Netflix Now Only Has 31 Movies From IMDB's Top 250 List (streamingobserver.com)

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Netflix Now Only Has 31 Movies From IMDB's Top 250 List (streamingobserver.com)

Posted by BeauHD on Wednesday October 12, 2016 @09:10AM from the then-and-now dept.

According to Streaming Observer News, the quality and quantity of Netflix's movie library has declined over the last two years when cross-referenced with IMDB's Top 250 movies list. From the report: Well, it's a pretty common fact at this point that Netflix's library is shrinking. Of course, what Netflix needs to do as it shrinks its licensed movie library is make sure that movies it does have are good ones. But according to our analysis, it's going backwards, unfortunately. A while back we noticed a post from this Reddit member who, two years ago, cross-referenced the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) top 250 movies list with Netflix's movie library to find out how many of the top movies Netflix carried. When u/clayton_frisbie posted his list on Reddit, Netflix had 49 of the Top 250 movies on the IMDB list. That's just under 20 percent, which isn't terrible. But we wondered how that number has held up over the last two years in the face of a quickly shrinking library. So we reran the analysis. How many of the top 250 movies does Netflix now have? As of September 2016, that number has dropped to 31, or about 12 percent. [You can view the list via Streaming Observer News.]

181 comments

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

There is an old saying in business by OrangeTide · 2016-10-12 09:15 · Score: 0

You gotta spend money to make money.
Paying for licenses is expensive, but if you can make money doing it then of course you would. So either Netflix is making a terrible mistake, or there is a difficulty in turning a profit with these license costs in an all-you-can-eat sort of plan that Netflix offers its customers.

--
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
1. Re:There is an old saying in business by tripleevenfall · 2016-10-12 09:35 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Or there is not a difficulty in turning a profit without paying the license costs, so they don't pay them.
2. Re:There is an old saying in business by PRMan · 2016-10-12 09:52 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Or maybe Netflix's algorithms show that we've all seen these movies already and don't watch them again. I mean, Amelie and Inception were interesting, but I would never watch them again.
  
  --
  Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
3. Re:There is an old saying in business by cayenne8 · 2016-10-12 10:01 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  For most newer movies or deeper movies...I still have my Netflix DVD/BluRay subscription...and you have a wider choice of titles there....
  
  --
  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
4. Re:There is an old saying in business by David_Hart · 2016-10-12 10:04 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  This is exactly why I dropped Netflix 5 years ago. It was obvious then that they weren't going to spend the money to maintain their current movie collection and I am a big movie fan. I couldn't care less about TV series.
  The few TV series that I do like I watch on TV/DVR since I have to pay for the movie channels. Amazon Prime is slowly getting there. But they haven't gotten to the point where their library is big enough.
5. Re:There is an old saying in business by alphatel · 2016-10-12 10:14 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  There's also the fact that IMDB's top 250 simply ain't what it used to be. I mean seriously... Deadpool? Zootopia?
  
  --
  When the foot seeks the place of the head, the line is crossed. Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe.
6. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:28 · Score: 1
  
  Hey, asshole. I love that Deadpool movie. You just can't understand high quality humour and jokes. Ah, just kidding. You just suck.
  Why do you not like Zootopia? Don't you think bunnies are cute? You're a meanie!
7. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:49 · Score: 0
  
  I seem to remember that the movie industry, MPAA maybe, really made it hard for Netflix to get licenses for streaming movie over the internet. So Netflix kind of backed off and took that money to produce original content.
8. Re:There is an old saying in business by Mr+D+from+63 · 2016-10-12 10:55 · Score: 1
  
  Or maybe Netflix's algorithms show that we've all seen these movies already and don't watch them again.
  I've seen every top 250 movie that I care to see, save maybe a few very recent ones. So I'm glad I'm not paying NF to stock movies I won't watch. Give me new material or give me bacon!
9. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:56 · Score: 1
  
  Considering Deadpool is one of the highest rated movies of the year... yeah... you don't know what you're talking about.
10. Re:There is an old saying in business by KingMotley · 2016-10-12 10:56 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  I agree. There is no way deadpool should be at 234. It is easily a top 50.
11. Re:There is an old saying in business by war4peace · 2016-10-12 11:03 · Score: 1
  
  You are partially right. But top 250 has... 250 movies. Some of those have been there for a couple decades if not more. Those are very good movies, almost none of which are in Netflix's list.
  (nice Snowpiercer quote BTW)
  
  --
  ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
12. Re:There is an old saying in business by turp182 · 2016-10-12 11:38 · Score: 1
  
  Have you seen Zootopia?
  It was great, as an over 40 adult. The sloth's running the DMV was genius and makes the entire movie worth a watch.
  Deadpool would probably make my top 250 as well, but I wouldn't ever make such an exhaustive list.
  
  --
  BlameBillCosby.com
13. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 12:08 · Score: 0
  
  Some of them are a couple of decades old but IMDB hasn't even been around in a meaningful fashion for a couple decades.
14. Re: There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 12:33 · Score: 0
  
  Donald? Shouldn't you be busy grabbing women by the pussy?
15. Re:There is an old saying in business by lucm · 2016-10-12 12:42 · Score: 1
  
  Wow! How can I be just like you?
  I LOLed.
  
  --
  lucm, indeed.
16. Re:There is an old saying in business by Dan+East · 2016-10-12 14:26 · Score: 1
  
  I would say there are more people interested in an ever-changing movie database so they can watch movies they haven't seen or movies they haven't seen in a long time, as opposed to your preference that Netflix simply "maintain their current movie collection". They only have finite money, and they learned the very hard way what happens when they increase their rates. So the only choice is to rotate movies and TV shows in and out of their collection.
  
  --
  Better known as 318230.
17. Re:There is an old saying in business by binarybum · 2016-10-12 15:36 · Score: 1
  
  yes they have learned that by increasing their rates they make more money. That's why they just raised them again recently.
  
  --
  ôó
18. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 15:42 · Score: 1
  
  Why do you not like Zootopia? Don't you think bunnies are cute? You're a meanie!
  Zootopia portrays blackmail and police corruption as being fun and the cool thing to do.
19. Re:There is an old saying in business by sittingnut · 2016-10-12 16:57 · Score: 2
  
  imdb lists(or aims to list) and allows its users to rate, all movies produced at all times at any place.
20. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 17:01 · Score: 0
  
  Please let me know the movies you don't like. I'd love to find some new good movies to watch.
  (Hint: Those movies were incredible box office hits. That's usually an indication they're good. Which they actually are. They may not have staying power in the top 250, but it is completely reasonable they'd be there for a while.)
21. Re:There is an old saying in business by mwvdlee · 2016-10-12 17:42 · Score: 2
  
  I dare bet most people would be interrested in an ever-growing movie database. Ever-changing is something they settle with as a second-best solution. What they're actually getting is ever-cheaper with expensive movies being replaced with cheaper movies. The reality is that the IMDB Top 250 is mostly movies popular with movie buffs; a relatively small group. They don't include many of the movies that are popular with a larger crowd. Guess which type of customers Netflix would prefer; a small group of highly opinionated and critical people or a much larger group of people who just want whatever movie was recently released. Netflix picks movies based on what makes them the most money, not on what's had the highest review scores. They optimize supply and demand just like every other company that doesn't give a shit about anything but profit (i.e. every other company).
  
