Where Netflix is dropping the ball Lets start with some basics:
Netflix steaming has almost no new releases Netflix by Mail has pretty much everything Redbox only has new releases Blockbuster has most everything, but is stupidly expensive
I don’t think that I’m the only person thinking that a little course correction is in order for Netflix.
What I find frustrating through this whole debacle, is the idea that Netflix has been trying to push clients to streaming service, but routinely doesn’t have the titles people are looking for available for streaming. For content that I can’t find, there are a couple of different options. If it is a new release, I almost always just go pick up the Redbox copy and for older movies, I just put them in the Netflix mail queue.
Perhaps the pricing model was wrong. Perhaps the content available via the disc-by-mail service is the one worth $7.99 and the streaming, with its lack of content is the part that is only worth $2.00.
Regarding streaming content, this isn’t just my opinion, as it has been documented numerous places over the last couple years. Here is one: Business Insider
There is always an excuse on Netflix’s part, but I frankly don’t care. I don’t care if you charge a little more for streaming, if you just get some decent content. I don’t care about your political problems regarding broadband traffic. We don’t pay you for bandwidth. I know that you have some deal in place that is supposed to get you more content if you just hold off on renting for the first 28 days after a new release. It isn’t working. Your streaming content is still mediocre at best and I can go rent the new release somewhere else…and cheaper. You need to negotiate harder. If you are going to give up those 28 days on new releases, make sure that you are able to stream them as soon as you get them.
Netflix, why can’t you just offer an all-in-one streaming solution? Negotiate it please. The change you should be announcing is that all of your new releases are now available via streaming. You always need to give more value if you are going to raise the price. This is a fundamental rule of customer service.
Get it done!
(update- i saw a few links on twitter which lead to this great article that speaks to this same stuff: "Reed Hastings Doesn’t Want You To Pay More For Netflix. He Wants You To Stop Using DVDs" http://dthin.gs/o4WBP5 )