Complaining aside: Netflix Anounces that Blu-ray subscribers reach 1 Million !

[Elandyll]

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/0...-rising-demand

Netflix ups fees for Blu-ray amid rising demand
Mon Mar 30, 2009

Online DVD rental leader Netflix Inc. is raising its prices for Blu-ray discs in a change that will triple or quadruple the high-definition surcharge on Netflix's most popular subscription plans.

The new rates announced Monday are being driven by the growing appetite for the Blu-ray format among Netflix's more than 10 million subscribers.

About 1 million of the subscribers are requesting Blu-ray discs instead of standard DVDs, and Blu-ray discs cost about 30 percent more. That means Netflix's profit margins are being squeezed as it expands its high-definition inventory.

The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company had been imposing a $1 monthly surcharge for Blu-ray rentals since September, regardless of how much the basic subscription plan costs.

Effective April 27, Netflix will adopt a sliding scale that will slap higher Blu-ray fees on plans that enable customers to check out multiple DVDs at a time.

Renters who pay $14 per month for Netflix's two-DVD package will have to fork over another $3 if they want Blu-ray discs. Under another popular plan that costs $17 per month for three DVDs, customers who prefer Blu-ray discs will have to pay an additional $4. Subscribers who have more expensive rental plans will pay even more for the Blu-ray luxury.

All monthly fees will remain the same for customers who exclusively rent standard DVDs. Netflix is trying to make it easy for people to avoid the new surcharges by disabling the Blu-ray preference in their rental accounts.

Netflix's Blu-ray selection spans about 1,300 titles, a paltry number compared with the more than 100,000 movies and TV shows in its library of standard DVDs.

The higher Blu-ray fees come at a time when Netflix's subscriber growth has been accelerating, partly because more households have been gravitating toward relatively cheap forms of home entertainment to save money.

Since September, Netflix has added more than 1.3 million customers and its stock has surged more than 30 percent. Netflix shares rose $2.35, or 5.9 percent, to close at $42.03 Monday.

When I heard that on the radio today, I thought ... "Wow. Wasn't it 500.000 subs in November? It doubled in less than 5 months?" rather than be upset at the hike.
It's a different take on the news (one I think worth discussing, and more positive too), but if a mod wants to merge it, feel free

[sokrman14]

which is why they are jacking up prices so they can make a crap ton more.

[Blu Titan]

Best part was that they added 300,000 Blu subscribers since December. Now the bad part is...

[Captainhawk1]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/0...-rising-demand


When I heard that on the radio today, I thought ... "Wow. Wasn't it 500.000 subs in November? It doubled in less than 5 months?" rather than be upset at the hike.
It's a different take on the news (one I think worth discussing, and more positive too), but if a mod wants to merge it, feel free

NEWSFLASH...
DATELINE: SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
MARCH 31, 2009

One day after announcing that Blu Ray renters had reached 1 million, that number dropped to 300,000 with 700,000 subscribers canceling their memberships the same day.

[Anthony P]

I thought ... "Wow. Wasn't it 500.000 subs in November? It doubled in less than 5 months?"

makes sense, don't forget that BD is more then tripeling every year, so it makes sense that it will more or less double every 6 months in most places, also with "Since September, Netflix has added more than 1.3 million customers" it should be a bit faster then 6 months. (obviously that is with all things being equal)

[Marine Mike]

This is what was at my 'Change Plan' page for Netflix:

Your plan is no longer offered
You currently have Blu-ray access on your plan for $1.00 a month. Blu-ray access on this plan is now $5.00 a month. If you select a new plan, you will not be able to return to this price.

Sounds like its a no-brainer for changing my plan anymore, lol. I hope that its not forced onto existing plans anytime soon or else I may have to cancel all together.

[jstutman]

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

NEWSFLASH...
DATELINE: SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
MARCH 31, 2009

One day after announcing that Blu Ray renters had reached 1 million, that number dropped to 300,000 with 700,000 subscribers canceling their memberships the same day.

Ehe...I dont think "canceling" I think most have reduced to there plan to either 2 at a time or 1 at a time.