  --
  Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
22. Re:There is an old saying in business by serviscope_minor · 2016-10-12 19:06 · Score: 2
  
  The sloth's running the DMV was genius and makes the entire movie worth a watch.
  That bit had me in stitches! I HAVE BEEN THERE!
  I think only me and my partner were the only people laughing at that bit. We're in the UK and so don't have the DMV, we have the DVLA in Wales which you interact with via the common remote means, so the joke just didn't strike as true.
  
  --
  SJW n. One who posts facts.
23. Re: There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 19:12 · Score: 0
  
  Kevin Bacon?
24. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 19:17 · Score: 0
  
  It's still better than many of the alternatives. Rotten Tomatoes is less than useles, IMDb is at least based on real actual statistical measures of what people liked, than a bunch of detached from reality movie reviewers telling us what we should like but getting it completely wrong. Plenty of reviews gave Star Wars OT terrible reviews at the time but it's still probably the single most succesful film franchise of all time, and so it highlights that their opinions were completely meaningless if they don't even remotely represent what actually interests the viewing public in general, rather than what they think (incorrectly) should interest the viewing public. Their whole purpose is to inform viewers as to whether they are likely to enjoy a film or not, but when there's such disparity between IMDb ratings and review ratings it's pretty clear that almost the entirety of the reviewer industry is staffed by inepts who offer no value, and as such they should be ignored.
  Anyone can use and rate and review on IMDb so it's a far more realistic view of the worth of a film than just about any other measure out there, even if it is imperfect.
25. Re:There is an old saying in business by michelcolman · 2016-10-12 20:43 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  So, I want to see a particular movie tonight, let's see, it's not on Netflix... iTunes will only sell it but not rent it... what other services are there... ah, found it, Bittorrent.
  Why does the MPAA keep trying so hard to push us into piracy? Jeez, I actually switched from being a pirate to wanting to rent movies fair and square, and then I get all this "not available in your area" bullshit. OK, you got your chance, bye!
26. Re:There is an old saying in business by DrXym · 2016-10-12 21:45 · Score: 1
  
  I doubt Netflix pays more than a few cents when someone streams a back catalogue movie. If Netflix isn't showing them it's probably because they haven't got an ongoing arrangement with the rights holder.
27. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 21:49 · Score: 0
  
  Fsck me, how is this modded insightful? The more popular something is on Netflix, the greater the license fee they have pay to the content owner. If an old show or movie gets a new lease of life, it costs Netflix a fucking fortune and it will be dropped at renewal time.
  This is the singular reason they are spending so much on creating their own content. Jeez, there morons are out in force today.
28. Re:There is an old saying in business by Maritz · 2016-10-12 22:14 · Score: 2
  
  I'm weirded out. It sounds like you're saying blackmail and police corruption are bad things...?
  
  --
  I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
29. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 23:45 · Score: 1
  
  Black male and police corruption go hand in hand. Or hands up! oh, reaching for a gun, are we?
30. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 00:06 · Score: 1
  
  EXACTLY. I refuse to pay premiums for a pay to play scheme. Theres already tons of weight against the MPAA/RIAA anyway. I use linux. I will not use an OS just to conform to what they want. I also despise streaming... my internet is too slow for it anyway as I live in a rural area and have to use a WISP to get data to my house. I can stream music but not video. So... I will use the player of my choice and I will download in advance. If you give me a single place to pay for my content that has a fair price I'll do it. Otherwise the above requirements are not negotiable. I have choices.
31. Re:There is an old saying in business by ausekilis · 2016-10-13 00:19 · Score: 1
  
  There's also the fact that IMDB's top 250 simply ain't what it used to be. I mean seriously... Deadpool? Zootopia?
  I'm going to hazard a guess that you aren't a parent to a kid under 8. I can no longer keep track how many times I've seen Zootopia, but its certainly more often than I've seen Inception.
32. Re:There is an old saying in business by Talderas · 2016-10-13 00:38 · Score: 1
  
  A number of the jokes were funny but not unsurprising (like the sloth dmv).
  I found the movie to be an interesting commentary on government corruption and its use of fear to oppress a minority group for its own means.
  
  --
  "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
33. Re:There is an old saying in business by issicus · 2016-10-13 01:44 · Score: 1
  
  Smart ass...
34. Re:There is an old saying in business by gfxguy · 2016-10-13 03:26 · Score: 1
  
  I've only recently begun to watch their originals, and while they're quite good, what I really want in Netflix is catching the movies I was interested but didn't catch in the theaters. Between Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix, you get maybe 3 recent popular movies a year that I haven't seen in theaters, and they aren't the blockbusters. I want these services, in part, because I don't want to see things in theaters anymore, and I don't pirate content. It's still more worthwhile to pay the Amazon rental fee for a decent recent movie every once in a while.
  
  --
  Stupid sexy Flanders.
35. Re:There is an old saying in business by gfxguy · 2016-10-13 03:28 · Score: 1
  
  While we find some content perusing the older movies on IMDB, I'd prefer to see more recent movies - not necessarily top 250. Shawshank and the Godfather are awesome movies, no doubt - I've seen each one at least 10 times. I want Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu (which does carry movies, too) to get some more recent movies that I haven't seen in theaters because I don't go that often.
  
  --
  Stupid sexy Flanders.
36. Re:There is an old saying in business by painandgreed · 2016-10-13 03:52 · Score: 1
  
  You gotta spend money to make money.
  Paying for licenses is expensive, but if you can make money doing it then of course you would. So either Netflix is making a terrible mistake, or there is a difficulty in turning a profit with these license costs in an all-you-can-eat sort of plan that Netflix offers its customers.
  Or the license holders simply aren't allowing movies to be licensed for streaming because their math shows it they would lose money by those movies distracting people from other movies they are letting stream. Could also be that the legal stuff isn't there to allow for streaming, especially for older movies. Hell, there are a lot of movies that made it to VHS but not DVD because the legal stuff isn't there, let alone streaming.
37. Re:There is an old saying in business by Rakarra · 2016-10-13 04:19 · Score: 1
  
  I'm not sure about Deadpool, but Zootopia absolutely deserves its spot, yet.
38. Re:There is an old saying in business by luis_a_espinal · 2016-10-13 06:15 · Score: 1
  
  Why do you not like Zootopia? Don't you think bunnies are cute? You're a meanie!
  Zootopia portrays blackmail and police corruption as being fun and the cool thing to do.
  I think you are incredibly devoted and serious in looking for a fault in a kids' movie.
39. Re:There is an old saying in business by Cederic · 2016-10-13 09:57 · Score: 1
  
  IMDB top 250 isn't the top 250 movies of the year. It's meant to be the top 250 movies of all time.
  Deadpool might make the top 2500. It sure as shit doesn't make the top 250.
40. Re:There is an old saying in business by Cederic · 2016-10-13 10:05 · Score: 1
  
  Shrug. Netflix doesn't contain content I want to access, so they don't get my subscription.
  Offering a good range of movies would make a massive difference. Shit, I'd pay twice their current fee if they had 10k movies that included the top 1000 as rated on IMDB - and kept it updated within a year of cinema release dates.
  I'm spending more than that on a Sky TV subscription a big chunk of which is so that I can access a wide range of films. Most of the suck, some of them are just bloody excellent. Netflix does not compete.
41. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 12:38 · Score: 0
  
  I use Google Play to rent movies. Very easy.
42. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 16:04 · Score: 0
  
  Hope that someone comes into your house and "acquires" some free stuff for themselves from your current possessions you fucking thief.
43. Re:There is an old saying in business by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 17:00 · Score: 1
  
  You know what? I would have no problem with someone coming to my house and making copies of everything I own.
  Except possibly my poetry. No one should see that shit!
44. Re:There is an old saying in business by Coren22 · 2016-10-19 09:17 · Score: 1
  
  The sloth showing up at the end was pretty funny too. I don't want to give spoilers, so won't describe the situation.
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
That is not Netflix's plan by nitehawk214 · 2016-10-12 09:16 · Score: 2

Their plan is become original series only. And then they can entirely drop the catalog of movies and shows.
It protects them from getting pinched by sites that have deals with content producers.
However, are people going to be willing to pay Netflix's fees for just the new series?

