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Netflix Subscriber Base Eclipses Comcast's

Posted by Soulskill on from the streaming-to-the-future dept.

NicknamesAreStupid writes "Netflix just announced its earnings and claims to have more subscribers than Comcast. 'Netflix's global subscriber base grew almost 70% over the past year, to 23.6 million users. ... More than 7% of Americans now subscribe to Netflix.' Does that go to show how great Netflix really is or, well, you know?"

15 of 333 comments (clear)

  1. superior value by SpiralSpirit · · Score: 4, Insightful

    obviously, netflix is the far superior value to what most cable companies offer.

    1. Re:superior value by LaissezFaire · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Which is why trying to force net neutrality on the system is ridiculous. People are already voting with their dollars.

  2. There's a big difference, though by nysus · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Netflix isn't sucking about $2K/year out of me like Comcast.

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    ---Technology will liberate us if it doesn't enslave us first.

    1. Re:There's a big difference, though by Tony+Isaac · · Score: 4, Insightful

      True, but Netflix is going to eventually force Comcast to lower their prices significantly.

      As Netflix offers more TV programming, there may come a tipping point where you don't need Cable TV at all, you could just get all your programming from Netflix. THEN all you need is the broadband service + Netflix. Even though the broadband service might come from Comcast, you don't have to pay the exorbitant rates for the TV channels!

    2. Re:There's a big difference, though by kimvette · · Score: 5, Insightful

      True, but Netflix is going to eventually force Comcast to lower their prices significantly.

      No, that is not true at all. Netflix reaching critical mass is what prompted Comcast to introduce the bandwidth cap. The way Comcast will compete is not by continuing to improve their network, or improving product or cutting prices, but by lowering bandwidth caps further. Comcast is old media which is dabbling in interweb technology. Comcast is not an ISP - at least not in mindset.

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
    3. Re:There's a big difference, though by jroysdon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No one provides the pipe end to end. Comcast provides the last mile to the end users and makes money providing Internet access to home users.

      Perhaps Comcast should pay for Netflix's pipes? Just as ridiculous as the other way around.

      Or, how about this - each entity pays for their own pipes. Comcast is an ISP and should provide its customers transit to whatever content they want to. End of story.

    4. Re:There's a big difference, though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      If they lower their caps one iota further I will leave.

    5. Re:There's a big difference, though by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And go where? to another crappy cable company that has the exact same limitation and level of service. you are locked in my friend.

  3. Don't think Comcast and etc. will let this go. by WiiVault · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The problem today is that at least in the US most broadband providers are TV providers also. The telecos who don't have a TV network have even gotten on board with "bundles" including DirecTV and Dish. They are smarter than consumers give them credit for though. You might think your poor service is proof of their incompetence- your wrong... sooo wrong. They will do anything to maintain a baseline of service that is merely tolerable because raising the bar costs them money and frankly where the hell will you go? To the other massive evil teleco/cable, overpriced wireless (3G/4G) or satellite? Dial-up perhaps? Of course not, they've got you buy the nuts. So expect Comcast's already pathetic 250 gig limit (even for 100$ monthly subscribers BTW) to go down (in GB per month), AT&T and Verizon are sure to follow (shocking!!). In the end, if they have their way, you will be able to watch Netflix, but it will cost in bandwidth fees nearly as much as it would cost to rent- with their respective pay-per-view fees. With today's government oversight and teleco mentality could it end any other way?

  4. Re:Let's just get this out of the way.. by kvvbassboy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why is it available on iPhone then?

  5. Re:Let's just get this out of the way.. by binarylarry · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Microsoft fears Android (Linux) far more than permaniche apple products.

    Apple will never unleash mass market versions of their products, Linux has and will. That's Microsoft's territory and it scares the fuck out of them to be replaced as the default OS.

    It's already happening though, the Desktop market is their last stand... they've lost everywhere else.

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    Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
  6. Re:Let's just get this out of the way.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Because Apple is Apple. Apple does not take on Microsoft territory, they do their own stuff and dont care about the other ecosystems. Yes, they are big, but they are a niche and are happy with their (quite big) niche. Android, on the other hand, is what microsoft used to be, a platform open for business from both hardware and software partners and everybody else who want to mess with it. Microsoft failed to be microsoft in mobile and came up trying to be Apple with Ms WinPhone7. Under the hood, the philosophy of Ms is similar to AT&T, a crumbling monopoly trying to regain their past strongholds to be itself again. Microsoft do not own the Operating System market anymore, nor does it own the office document viewing market (it still own the authoring part of this market).

    that's why Ms exec hate Android deeply and dont care about Apple as long as Apple dont try to rob their stronghold. After all, Apple has so much success creating new ones that it doesn't need to push for the old ones.

  7. Re:Let's just get this out of the way.. by keithpreston · · Score: 2, Insightful

    These is no Netflix client because DRM is hard to impossible on Fragmented Open Source Android. Apple and Microsoft have protected video paths. They either have to relicense content to stream DRM free, or come up with a solution on a phone by phone basis to meet the DRM requirements of the content agreements.

  8. Proof! by ThatsNotPudding · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The way Comcast will compete is not by continuing to improve their network, or improving product or cutting prices, but by lowering bandwidth caps further.

    See? The free market works! USA! USA!

  9. Re:A big win for Silverlight by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For rich content on the web, Silverlight is not a bad technology. It's better than Flash in a lot of ways.

    But not in the one way that matters to me. Flash is on Linux. In every other respect, Silverlight being better than Flash would be no great accomplishment because Flash is awful.

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