I ask fellow FReepers - what are alternatives to Netflix? I am going to cancel in protest.
How's that affect your bottom-line Netflix?
I was going to switch from HBO to Netflix because it was less money. Not now.
I have the streaming and one movie at a time unlimited. So it almost doubles the cost but I use both. I love the streaming and if I canceled anything it would be snail mail but what happens is that I start watching a TV series and just when it gets good, one of the disks can only come through the mail. Also some of the old BBC Shakespeare plays are only available through the mail. I’ll probably end up keeping both. Last week though I was poed because they pulled any access to anything but the first year of Doc Martin.
While we enjoyed the documentaries, etc - I quit this morning.
60% increase? I’ll save the money Thanks
We are leaning towards changing the DVD option to 1-at-a-time.
We are keeping streaming, so this keeps our payment the same as before w/2-at-a-time DVDs.
However, we are probably going to totally cancel DVDs as soon as we buy a separate router for the Roku. We can then take the Roku and the router over to the shop and set it up there if we want to watch TV while working. The shop is the main reason for DVDs, anyway. Eventually, we may just splurge for a 2nd Roku and router for the shop, but only if business picks up.
Jessie Becker, Netflix’s vice president of marketing, wrote Tuesday on Netflix’s blog that charging just $2 more for a bundled plan “neither makes great financial sense nor satisfies people who just want DVDs.””
Wow! I see Jessie is a very loyal employee!
I just copied our two DVD queues, so I have the list of ~300 discs.
Short of finding a “must see” therein, I’ll switch to streaming-only tonight.
The Netflix Blog got 5000 comments yesterday, and it is accepting no more comments.
lol
http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2765056849626104020&postID=6660458436715562257
People (including me) are not happy with this big increase (percentage-wise). They just raised rates in January.
I guess their stock price hitting over $300/share has given them the ‘big head’.
Got my email yesterday and was bummed. Netflix is kind of a guilty pleasure for us. I like the dvds, hubby likes the streaming. We tend to live pay-to-pay, so even though it has only been a lousy $9.99/mo., by jumping to $15.98/mo. - well, that’s over 100 miles in gas. Gotta cancel. We’ll get movies from the library.
Some alternatives:
Hulu/hulu plus ($7.99)
Amazon prime ($79/year) unlimited streaming, limited selection.
Google videos (TV/Movies section)
Fancast.com/xfinity tv
Crackle.com
Archive.org [classics/public domain movies and TV]
Just my personal opinion, of course.
Netflix is screwed, I actually opened one of their weekly mailers the other day, and left it lying around. It's trash now and I won't be opening any more.
I decided to go with the streaming only option. I use it far more than the DVD service because TV/movie watching is a last resort or last minute decision for me. I had a plan that limited the minutes of streaming and I got 2 DVD’s a month. I have run out of streaming minutes several times and end up going to Redbox because I have a DVD in limbo.
Once they unbundled streaming from DVD I did this and I feel like I get more “bang for my buck.”
I cancelled my Netflix last month. Their mail service got so bad it wasn’t worth it. I now just buy what I want “on demand” from my cable company.
All I’m sayin is that there is a lot you can do with a fast internet connection.
It’s going from $19.99 to $23.98 (if you’re on the three-at-a-time plan), an increase of $4. With inflation as it is I’m not surprised in the least.
Even at twice the price, Netflix is a bargain. My wife and I are streaming TV shows that have been off the air for years. I just saw an SNL episode that last aired in 1976. I was only 14 years old when I last saw it and many of the people on it are dead today.
Netflix has been one of the absolute best values in this arena since it’s inception, and, we’ve been benefited by a very low rate plan since that time. Why would we punish them for not continuing to discount their service when the financial realities are what they are. I’m thankful for what I got. Two years ago I reduced my cable to $24.99 PM, and I don’t miss anything. Yet, people are still paying $100.00 PM (and more) for cable service. Go figure.
I, for one, am very appreciative of Netflix for what they have done at the prices they have charged. This service would still be a good value at twice the price, IMO.
It’s cheaper than XM/Sirius.
It’s amazingly cheaper than cable.
It’s cheaper than renting, and incredibly more convenient. You can stream several Movies/Documentaries/TV Programs all at once to several devices...all at no additional charge.
It’s always been rock solid reliable, unlike Hulu.
We always have a DVD floating around, and one in process, which is great for the older stuff that’s not streamed. I even found the DVD of the Battle of the Aleutians, Massacre Bay/Dutch Harbor, etc., which are the battles my Dad fought in and was wounded in.
I think leaving now would be a mistake, as there are several new entrants about to appear, like Blockbuster, which was just bought by DishNetwork. So, I think what we are seeing is Netflix putting in place a product/price structure that they can compete with by mixing and matching and selective discounting, etc.
Call me a happy camper, I’m stayin’ with them.