--
I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
1. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by AmiMoJo · 2016-10-12 09:23 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  The original series are the reason I subscribe, the other stuff is just an added bonus.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
2. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Austerity+Empowers · 2016-10-12 09:31 · Score: 2
  
  There are months, maybe years worth of TV shows and what not on there too that Netflix didn't make but probably don't cost a fortune in license fees. Plus Netflix has more, good, original content than say HBO. It's not doing too bad.
  Movies I can get via mail if I want them, but increasingly I don't.
3. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:38 · Score: 0
  
  However, are people going to be willing to pay Netflix's fees for just the new series?
  That's the HBO model isn't it ? At least you can subscribe only to Netflix, you can't do that with HBO courtesy of the cable industry fucks.
4. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Moheeheeko · 2016-10-12 09:39 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Agreed. The quality of the original shows they make is well in the top 3 for networks.
5. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2016-10-12 09:41 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  I find their "original" stuff mediocre at best. The licensed movies and TV shows were the *only* reason we subscribed to Netflix streaming in the first place.
  I'm just waiting for my wife to finish a couple BBC murder mysteries that are still on Netflix... then I'm pulling the streaming plug (will keep the DVD subscription, though - at least for now). Dumb thing is - these all aired on PBS's "Masterpiece", but PBS doesn't seem to include most of their more popular shows in their app (and yes, we still have a limited cable subscription so we can get PBS over the wire).
  
  --
  #DeleteChrome
6. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by bickerdyke · 2016-10-12 09:43 · Score: 1
  
  It protects them from getting pinched by sites that have deals with content producers.
  Making deals with content providers is what I expect from a streaming service!
  
  --
  bickerdyke
7. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by SScorpio · 2016-10-12 09:43 · Score: 1
  
  There's HBO Now which is just digitally streamed HBO and you don't need a cable subscription. It's all of HBO's content accessed like Netflix.
  http://www.hbonow.com/
8. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by The+Rizz · 2016-10-12 09:51 · Score: 2
  
  That's the HBO model isn't it ? At least you can subscribe only to Netflix, you can't do that with HBO courtesy of the cable industry fucks.
  Actually, you can. That's what their HBO Now service is for. It costs more than Netflix does, but if you like HBO's original programming and don't want to wait for DVD/BluRay, it's definitely worthwhile to look into.
9. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by mrchaotica · 2016-10-12 10:02 · Score: 0
  
  I have never watched a single "Netflix Original" show, and have no plans to start.
  
  --
  "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
10. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:15 · Score: 1
  
  I have never watched a single "Netflix Original" show, and have no plans to start.
  You're loss. They cover basically the entire spectrum of shows so there's something for everyone. Of course some people are just weird or stubborn or frankly, just trying to feel special. "I don't watch Netflix Orginals" is very rebellious of you. We're all quite impressed.
11. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:31 · Score: 2
  
  He's loss?
  But seriously, their spectrum of shows isn't wide enough yet. Too much "real life" stuff, too much "fantasy" stuff, barely any sci-fiction stuff.
  They did completely nail the 80's feel and vibe with Stranger Things, though.
12. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Some_Llama · 2016-10-12 11:30 · Score: 1
  
  yes, but are you in the majority? netflix can't subsist on a small handful of original content viewers alone.
13. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 11:31 · Score: 0
  
  Their originals are generally quite good. The problem here is that Netflix used to be the best source of movies and TV programs and they're not really being replaced. If you want what they used to have, you have to subscribe to several different sites and pay for large portions of the catalog multiple times with different sites.
  I'd be perfectly happy to kick Netflix to the curb, but there's not much in the way of options here.
14. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Some_Llama · 2016-10-12 11:32 · Score: 1
  
  just ignore this jerk, he doesn't matter.
15. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Some_Llama · 2016-10-12 11:33 · Score: 1
  
  as opposed to how cool and awesome you are by astroturfing for netflix programming.
16. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by SolemnLord · 2016-10-12 11:33 · Score: 1
  
  HBO Now is available in the United States, but god help you if you're not living there. In Canada there's a long-term exclusivity deal between Bell Media and HBO, and if you want to stream HBO you have to have 1. a cable service subscription and 2. a separate HBO subscription. And then you can only use Bell's streaming service, which doesn't always offer up HBO shows as they air.
  As someone who won't ever get a cable subscription, I've got the choice to either 1. pirate, 2. wait, or 3. jump through the hoops of VPNs and prepaid credit cards. I'm lazy, impatient, and want HBO to get my money, so 1 and 2 in combination is hands-down the best.
17. Re: That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 12:37 · Score: 0
  
  Pay for a good VPN service. Problem solved!!!
18. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by lucm · 2016-10-12 12:52 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I hope you'lll find something nice to do with that $8/month you're going to save once your wife is done watching 17 seasons of Midsomer Murders. Maybe treat yourself to a nice latte and cupcake?
  
  --
  lucm, indeed.
19. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by No+Longer+an+AC · 2016-10-12 13:33 · Score: 1
  
  If that's their plan I hope it's a very long-term plan because although I think some of the original series are great I think some of them aren't and it's going to take a long time for them to build up a large enough catalog to be self-sufficient and by the time they do I'll have seen most of the ones I care to - if I haven't died of old age by then.
20. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by ArhcAngel · 2016-10-12 14:06 · Score: 2
  
  Every time I fire up Netflix these days I see more original content. It actually takes me a while to peruse the new titles to see if they interest me. They are being very aggressive in that regard it's simply that they are in the early stages so the library is still relatively small compared to a Paramount or WB. I mean they announced two years ago DareDevil would be the first of five new Marvel titles. Jessica Jones followed and Luke Cage was released a couple of weeks back. Iron Fist is just around the corner to be followed up by The Defenders. Heck The Punisher rated so well in DareDevil they green-lit a new series for him as well. And that's just the Marvel stuff. They have content for most popular genres.
  
  --
  "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
21. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 15:42 · Score: 0
  
  Why? Just get kodi. It's all there and it's all free.
22. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 17:06 · Score: 0
  
  And how long do you think that top rating will last? Content production is far riskier than content distribution, and Netflix was the company that revolutionized the distribution industry, so their turning away from distribution and towards production is not the sign of a healthy company - the telecoms are going to crush everyone in this space.
23. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2016-10-12 17:43 · Score: 1
  
  Eight dollars here, ten dollars there... eventually it adds up to real money. There's no point in spending it if you aren't getting perceived value from it.
  If you're over 35, try a fun little exercise sometime and start adding up the little subscription costs you have now that you didn't have in the 1990s - or that have gone up horrendously since then (like cable TV or perhaps your cell phone bill).
  
