours of neurological and visual assault. Between 45% and 50% of the month would be spent in watching a movie or girlie show. From what I have seen, most of you spend nearly 25% of your time on these august pages, discussing the local herors and distant anti-heroes, and that means you are not getting enough sleep. Or Pootang. I read that 51% of all eligible women in this country are not married. That does mean that men are being unshackeled, but it also means that there is a glitch in the idealistic "family values" for which we all seem to sheepishly vote but do not live. Since all of my money is invested, I am not subject to the obvious problems you can see here.

The curse of technology.@ two hours a movie that would be about 80 hrs. a month. I'd rather have my kids watching a decent movie in the evenings than the crap that's on network TV every night. I think they (online rentals) do a lot better in the Winter when people are shut in than the warmer months.

[broncosteven]

Who - I say who - in the wide world of sports and Internet cameraderie would ever in their right minds - assuming right minds in the first place - want to even think about that many DVDs in a month? That would be between 108and 140 hours of neurological and visual assault. Between 45% and 50% of the month would be spent in watching a movie or girlie show. From what I have seen, most of you spend nearly 25% of your time on these august pages, discussing the local herors and distant anti-heroes, and that means you are not getting enough sleep. Or Pootang. I read that 51% of all eligible women in this country are not married. That does mean that men are being unshackeled, but it also means that there is a glitch in the idealistic "family values" for which we all seem to sheepishly vote but do not live. Since all of my money is invested, I am not subject to the obvious problems you can see here.

The curse of technology.

We are married.

[Spider]

hell I am still trying to get used to on demand ...........

[heydensmom]

We are married.

LOL spoken for the truth.

I've been with Netflix since at least 2002 and never ever had a problem. We've been seeing the commercials for blockbuster and as much as I HATE blockbuster the exchange at the store deal might be worth it checking into. For my family Netflix is a HUGE savings, compared to the renting 3 movies from Hollywood, and returning several days late. Yes I'm the reason you can never rent the latest release...I'm a self admited non movie taker backer.

[Billy Clyde Puckett]

This is just the beginning. Original content directly to your computer/cell device without the cable company/rental store middle man will be here before you know it. Technology is available, but the way for the business issues are not yet solved.

[Spider]

Meet the Jetsons ...........
Meet George Jetson.
His Boy Elroy.
Daughter Judy.
Jane his wife.

[watermock]

I would do Jane OR Judy.

[Spider]

I would do Jane OR Judy.

;D willma was pretty hot also

[Spider]

http://timstvshowcase.com/jetsons3.gif

[Spider]

http://timstvshowcase.com/jetsons2.gif

[Rascal]

Why is this thread on the main forum but the firearm thread is not?

[Spider]

i am willing to bet it has something to do with 2 political thread limit up here, and since Elway senator thread came up one had ot go

[Rascal]

Where did you get that? Where is that written down?

And I wouldn't call it a politcal thread. It had a political discussion in it, but then you could talk about farts smelling and it will go into a political discussion.

[Spider]

Where did you get that? Where is that written down?

And I wouldn't call it a politcal thread. It had a political discussion in it, but then you could talk about farts smelling and it will go into a political discussion.

I agree , never should have became political , but it did .......

[Dedhed]

when will it launch?

[Bronco Bob]

;D willma was pretty hot also

Wilma is too stuck up and bossy. I'd take Betty instead.
As long as it isn't the Rosie O'Donnell movie version.
:clown:

[Spider]

Wilma is too stuck up and bossy. I'd take Betty instead.
As long as it isn't the Rosie O'Donnell movie version.
:clown:

LOL ....... well i think Ginger was hotter then Mary Ann ;D

[broncosteven]

LOL ....... well i think Ginger was hotter then Mary Ann ;D

You can have Ginger though I cannot resist red heads, so much so that I married one. I always was in love with Mary Ann.

[heydensmom]

here's more info

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/NetflixOffersMoviesOnTheWeb.aspx

[Broncos24]

LOL spoken for the truth.

I've been with Netflix since at least 2002 and never ever had a problem. We've been seeing the commercials for blockbuster and as much as I HATE blockbuster the exchange at the store deal might be worth it checking into. For my family Netflix is a HUGE savings, compared to the renting 3 movies from Hollywood, and returning several days late. Yes I'm the reason you can never rent the latest release...I'm a self admited non movie taker backer.


I've been with Blockbuster Online for two years now without any problem. The In Store Exchange was really cool cause

[Dagmar]

I tried Blockbuster a while ago, and half of the DVDs they sent me were either completely broken or didn't work. Plus, the customer service was poor. Like it was my fault I got bad disks.

