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Enemy Number One is Netflix: The Monster That's Eating Hollywood (business-standard.com)
From a WSJ report: Tara Flynn, a rising star at a TV production unit of 21st Century Fox, walked into her boss's office last August and told him she was quitting and joining streaming-video giant Netflix Inc. The news was not well-received. "Netflix is public enemy No. 1," said Bert Salke, the head of Fox 21 Television Studios, where Ms. Flynn was a vice president, according to a Netflix legal filing. When Netflix finalized Ms. Flynn's hire a few weeks later, Fox sued, accusing it of a "brazen campaign" to poach Fox executives. In response, Netflix argued Fox's contracts are "unlawful and unenforceable." The ongoing legal battle is just one sign of the escalating tensions between Netflix and Hollywood as the streaming-video company moves from being an upstart dabbling in original programming to a big-spending entertainment powerhouse that will produce more than 70 shows this year. It is expanding into new genres such as children's fare, reality TV and stand-up comedy specials -- including a $40 million deal for two shows by Chris Rock. The shift has unnerved some TV networks that had become used to Netflix's original content being focused on scripted dramas and sitcoms. Netflix's spending on original and acquired programming this year is expected to be more than $6 billion, up from $5 billion last year, more than double what Time Warner Inc.'s HBO spends and five times as much as 21st Century Fox's FX or CBS Corp.'s Showtime.
Imagine that, spend more on developing quality original content and consumers and producers will flock to you. Who would've thought... The legacy production houses had a huge leg up but never bothered, remaining content in their old, "good-enough-to-get-enough-eyeballs-for-advertisers" model. Looks like Blockbuster won't be the only giant getting taken down by Netflix.
Netflix organized themselves around innovation. The studios did not -- they organized themselves around "wall building" techniques: Net Neutrality, DRM, Anti Piracy campaigns, political lobbying and more. Now Netflix is winning and what do the studios do? Whine.
Just add {In Space!} to anything.
Every old business model fights to save itself, and accuses the new business model of some nefarious intent. Sears->Walmart Taxis->Uber/Lyft Barnes&Noble->Amazon Yahoo->Google Newspapers->Slashdot/Reddit/Blogs etc. etc. Business is best when new, healthy models overtake old, unhealthy businesses. It is called "creative destruction" and it has been going on for a long, long time.
A company whose employee retention plan is to call the lawyers likely isn't a great place to work anyways.
Once you are used to not having *everything* and realize you have *enough*, Netflix becomes the unquestionable leader.
You just have to get over the idea that it is worth paying 15x as much to get "everything". After you have had Netflix you realize you can't watch everything so why pay for it.
The problem with the networks and cable channels is that they put out really crappy "reality shows" because it's cheaper and can't understand why people quit watching their shows and cut the chord and start getting their TV from places like Netflix.
Meanwhile, Netflix, who have a much better pulse on who is watching what (they get better access. Direct access to the data) pick up shows that people actually want to watch. (it's not reality shows). Then they make sure they are done right. A lot of what Netflix produces is much better than the average from networks and cable.
If you want to fight Netflix- create shows that people want to see and stop cutting corners producing reality shows.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Then why are most Netflix shows such drivel, especially when compared to HBO's original offerings?
You have cited the two shows which are quality on HBO with Westworld being the best show I have ever watched but try to name another HBO show. After I watched Westworld I searched HBO for something else on that level and came up short for even anything else to watch.
IMO, Netflix has a much deeper catalog with more consistent/diverse offerings and it's only growing for here.
What Netflix original programming have you watched? I recommend the first seasons of Sense 8, Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Black MIrror and Bloodline.
Netflix's push for more original content is, partly, a result of the major studios effort to starve Netflix of content a few years ago.
Netflix decided to use the money it was no longer spending on licensing to the studios to buy or finance Netflix 'original' content. Much of the original content is even made by the TV production departments of the very studios that are complaining about Netflix. If the major studios had financed these productions, they would have made the first pass profits and then licensed re-runs to Netflix.
By breaking this model, the studios left a big chunk of the viewing (and paying) market un-served. Netflix stepped up to the plate and said "We'll take those profits that you are leaving on the table, thank you very much!"
The studios bosses need to read pogo.
The serialized shows are a double edged sword. They might encourage me to stick with a series, but they also discourage me from starting one, especially if I don't start until Episode #5.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
I would have loved for Netflix just to have become a place where I could watch recent and older hollywood movies, completely replacing video rentals. But I get to be frustrated that new movies aren't there to watch and old movies aren't there to be found.
But hey, whats this, its a Netflix original show? Hey it isn't half bad. Well I could watch more of this.
Hollywood, you had the chance to box Netflix in and have them just BE the rental market. You could have just banked fewer dollars from rentals but still retained a lot of control.
But nooooo, you had to block the access to your catalogs of movies to try and cripple them. Now they're creating content that is very often better than what you are coming up with.
Cry me a river, hollywood. You deserve to go down, hard. You've never really played fair with your customers and now we're buying entertainment elsewhere....
Also Netflix seems to understand that their customers binge watch. They don't want to wait every week for a new episode. They will watch 4 or 5 in a row as their time allows.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
Hollywood hasn't had a new idea in decades.
You can thank the terms "Intellectual Property" and "Monetization" for that. Seriously - when creative works are locked-up tight in literal century-plus copyright term lengths, and are bought and sold like commodities under that condition? There's little wonder that Hollywood is trying to see some kind of ROI on the stuff they bought, as opposed to coming up with (or at least taking a risk on incorporating) original stuff.
Drop copyright term lengths back to 25 years (retroactively, BTW), and I bet you'll see Hollywood get their shit together again... because then they won't have a choice but to do so.
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
Hollywood needs to get over itself, in a big, big way. For every soccer mom that wants to read about the custody battles between Brad and Angelina, there's someone who's just plain sick of it. Sick of actors grandstanding and talking about subjects they know nothing about (Tom Cruise). Sick of self-important over-inflated egos throwing phone books at a concierge (Russel Crowe), or denigrating a lighting guy on the set (Christian Bale) because he interrupted your "process". Get over yourself. You aren't half as believable as you think. And it would be great if people stopped interviewing Gwyneth Paltrow so we aren't subjected to whatever inane half-thought she vomits out.
I'm sick of the "Hollywood Accounting" used to show movies that take in hundreds of millions of dollars have made no money. I'm sick of the over-paid, over-hyped, over-the-top everything actors, directors, producers, and everyone else right down to craft services. You're an adult man, wearing tights, speaking a fictitious language, and wielding a fake sword to tell a story for the purposes of entertainment. Or you're a "reality" television star who's only real talent came from a leaked sex tape (Kardashian). You people are not doing medical research, astrophysics, or materials science. At best, the only problem you may be solving is boredom.
I'm sorry, but your opinion seems to be wrong.
PLEASE Netflix, don't go down the route of fscking "reality tv"....please....
They already did, but it seems you didn't even notice.
My wife and I watched through their original series Ultimate Beastmaster a few weeks back, which is a reality TV show that knocks off American Ninja Warrior (and the shows it knocked off before it). The fact that you seem to have not been aware of its addition just goes to show why it's not a concern if they get into reality TV. Netflix can add content intended for me without displacing content intended for you. It's not a zero-sum game. My gain is not your loss, unlike with network TV, where my gain naturally comes at the loss of whatever show used to occupy that time slot.
All of which is to say, I'm fine with Netflix adding more content of more varieties for more people. That I don't enjoy all of it is fine, so long as they keep adding the stuff I enjoy too.