  --
  #DeleteChrome
24. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by 91degrees · 2016-10-12 20:01 · Score: 2
  
  Fair enough. I've watched a whole load of them.
  
  I'm the type of customer they're trying to attract. TV shows are much lower risk, and much broader appeal. It's also the stuff that's getting talked about. House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black are shows that get a lot of media attention.
25. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 20:47 · Score: 0
  
  I watched House of Cards, the guy talking to himself constantly was really off-putting.
26. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 21:09 · Score: 0
  
  The important thing about that question is that Netflix knows the answer to the last viewer. Not an estimate based on a sample. So when they make decisions like focussing on original TV rather than movies, they have the exact numbers to base them on.
27. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by nitehawk214 · 2016-10-13 02:31 · Score: 1
  
  I dropped my Netflix sub years ago when their catalog started to drastically shrink; or at the very least when their catalog started to drift towards old B-movies that nobody wanted to watch. Even TV series that I might want to watch were not showing up.
  I might come back to watch some Marvel shows, but once those are over I will cancel again.
  
  --
  I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
28. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by gfxguy · 2016-10-13 03:43 · Score: 1
  
  That's great if you like shows based on comics book heroes - while I will watch the occasional Marvel movie, I'm not invested enough to care about ongoing series. House of Cards and Orange is the New Black are not really my style. Narcos is quite good... My personal tastes aside, is what they are offering enough to justify the monthly fee. If you only like two or three of their shows, then it's more worthwhile to sign up for a couple of months and binge watch, then cancel because, as far as I recall, they don't require a long term subscription. As someone who cord cut a couple of months ago, I'm finding myself actually not very happy - even paying for commercial free Hulu. I've resolved to completely wait out seasons and watch them when they become available instead of watching on-demand from the network websites - I think there might be even more commercials than usual in some instances.
  Back on topic, I don't care how many top-250 movies they have - there are a lot of great movies that aren't in the top 250 (but maybe the top 1000, for example). What I want, and what I think a lot of people want, is newer releases. I like their original content, but I signed up for Netflix for movies.
  
  --
  Stupid sexy Flanders.
29. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Rakarra · 2016-10-13 04:21 · Score: 1
  
  Their plan is become original series only. And then they can entirely drop the catalog of movies and shows.
  So then, instead of being my go-to source for a library of content, they become just another AMC or HBO or Showtime or Starz. Just another TV channel, which is the last thing any of us wanted.
30. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 04:49 · Score: 0
  
  That's 18 seasons now.
31. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by nitehawk214 · 2016-10-13 08:15 · Score: 1
  
  The last thing any of us wanted, but the exact thing AMC, HBO, and Starz want.
  
  --
  I'm a good cook. I'm a fantastic eater. - Steven Brust
32. Re:That is not Netflix's plan by Coren22 · 2016-10-19 09:30 · Score: 1
  
  As a 36 year old, I would like to point out to you, I paid nothing in 1990, as I was 10 years old.
  
  --
  APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
Not Netflix's fault by Daemonik · 2016-10-12 09:17 · Score: 5, Insightful

People blame Netflix for this like it's something they want, which is untrue.
Fact of the matter is that the studios that own the rights to these films won't sign with Netflix because it competes with the cable companies that own them both for on demand streaming and cable channels, as well as studio owned fronts like Hulu.
This is what happens when content providers consolidate with the content delivery companies. Collusion, false monopolies and fixed markets.
It's time for the government to step in and break up the cable/studio/isp's into their separate pieces again.
1. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:28 · Score: 1
  
  And you're a moron, because that's not what they said.
2. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:29 · Score: 0
  
  Or you can just pirate what you want like a normal person.
3. Re:Not Netflix's fault by H3lldr0p · 2016-10-12 09:38 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  In addition to the breakup, I'd like to see movies and television put under a compulsory licensing scheme after, say five years. Set up a similar system to how music royalties get collected and paid out. This way companies like YouTube and Netflix can stop worry about this and follow where the demand takes them. The five year buffer doesn't stop studios from cutting deals to get shows and movies out to platforms of choice earlier and gives them time to sell the physical media.
4. Re:Not Netflix's fault by SvnLyrBrto · 2016-10-12 09:45 · Score: 5, Insightful
  
  Those studios are shooting themselves in the foot though. Who wants to have to deal with multiple accounts and hunt down the show they want to watch across Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Go/Now, CBS whatever, Vudu, Crackle, FXnow, and so and so on and so on? For many, Netflix is the first and only stop, and if what they want to watch isn't there, they wont scour the ends of the internet for it. They'll goto the one place they know it will be available: The Pirate Bay.
  
  --
  Imagine all the people...
5. Re: Not Netflix's fault by thundercattt · 2016-10-12 09:53 · Score: 1
  
  That's what I do. I like older movies from the 1900's. I'd go on there and watch em. Eventually newer stuff got added. I'd watch them too. I unsubscribed because anything I'd search for was gone. Or they started the VPN witch hunt. Back to ye ol Pirate Bay
6. Re:Not Netflix's fault by mrchaotica · 2016-10-12 10:04 · Score: 1
  
  The five year buffer doesn't stop studios from cutting deals to get shows and movies out to platforms of choice earlier and gives them time to sell the physical media.
  So what? How does that benefit the public (which is the only valid purpose of copyright in the first place)?
  I see no reason not to do compulsory licensing without some arbitrary and capricious "buffer."
  
  --
  "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
7. Re:Not Netflix's fault by bobbied · 2016-10-12 10:08 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  No, but that's at least a logical conclusion you can reach when someone asks the Federal government to get involved in this..
  Government isn't the answer to nearly 99% of the questions it tries to answer..
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
8. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:12 · Score: 0
  
  That and those companies demanding shitloads of money for decades old movies and TV shows that should be in the public domain anyway. People blame Netflix because the media companies demand the unreasonable; that's not Netflix's fault. They are the ones who are selling a rational, affordable, modern media system; don't blame them for the consequences of the the actions of the backwards dinosaurs who want to sabotage Netflix's model and keep everyone paying for their antiquated model of content distribution. Put blame where it is due, on the people causing the problem, not the ones trying to fix it.
  Media companies wonder why people pirate; I pay for Netflix, and I pay for Amazon Prime. Cable doesn't work with my schedule (for example, I tried watching when it came out Supergirl, caught the first episode, missed the second and third, gave up after that, fortunately it is now on Netflix), so I cut that because it is an outdated and inefficient technology. Why should I pay for something to tell me my schedule when vastly superior technology is readily available? I want to pay for new content and things that I like, as I do for Netflix originals like Daredevil and Bojack Horseman. The media companies don't seem to want that; they want to cling onto their model instead of adapting. Blame them, not Netflix.
9. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:40 · Score: 0
  
  Well I use a smaller tracker, but for the most part you are correct. if it's not on Netflix I go torrent it. It's the same with the handful of TV series I like, a day or two after it airs I go torrent it, watch it and delete it.
10. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:45 · Score: 1
  
  No, but that's at least a logical conclusion you can reach when someone asks the Federal government to get involved in this..
  Right. Because when the government got involved in the road system, they also decided which destination each person should drive to and when.
11. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:48 · Score: 0
  
  Nice! An opinion stated as a fact along with a made up statistic. Very convincing.
12. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 11:04 · Score: 0
  
  Exactly. Music has an immediate compulsory licence and that seems to be working out just fine.
13. Re: Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 11:27 · Score: 0
  
  No, but that's at least a logical conclusion you can reach when someone asks the Federal government to get involved in this..
  I believe you have confused the term "conclusion" with a more appropriate word like "speculation" or "assertion" though I suppose you could have meant to use "illogical" instead.
  