I have been with Netflix for quite a while, and haven't had any problems. Their system works, and customer service was good, though, I didn't need to use it much. I get their DVDs quick and they have a great sellection.

Ok, with Blockbuster, there are perks and I have never had ANY problems. When they send you the DVD's out, you report a DVD "issue" that you sent it back and it hasn't cleared your queue. THus, you can have around 10 DVD's at a time and you've always got something to watch.

Also, you can return them to the store and rent one free and it counts as one of your movies.

[broncocalijohn]

I would do Jane OR Judy.

Yeah, but they would reject you and you would settle for Rosie the robot maid.

[broncocalijohn]

Best with Netflixs is you have a huge selection. If i have my list of John Wayne movies to watch, they have em and start sending the ones I want automatically. Netflix is a great way of doing business. I always thought Netflix should work with companies like Mail Box Etc. to at least have a drop off so they could ship movies out one day earlier than normal. Of course cost would go up and really, how many more movies can you watch?

[maven]

Just on CNBC but I missed part of their interview. You either get 18 movies a month or 18 hours a month of free DVD movie viewing on their site.

So far all they have is old movies. Where's the new release? Anyway, Netflix is gone in 10 years. Where's the growth? Getting dvd's in the mail? This will only last so long. The problem with Netflix is that they have no great growth regarding to the future. Eventually companies will bypass netflix and offer this service themselves. Netflix is junk.

[maven]

Also, it is commonly known Netflix will "slow down" the shipment of dvd's once you hit a certain amount of rentals within a month. It cost Netflix roughly 0.70 cents to ship/receive a dvd.

Netflix is trying all possible avenues to get people using their service. Unfortunately, Netflix is a going the way of the dodo bird in the next few years.

[watermock]

Mrs. Howell wasn't too shabby back before color TV.

http://www.findadeath.com/Decesed/g/Gilligan's%20Island/Natalie%20Schaeffer.JPG

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Also, it is commonly known Netflix will "slow down" the shipment of dvd's once you hit a certain amount of rentals within a month. It cost Netflix roughly 0.70 cents to ship/receive a dvd.

Netflix is trying all possible avenues to get people using their service. Unfortunately, Netflix is a going the way of the dodo bird in the next few years.Doubtful. Their view DVD movies now service is just the beginning of technology moving to instant in home viewing of any movie on demand.

[WoodMan]

LOL spoken for the truth.

I've been with Netflix since at least 2002 and never ever had a problem. We've been seeing the commercials for blockbuster and as much as I HATE blockbuster the exchange at the store deal might be worth it checking into. For my family Netflix is a HUGE savings, compared to the renting 3 movies from Hollywood, and returning several days late. Yes I'm the reason you can never rent the latest release...I'm a self admited non movie taker backer.

No kidding, over the years we paid alot more in late fees than we ever did for rental. My son once spaced one out for 6 months and they wanted hundreds of dollars in late fees. Needless to say, they never got it.:clown:

[Arkie]

So far all they have is old movies. Where's the new release? Anyway, Netflix is gone in 10 years. Where's the growth? Getting dvd's in the mail? This will only last so long. The problem with Netflix is that they have no great growth regarding to the future. Eventually companies will bypass netflix and offer this service themselves. Netflix is junk.


What companies are you talking about? Netflix is that company that will offer all those things. Netflix is leading the movie rental industry. The growth over the last period was 25% to Blockbuster's 6%. Netflix can stay ahead of Blockbuster because they have more capital than Blockbuster. Not to mention, Blockbuster has a ton of debt. The only company Netflix needs to worry about is Apple. Those two will be competing in the video on demand market 10 years down the road, but DVDs on the big HD entertainment center in the den will be the most popular choice for movie watching for many years. Not everybody is as computer savvy as those of us here at the mane.


Description 1 Day Price
Change % Market
Cap P/E ROE % Div. Yield % Long-Term Debt to
Equity Price to
Book Value Net
Profit Margin % (mrq) Price to
Free Cash Flow (mrq)

Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) 1.39 1.5B 21.26 25.61 NA NA 3.97 4.99 46.29
Blockbuster Inc. (BBI) 1.85 1.3B 23.91 6.55 0.00 1.42 2.24 -1.86 4.27
Trans World Entertainment Corp (TWMC) -1.57 173.9M NA -2.58 0.00 0.26 0.49 -3.82 -5.91
Movie Gallery Inc. (MOVI) 0.00 96.2M NA -679.50 0.00 NA NA -2.48 3.88
Hastings Entertainment Inc. (HAST) 1.33 67.4M 10.23 7.71 NA 0.65 0.73 -1.84 54.57
NuTech Digital Inc. (NTDL.OB) 0.00 0.6M NA NA NA NA NA NA 1.21
GameZnFlix Inc. (GZFX.OB) NA NA NA -203.32 NA 0.02 NA NA NA
Diamond Entertainment Corp. (DMEC.OB) NA NA NA NA NA NA NA -20.81 NA

[Arkie]

Blockbuster's Brazen Bet
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz
November 1, 2006
In a move that may sound as brilliant as it is desperate, Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI) is now allowing its online customers the ability to walk into their nearest store and exchange a rented DVD for another title.