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/0...-rising-demand


When I heard that on the radio today, I thought ... "Wow. Wasn't it 500.000 subs in November? It doubled in less than 5 months?" rather than be upset at the hike.
It's a different take on the news (one I think worth discussing, and more positive too), but if a mod wants to merge it, feel free

No, it's very relevant in its own right.

This is a whole nine months earlier than what they expected a month ago:

Netflix also estimates that the number of customers who rent Blu-ray discs will reach 1 million by the end of the year, up from about 700,000 at the end of 2008, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco yesterday.

December 2007: 200,000? subscribers ("very low single digit percentage" of 7.5 million subscribers)
October 2008: Netflix projects 500K by EOY 2008
December 2008: 700,000 subscribers
February 2008: Netflix projects 1,000,000 by EOY 2009
March 2009: 1,000,000 subscribers

[Grubert]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...gkg&refer=home

The company plans to double the number of subscribers using Blu-ray this year, Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings said in an interview today.

“We’re evangelizing the format,” Hastings said from Los Gatos. “If Blu-ray gets to 100 percent of U.S. homes like DVD did, then consumers will be watching disc-based entertainment for at least another 20 years.”

Greater consumer adoption would benefit Netflix because it has fewer competitors in disc rentals than in online streaming, where it battles Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Blockbuster Inc. and others for audiences, Hastings said. The CEO, named “Innovator of the Year” yesterday by the Hollywood Reporter, a trade publication, said streaming is a longer-term focus for the company.

I don't know if their "double the number" estimate is from current figures (so they expected to hit two million) or from EOY 2008 (which would be a "mere" 1.4 million).

[Monkey]

oh the AVS crowd is going to be pissed!!! Should be entertaining reading the nonsense from av.palino, everfud, etc

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by Monkey

oh the AVS crowd is going to be pissed!!! Should be entertaining reading the nonsense from av.palino, everfud, etc

Believe it or not, pallino says he likes it.

[Monkey]

Originally Posted by Grubert

Believe it or not, pallino says he likes it.

Hijacked account? Or another person crossing over. One less die hard What will it take for everdog and mike morel?

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/0...-rising-demand


When I heard that on the radio today, I thought ... "Wow. Wasn't it 500.000 subs in November? It doubled in less than 5 months?" rather than be upset at the hike.
It's a different take on the news (one I think worth discussing, and more positive too), but if a mod wants to merge it, feel free

That "One million subscribers" is about to sink with the likes of the Titanic.

[Monkey]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray Fanatic

That "One million subscribers" is about to sink with the likes of the Titanic.

I don't know. I think the knee-jerk to the increase is understandable but blu-ray is continually growing and I don't really believe all the complaints mean people are actually going to quit either. Still a good deal considering the other options, especially if the wait times are reduced.

[MotionBlurr]

You might see the number of subscribers drop or a slow down of new subscribers once the price of blu rays come down a bit.

[Captainhawk1]

Originally Posted by jstutman

Ehe...I dont think "canceling" I think most have reduced to there plan to either 2 at a time or 1 at a time.

Well, I canceled.

[Tempest]

I lowered my plan and canceled my Blu Access.. seriously thinking of canceling the whole thing.. I think a great percentage canceled completely and lowered their plans.. I think they will end up with the same or less money than they had before they decided to increase the rates.

[Captainhawk1]

Originally Posted by Tempest

I lowered my plan and canceled my Blu Access.. seriously thinking of canceling the whole thing.. I think a great percentage canceled completely and lowered their plans.. I think they will end up with the same or less money than they had before they decided to increase the rates.

Just do it to send them a message. Sign up for Blockbuter for a month and then go back.

The point is, I want them to crap their pants for the next month due to the dramatic loss in membership as their stock takes a dump.

I basically want a lot of pooping to go on.

[Penitus]

Originally Posted by Captainhawk1

Just do it to send them a message. Sign up for Blockbuter for a month and then go back.

The point is, I want them to crap their pants for the next month due to the dramatic loss in membership as their stock takes a dump.

I basically want a lot of pooping to go on.

Business diarrhea!

[mikryan29]

cancel / i was a member for years and they never lowered my dvd rates as dvd's have become dirt cheap so please don't be ignorant and think when blu ray prices drop more that netflix will follow / it will not happen!!