  Government isn't the answer to nearly 99% of the questions it tries to answer..
  Making up groundless assertions may serve your desire for emotional rhetoric, but they are strictly speaking, quite illogical. All they serve to establish is your own tendency to embellish your words.
  If you must make such statements, try restricting yourself to something like "many" or "a large number" as it would make you less of an ass.
14. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 11:34 · Score: 0
  
  What happened was that Netflix wanted money to expand into foreign countries and raised rates on American subscribers to fund that. At that same time, the content owners decided they wanted to get more money for their programming and Netflix didn't have the money in part because they'd already spent it expanding into other countries.
  The rightsholders wouldn't have been an issue if Netflix hadn't decided that they wanted to be a streaming company rather than a DVD company of if they hadn't sold out the DVD folks.
15. Re:Not Netflix's fault by bobbied · 2016-10-12 12:19 · Score: 1
  
  Lest you forget, I didn't use an absolute 100%... There ARE things for which the government is the answer... The national defense and roads are among the correct answers..
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
16. Re:Not Netflix's fault by bobbied · 2016-10-12 12:26 · Score: 1
  
  Seriously, take it for what it obviously is. A mind set that says, "Government is the answer of last resort" and "Government should be as small as possible, and we should be striving to make it smaller."
  There are way to many folks who think that any problem is a chance for a bigger government and that's simply wrong headed. We where founded with the principle of LIMITED government, with LIMITED powers that left us free in as many ways as possible. Now days, folks demand MORE government, more laws, more entitlements, not seeming to care that with every one of these we loose just a little bit more of our freedom....
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
17. Re:Not Netflix's fault by H3lldr0p · 2016-10-12 12:27 · Score: 1
  
  It may not be popular right now, but compromise is how we get things done. In this case, the studios and big copyright get something in return for giving up their harebrained platform exclusivity. The ability to see how harebrained platform exclusivity is for a certain time before everybody fills their coffers.
18. Re: Not Netflix's fault by bobbied · 2016-10-12 12:29 · Score: 1
  
  Seriously AC....
  How's "Nearly 99%" and what you suggest all that different? Consider it a mind set, a principle, a world view and move on.
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
19. Re: Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 12:43 · Score: 0
  
  Lay down the crack pipe. Nobody is asking the Federal Government to run these companies. We're asking them to use their well established antitrust powers to prevent what is clearly collusion in the market place to decrease competition and artificially inflate prices.
20. Re:Not Netflix's fault by lucm · 2016-10-12 13:04 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Government isn't the answer to nearly 99% of the questions it tries to answer..
  True. That's why we badly need someone who could make America great again.
  
  --
  lucm, indeed.
21. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Daemonik · 2016-10-12 13:12 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  The problem that small limited government people like you seem to never understand though is that we need the government to balance out the already overpowered corporate system. As it is corporations still have too much power but remove government as a counter and we'd be nothing more than barcoded slaves living a dystopia.
  
  We where founded with the principle of LIMITED government, with LIMITED powers that left us free in as many ways as possible.
  Also stop living in the past. The US was also founded on the principle's that only land owners got to vote and slaves counted as 3/5ths of a person. Things change.
22. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Daemonik · 2016-10-12 13:18 · Score: 0
  
  Sure, if you can even get to the Pirate Bay this week, if the entertainment industry isn't having their DNS blocked or seeding fake torrents or merging with ISP's and slowing all the torrent users to an absolute crawl or busy writing international treaties that require ISP's to monitor everything you do and cut you off from the internet for life for crossing their line.
  The entertainment industry has lawyers, money and patience. They can and will do whatever it takes to get you to continue to solicit their offerings even if it's just by making the alternatives a complete hassle.
23. Re:Not Netflix's fault by jezwel · 2016-10-12 14:39 · Score: 1
  
  It's time for the government to step in and break up the cable/studio/isp's into their separate pieces again.
  Separate into:
  * internet wholesalers
  * internet service providers
  * content owners/content delivery
  This would enable retail competition at the ISP level, reduce costs by removing the overbuilding of last mile infrastructure (hopefully allowing best-of-breed), and remove ISP specific content.
  We were trying to do that in Australia, however a new government was elected and decided that the best-of-breed infrastructure (fibre) was too expensive to rollout, so now we're going to be lumbered with a bunch of high-cost last mile technologies, and a problem in getting the thing built within a budget where revenue exceeds costs.
24. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 14:59 · Score: 0
  
  > For many, Netflix is the first and only stop
  Bingo. When I first considered netflix I searched the shows and movies I wanted to watch and was dissapointed that they weren't on netflix. Then eventually I did sign up and just went to netflix first to figure out what to watch. I don't even watch stuff that's not on there anymore and I'm never short of quality content. Maybe rent one or two movies a year that aren't there.
25. Re:Not Netflix's fault by laddiebuck · 2016-10-12 15:09 · Score: 1
  
  I've seen people hunt around for shows on Amazon and Hulu or whatever rather than trying to torrent. In fact I have a Roku and it has a built in cross-service search. The studios are not dumb. I wish there was compulsory licensing for movies and shows too, but the fact is, they are making bank on the current model.
26. Re:Not Netflix's fault by drinkypoo · 2016-10-12 17:48 · Score: 2
  
  corporations still have too much power but remove government as a counter and we'd be nothing more than barcoded slaves living a dystopia.
  That argument made more sense before the corporations got control of the government.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
27. Re:Not Netflix's fault by bobbied · 2016-10-13 02:25 · Score: 1
  
  Also stop living in the past. The US was also founded on the principle's that only land owners got to vote and slaves counted as 3/5ths of a person. Things change.
  Yet we are quite past all that now. Not to mention that NONE of these imply the government needs to be bigger to deal with the issue. In fact, all that was required was to change the law and practice of voting to what we have now.
  Yes, things change, but just because some idea seems new to you, doesn't make it new nor does new mean better. I quite like the principles upon which this country was founded and I think folks like you are all too quick to abandon even the pretense of giving lip service to our founders principles. Of course that is to be expected when these principles are no longer taught or held as being historically important and revolutionary as they really were (and still are).
  Socialists, progressives, liberals, communists, are all the same idea, bigger government is the answer, people cannot be responsible for themselves. Changing the name doesn't make it a different idea, nor does a different name produce a different result. I advocate for freedom and liberty and the necessarily small government that allows them to exist, for the genius of our founding principles.
  