Blockbuster's Total Access program goes further than that. Dropping off a DVD at a physical store will also help expedite the exchange process. Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) has always prided itself on its speedy turnaround time, with the ability to provide overnight delivery through its network of regional distribution centers, but it's ultimately a two-day process. Drop a red Netflix mailer into the mail, and it takes the post office one day to send back your film. Then you have to wait another day for your next selection to arrive after Netflix confirms the receipt of your return. Total Access shaves the process in half by shipping out the next title in your queue the moment that it is processed at the local store.

With 1.5 million subscribers, Blockbuster is a bit player compared to the 5.7 million celluloid buffs that Netflix is presently serving. The differences don't end there. Netflix is cash-rich and consistently profitable, while Blockbuster is saddled with debt and has posted a loss in four of the last six quarters. Netflix is growing, while Blockbuster has seen its top line dip last year, and thus far in 2006 as well.

Odd paths to get even
With its creditors antsy, the bold move by Blockbuster to fortify its online endeavors is surprising. Instead of improving its stores and drumming up the value of its traditional in-store presence, Blockbuster continues to devalue its bricks-and-mortar core. Between last year's "No Late Fees" angle and its new positioning of its stores as a place for speedier online transactions and a clearinghouse for free rentals, Blockbuster keeps nudging its client base out toward Blockbuster.com.

As part of Total Access, Blockbuster is now even letting its customer base sign up for the online service inside the actual stores. Even if you're not exactly dot-com proficient, how can you refuse the dirt cheap smorgasbord of home-delivered flicks and free in-store exchanges over the more conventional way to rent at Blockbuster? The company may not be browbeating you to become an online subscriber, but you're going to start looking pretty dumb if you don't take Blockbuster up on that offer.

If the plan works, it's not as if golden riches await Blockbuster. Netflix is leaner, nimbler, and even at a higher price point, it's not exactly toiling away in margin nirvana. The key, for Blockbuster, will be its ability to milk more out of increased traffic at its stores as the online subscribers crawl out of their homes to redeem their online freebies. It has to be more than just trying to sell them on Raisinets or microwavable popcorn.

Does Blockbuster know what it's getting itself into here? Its new approach is aimed at appealing to the more hyperactive renters at Netflix, and that's an audience Netflix will gladly hand over. Despite the perceived nature of "unlimited" rentals, there comes a point where Netflix begins losing money on individual subscribers. Between the revenue-sharing royalties for the studios, round-trip postage, and other fulfillment costs, if you find yourself going through 10-12 movies a month -- or more -- under the company's most popular plan, you are probably a fiscal detriment to Netflix.

Hyperactive users who find their accounts throttled or shipments delayed may feel that they are exacting revenge by leaving Netflix, but by and large, they're usually doing it a favor. Does Blockbuster really want to run with that crowd? The freebie-redeeming crowd may come in with holes in their pockets.

The point of no return
Blockbuster can't go back. It may not want to. The conventional model is broken. Movie Gallery hasn't quite been the same since it acquired the Hollywood Video chain. Blockbuster's stores have too small a footprint to emulate a more successful model like Hastings (Nasdaq: HAST), which can rent flicks but also serve as a consumer electronics retailer, and the world doesn't really need another RadioShack (NYSE: RSH).

This places Blockbuster in a dangerous game of Frogger, where it's parked on the middle strip -- between the fast-moving traffic behind it and the perilously submerged flow of crocs, logs, and lily pads before it -- as the clock ticks expensively.

If Blockbuster were braced with the tools to win this battle, I would be applauding like a madman. As it stands, Blockbuster's site is not optimized with third-party ads to monetize any uptick in Web traffic. The in-store makeover that would make giving away free films a viable business also seems absent.

Total Access just smells like Total Desperation. A more logical move would have been to simply differentiate its online service from Netflix by providing video game rentals by mail, like Gamefly, to its online accounts, or to take advantage of its local presence to create some form of social interactive marketing.

Instead, Blockbuster's new plan is likely to only attract the audience that Netflix no longer wants, and convert the offline customers that its physical stores desperately need to stay put.

It's a sad thing to see, and I'm not even a Blockbuster creditor.