  --
  "File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
28. Re:Not Netflix's fault by gfxguy · 2016-10-13 03:49 · Score: 1
  
  I agree with you in principle - less government intervention actually generally works out better for consumers. But while I'm definitely a capitalist at heart, and truly believe in the free market, I also believe the problems in the free market revolve around companies trying to make the free market not so free. So if the government steps in and doesn't dictate what movies Netflix can carry - but instead has policies and policing to actually keep the free market free from price fixing and collusion, then I'm all for it. After that, then the free market decides for itself what movies Netflix will choose to license, and then we can choose which services we want. I love the free market paradigm, but the "evils" of capitalism (like collusion) work against the free market, not for it.
  
  --
  Stupid sexy Flanders.
29. Re:Not Netflix's fault by KlomDark · 2016-10-13 04:24 · Score: 1
  
  Who's gonna make America great again? (A serious answer, not the Trumpster)
30. Re:Not Netflix's fault by cthulhu11 · 2016-10-13 20:25 · Score: 1
  
  ... until they get sued.
31. Re:Not Netflix's fault by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · 2016-10-20 07:23 · Score: 1
  
  Rhetorically, any time someone objects that maybe the government isn't the best idea for something, these types always trot out roads, or police, or some other very basic thing that is 180 degrees and 4000 miles away from the subject under discussion.
  
  --
  (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Whant to guess why I canceled? by dbialac · 2016-10-12 09:18 · Score: 2, Interesting

I came to realize I was paying to watch one original series for a week a year, five seasons of Top Gear and Futurama. I could get everything else that I might watch elsewhere and more. It stopped being worth subscribing.
1. Re:Whant to guess why I canceled? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:29 · Score: 0
  
  This...
  The real power in the consumers hands regarding netflix is watching for something you want to see come into their library, then subbing for one month, binge watching it and cancelling until the next title shows up. It's a shame, but that's what they're good for at this point.
2. Re:Whant to guess why I canceled? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 15:10 · Score: 0
  
  And this is the GOAL of the movie studios.
Somewhat in Netflix's Defense by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:19 · Score: 0

Looking through that list, I've seen most of those movies.
Of those I've seen, I would not have seen half of them had they not been on Netflix at some point in the past.
Of those I've not seen, I have noticed them in the Netflix catalog off and on over the years, I just never managed to watch them.
dvd.netflix.com by Kludge · 2016-10-12 09:19 · Score: 5, Insightful

I still have not subscribed to the streaming part of netflix.
I still get the dvds.
1. Re:dvd.netflix.com by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:30 · Score: 0
  
  I still have not subscribed to the streaming part of netflix.
  I still get the dvds.
  I get both. I pay a little more, but I have no complaints about lack of content. In fact, I bemoan my lack of time to watch everything in my queue(s).
2. Re:dvd.netflix.com by somenickname · 2016-10-12 09:32 · Score: 2
  
  The nice thing about the Bluray/DVD service is you can just rip the disk to your file server and send it back. Well, I mean, if you wanted to... Not that I would ever amass dozens of terabytes of ripped Blurays or anything... Never.
3. Re:dvd.netflix.com by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:47 · Score: 0
  
  so, is the original article only about the streaming service? it doesn't say, so it's hard to tell. we subscribe to both their streaming and disc plans -- but i confess i might not have noticed if the "imdb top 250" weren't fairly represented in either one.
4. Re:dvd.netflix.com by suutar · 2016-10-12 10:04 · Score: 1
  
  I get both, though the DVD catalog is wearing out over time and the stuff I'm interested in is niche enough to not get replaced promptly (or at all...) so at some point I will probably drop that side.
5. Re:dvd.netflix.com by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:29 · Score: 0
  
  Spinning storage isn't cheap, but I hear you.. Drop the disk into my file server and presto, an hour or so later it's ripped and by the next day it's encoded so you can stream just about any device in the house.
  Not that I ever do this with rented material... Yes officer, I have the disks for all that...
6. Re:dvd.netflix.com by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:31 · Score: 0
  
  How are you ripping Bluray/DVDs?
7. Re:dvd.netflix.com by chrisautrey · 2016-10-12 10:58 · Score: 1
  
  http://lmgtfy.com/?q=How+are+y...
8. Re: dvd.netflix.com by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 11:11 · Score: 0
  
  so...why not start your own streaming service to compete with Netflix ;)
9. Re: dvd.netflix.com by somenickname · 2016-10-12 11:35 · Score: 1
  
  It's my understanding that copyright infringement/bootlegging is most frequently prosecuted on the distribution angle. If you are torrenting something, you are actually involved in distribution. If you are making bootleg copies and selling them on the street, that's also distribution. Ripping rentals is a time honored tradition that stems back to the days of VCRs (You only have one VCR? You're doing it wrong...). If one were to have a large collection of ripped rental Blurays, I have no doubt that some law has been broken but, probably, no one cares. Well, until you setup a service that starts distributing that content. Then the FBI will be repelling through your windows with flashbangs and shooting your dog.
10. Re: dvd.netflix.com by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 11:50 · Score: 0
  
  not if you set your upload speed to 0
11. Re:dvd.netflix.com by 91degrees · 2016-10-12 22:28 · Score: 1
  
  Not sure Netflix are even offering that any more, outside the US.
I don't use Netflix for movies much anymore by JMZero · 2016-10-12 09:20 · Score: 5, Interesting

I'd much rather Netflix spends their money on TV shows (especially originals) than chasing expensive, popular movies. If I feel I need to watch The Dark Knight again (and I don't expect to) I'll find a way. No - I stay subscribed to them for TV: Stranger Things and House of Cards and Better Call Saul.
Well, that and my kids have been into Digimon lately.

--
Let's not stir that bag of worms...
1. Re:I don't use Netflix for movies much anymore by Some_Llama · 2016-10-12 11:28 · Score: 1
  
  i left netflix for the opposite reason, i want to watch movies, not TV series, i have other ways to watch TV series but not movies.
2. Re:I don't use Netflix for movies much anymore by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 02:48 · Score: 0
  
  I use Netflix pretty much exclusively for older TV shows. I've enjoyed binge-watching House, The Office, The West Wing, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Psych, Third Rock from the Sun, and a bunch of others.
Movie streaming sucks. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:27 · Score: 0

If you want to watch a blockbuster say Star Wars via streaming, the only option I've found is BUYING it from Amazon - and that is only streaming via Amazon - for $30.
No thanks. I'd rather buy the DVD at Target.
When Netflix got rid of or lost Doctor Who, that was it. Bye-bye.
1. Re:Movie streaming sucks. by Geeky · 2016-10-12 21:37 · Score: 1
  
  A late reply to an AC, so I doubt this will be seen, but Google Play often has lower prices for movies than Amazon. I paid £12.59 for the Force Awakens (albeit including a 10% discount for being a Play Music subscriber).
  
  --
  Sigs are so 1990s. No way would I be seen dead with one.
I might sound like a broken record by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:29 · Score: 0

The piratebay has all of them.
The biggest reason that I don't get netflix (or other similar subscription services) is that there is no way to know beforehand what you are paying for. Netflix doesn't even have a public list of available series and movies as far as I'm aware.
1. Re:I might sound like a broken record by cshay · 2016-10-12 12:54 · Score: 2
  
  Enjoy:
  http://instantwatcher.com/sear...
This is why I cancelled after one month by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:33 · Score: 0

When I first got Netflix I sat down, logged in, and couldn't find the first ten movies I searched for. I couldn't find a single movie by Spielberg, the Coen Brothers, Kubrick, Wes Anderson, Scorsese, ... Essentially, the Netflix library I saw included several of the big name new releases for a short time, and the contents of the $6 DVD bargain bin.
Pay for the individual shows. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:41 · Score: 0

I've tried every pay service on the internet to watch TV and movies. At present I'm only still subscribed to Amazon and Netflix. After crunching the numbers I discovered it was cheaper to buy the entire season of any individual show I wanted to watch that wasn't on Amazon or Netflix. With my viewing patterns this led to a lower yearly cost versus any other set of subscriptions.
imdb? ewwwww by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:42 · Score: 0

Can't even stand being on the home page with their full page tranny series adds.
What's IMDB? by avandesande · 2016-10-12 09:43 · Score: 1

I usually watch foreign movies on Netflix. Most US made movies aren't worth watching anyway....

--
love is just extroverted narcissism
1. Re:What's IMDB? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 12:58 · Score: 0
  
  I usually watch foreign movies on Netflix. Most US made movies aren't worth watching anyway....
  Found the trendy hipster!
2. Re:What's IMDB? by avandesande · 2016-10-13 03:41 · Score: 1
  
  Hardly. Just a jaded old guy. Last time I was at the movies was 'the hobbit' movie and that gave me a lifetimes worth of American movie pleasure.
  
  --
  love is just extroverted narcissism
but i like it for the bad movies by shadowrat · 2016-10-12 09:45 · Score: 1

I have always liked the B to D grade stuff netflix streams. Even terrible sci-fi and horror films will often have at least one interesting idea. I like to just put them on in the background while i code or game or something. If they get interesting, i'm like, "yeah! score! hidden gem!", if they suck, it's no big deal. It feels like i'm getting this content for almost free.

If a movie comes along that's so great it's going down as one of the best movies ever, I'll gladly buy a ticket for it. Then i've seen it. I don't need my netflix price to go up because they are licensing this stuff i've already seen.

Also, Luke Cage is good.
DVDs instead of streaming by SeriousTube · 2016-10-12 09:48 · Score: 2

This is why I get their DVDs instead of streaming. I haven't made a count but they have a far higher percentage than that on DVD. I've gotten the impression they have 8 or 10 times as many movies on DVD as on streaming.
1. Re:DVDs instead of streaming by indytx · 2016-10-12 23:28 · Score: 1
  
  This is why I get their DVDs instead of streaming. I haven't made a count but they have a far higher percentage than that on DVD. I've gotten the impression they have 8 or 10 times as many movies on DVD as on streaming.
  Netflix has almost EVERYTHING on DVD/BR.
  
  --
  Make love, not reality television.
It's one foot or the other by H3lldr0p · 2016-10-12 09:50 · Score: 3, Interesting

I'll give the studios some credit in this. It would appear they looked at what happened with music and book publishers and decided they didn't want any one company lording over them and being able to cut deals like Amazon and Apple did. For them, it's a choice of either shooting their left foot and let Netflix have what they want at whatever price they can get or shoot their right foot by forcing people to have more than one account.
Only time will show which one they shot.
Disc or Streaming? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:55 · Score: 0

Neither the summary nor the article says whether it's talking about DVDs or online, yet THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT OF THE SUBJECT. Streaming has always had a low percentage of titles available. If you're not willing to rent discs, how can you complain that you can't find what you want?
Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 09:57 · Score: 0

Aside from the fact that the inability to get licensing deals has nothing to do with Netflix and everything to do with studios thinking they can just roll up their movies into their own streaming service and convince people to pay 10 bucks a month to every studio to get the movies they want, this is a list that has The Dark Knight as the 4th best movie and is blatantly overpopulated with Hollywood movies that came out in the last 2 decades. I mean, they're all probably worth a watch if you can, but the number of movies on this list that Netflix has doesn't really reflect anything other than the fact that studios don't understand why Netflix took off as a service.
And, honestly, the attitude from the article of, “I haven’t heard of any of these movies. Aren’t there any good movies on here?” is ignorant as hell. "Gosh, I don't recognize anything, it must all suck!" Or you could look for something that looks interesting and try it. God forbid you try new things.
Over time... by hhawk · 2016-10-12 10:17 · Score: 1

I think what would matter is over say a 5 year period how many of them they have...
That they have to balance old content vs. new content.... it is a real hard cost to license everything, always, forever.
But knowing in any given 5 or 10 year period that most of the good stuff is rotating through.. would be enough for me.
another approach is what percent of their customers want old content vs. newer, I like older but I watch about 95% new / 5% old...

--
http://www.hawknest.com/
DVD's by skatefriday · 2016-10-12 10:22 · Score: 1

I know you kids have seen them in your parent's closet. Little plastic round things? Netflix ships them out to the 23 customers still on the DVD plan. And yeah, what really sucks is they are starting to squeeze the DVD service also. No more Saturday processing. Fewer buys of obscure stuff. Even ignoring popular stuff (Want Heartland on DVD? Only one of Canada's most popular shows ever. Region 1 DVD's released. Not on Netflix).
1. Re:DVD's by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:36 · Score: 0
  
  Heartland is probably licensed to a Canadian company that won't release broadcasting/streaming rights to anyone else.
  Anyway, IMHO Canada's most popular show ever was Corner Gas. The first scene of the serie itself is priceless. The sarcasm was thick enough to cut with a knife and the punchline was just icing on the cake. If cakes were completely flat*, I mean.
  * Corner Gas fans will understand the inside joke.
is it still called cord cutting when you cancel ne by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 10:27 · Score: 0

yup!
Shrinkage? by Bodhammer · 2016-10-12 10:28 · Score: 1

New meaning to "Netflix and Chill(y)"?

--
"I say we take off, nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Correction to article & summary by MobyDisk · 2016-10-12 10:29 · Score: 3, Informative

Well, it's a pretty common fact at this point that Netflix's *streaming* library is shrinking.
Stranger Things - Nuff Said by turp182 · 2016-10-12 10:37 · Score: 1

Season two is in production.
And their kids offerings are great (I watch Phineas and Ferb with and without the kids, it's very well written).
Anyway, we binge watched the first season of Stranger Things and it was awesome (Goonies melded with ET melded with The Bodyguard melded with the Force from Star Wars - freaking incredible). And there's another dimension.

--
BlameBillCosby.com
1. Re:Stranger Things - Nuff Said by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 01:01 · Score: 0
  
  "He's a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal of act-ion,
  He's a furry little flatfoot who'll never flinch from a fray!
  He's got more than just mad skill,
  He's got a beaver tail and bill,
  And the women swoon whenever they hear him say..."
ThePirateBay has all of them by PeeAitchPee · 2016-10-12 10:39 · Score: 3, Informative

Just torrent from the green and pink skulls and you can be pretty sure you're not ending up with malware.
1. Re:ThePirateBay has all of them by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 14:41 · Score: 0
  
  Yes i agree. mod parent up.
2. Re:ThePirateBay has all of them by Kohlrabi82 · 2016-10-12 16:38 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Yeah, it's not only that Piratebay and friends obviously offer the bigger catalogue of content. It's also that you get a DRM-free version you can play anywhere, anytime without being online.
  Do sites like Netflix really expect to be paid for worse service? I'd still be willing to pay for a service (monthly, or per-content) if it allowed the ease of use and freedom of pirating sites. Not that I really use those, I essentially stopped watching TV shows and movies, except for one or two shows hosted via Amazon Prime, Netflix wasn't at all worth it because I only was interested in one or two shows, but since I don't binge-watch, finishing one might take months, which makes this service much more expensive than a box set of Blurays.
  But sadly Blurays are shit and insulting. I have to sit through minutes of shitty menus and anti-piracy shit, even though I paid €15 for a movie. I cannot play Bluray on my PC without buying some software for playback, like the now-defunct AnyDVD, or MakeMKV. I certainly won't buy a shitty special player software, which locks me in even further.
  Streaming sites are shit. Ever changing catalogues, small amount of content and the fact that sometimes they only offer half the seasons of a TV show (Amazon, I'm looking at you). Add to that that I am forced to be online. So it is unusable on business trips on the plane or in hotels with bad WiFi, a situation where I'm more likely to just watch a movie or show than at home. On top we have DRM playback software, which forces me to use Chrome.
  Offer me a way to get the content onto my PC DRM-free, without jumping through hoops, and we might have a deal.
3. Re:ThePirateBay has all of them by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 03:36 · Score: 0
  
  Piratebay does not have any recent torrents for TV shows and movies, quality is really falling off, old torrents not seeded anymore, shell of its former self
4. Re:ThePirateBay has all of them by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 05:16 · Score: 0
  
  Do sites like Netflix really expect to be paid for [legal] service?
Always a fundamental weakness of their model by real+gumby · 2016-10-12 11:12 · Score: 1

When someone else controls the content, you end up as a "dumb pipe". The carriers don't like that (fuck them -- they should just become a public utilitty like the water) and Netflix had the same problem at layer 7. So instead they are burning capital making their own content. Good luck to them.
I assume they made payoffs to the publishers to avoid this problem with DVDs. Redbox would't and famously had troubles.
They're responding to demand by damn_registrars · 2016-10-12 11:14 · Score: 1

The majority of their customers aren't watching Citizen Kane and other cinematic masterpieces. Far more want to binge watch the entire Fast and Furious series in between runs of Jackass. The top movies are generally already owned on DVD by the people who want to watch them, as few of them came out in the past 5-10 years (which is generally the period of time that Netflix focuses on).

--
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
1. Re:They're responding to demand by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 00:40 · Score: 0
  
  Precisely.
  Even if they had the entire "Top 250", how many of their subscribers would bother watching those titles? The new stuff might be crap, but between the films and all of the TV shows, the sheer volume is sufficient to meet demand. It's the same phenomenon we saw in the days of the video store where the old films gathered dust and everyone flocked to the "New Release" rack.
Statistics by JBMcB · 2016-10-12 11:16 · Score: 1

Why 250? Why not top 50? Or top 10? Or top 500? Is 250 significant?

--
My Other Computer Is A Data General Nova III.
1. Re:Statistics by Jon+Abbott · 2016-10-12 13:17 · Score: 1
  
  Good question. Based on a logarithmic fit curve of the IMDb Top 250 movies (with an R^2 of 0.97), it would appear that larger lists would still contain movies with relatively high ratings. Currently the lowest rating on the Top 250 list is 8.0. Extrapolating from the fit curve, here are some other possibilities:
  - a Top 500 list would have movies with a rating of >= ~7.8
  - a Top 1000 list would have movies with a rating of >= ~7.6
  - a Top 2000 list would have movies with a rating of >= ~7.5
  - a Top 10000 list would have movies with a rating of >= ~7.1
  It would be nice if IMDb revamped their top movie list so that one could arbitrarily choose the number of titles to show.
  
  --
  Slashdot's first reaction to VMware
No longer subscribed by OrigamiMarie · 2016-10-12 12:06 · Score: 1

That's consistent with my having dropped my subscription several months back. I had watched everything I wanted to watch that I could find on Netflix. And I couldn't rewatch some of it, because it had been pulled.
Why don't they offer movies from India? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 14:15 · Score: 0

No, seriously, I'd like them to mine the best ones and put them online. I bet some are good, maybe even very good.
An excellent one I saw is "Like Stars on Earth".
How many of the top 250 are on cable? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-12 14:28 · Score: 0

Not many I would guess
Tried to go "legit" by ichthus · 2016-10-12 15:38 · Score: 1

I've been torrenting for... idunno... YEARS. A couple of months ago, I bought a $30 Netflix gift card, signed up, and gave it a whirl. I installed a couple of Kodi plugins for Netflix. One didn't work at all, and the other worked for two weeks before Netflix changed something and broke it. I watched Stranger Things, but then couldn't really find anything else that interested me.

So, now I've canceled my account and will continue to torrent for the foreseeable future. It doesn't ever break, and it has everything I want in a nice, convenient interface. I have an Amazon Prime account, and the local county library system also has a great selection. If I only torrent whats {on Amazon, broadcast TV, at the library}, what's the diffy diff? Right?

--
sig: sauer
True, but you wouldn't get Luke Cage by rsilvergun · 2016-10-12 16:14 · Score: 1, Insightful

or Stranger Things. Or any of the original shows that Netflix is creating to try and survive. It's tough to argue for compulsory licensing to improve competition when competition is resulting in more content. Not that I'm necessarily opposed to your idea, I just don't think it'll fly in the the face of what we're seeing.

--
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
So what service has the best movie selection now? by ayesnymous · 2016-10-12 17:39 · Score: 1

A few years ago when I trialed Amazon Prime, their movie selection didn't seem great. Doubt that's improved recently. What service has the best selection?
Distribution sucks by Boronx · 2016-10-12 18:01 · Score: 1

Movies should be licensed websites the same as music is licensed to radio. Anyone can play anything in the library, but you have to pay the royalty. That way Netflix, Hulu, Amazon would compete only on delivery and price, and they'd have an order of magnitude more content each. And we'd have a bunch of new competitors.

--
Play Command HQ online
more like a Gump question by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 04:00 · Score: 0

Most people have seen those movies too many times and probably have their own copy, or find them overrated crap and have zero interest in watching them again on Netflix or are just indifferent and have other interests.
Perhaps the author needs to watch A Brilliant Mind and learn a little bit about the Nash equilibrium.
Higher prices for less choices? by acoustix · 2016-10-13 04:01 · Score: 1

How can Netflix defend higher prices with less quality choices?

--
"A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
"top 250" by micahraleigh · 2016-10-13 05:05 · Score: 1

Are these "top 250" movies like Dr. Zhivago and The Revenant?

Because I would be just fine with out the anti-morality / trash / political preaching.
Cell phone prices by AF_Cheddar_Head · 2016-10-13 05:57 · Score: 1

Think about this for a minute:
In 1977 may father paid $25 per month for a single line plus any long distance fees (average $45 per month with three teenager in the house) and no access to any on-line stuff because it did not exist. He also paid about .$0.45 per gallon of gas.
Today I pay $150 per month for four phones with unlimited long distance and shared 15GB of data. I pay $2.50 for a gallon of gas. The phone has tripled while gas is five times as expensive.
When compared to other items the price of phone service has declined not risen.
WHO CARES? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-10-13 06:07 · Score: 0

This is impressive engineering and business smarts. Netflix knows what you like well enough to optimize how much it pays for licenses and what original content it produces. Instead of paying big bucks for hit movies, they pay smaller bucks for a larger variety of entertainment that their users actually like either just as much or more than they like the hits.