Netflix is quickly becoming a loser. First it drove Hollywood and Blockbuster out of business. they failed to respond to the new business/movie paradigm fast enough. Now they have announced their new plan–all streaming for $7.99 unlimited. If you want to get dvds, that will cost extra, lots extra. Here is the plan, announced in email:
We are separating unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into two separate plans to better reflect the costs of each. Now our members have a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan, or both.
Your current $19.99 a month membership for unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs will be split into 2 distinct plans:
Plan 1: Unlimited Streaming (no DVDs) for $7.99 a month
Plan 2: Unlimited DVDs, 3 out at-a-time (no streaming) for $15.99 a monthYour price for getting both of these plans will be $23.98 a month ($7.99 + $15.99). You don’t need to do anything to continue your memberships for both unlimited streaming and unlimited DVDs.
These prices will start for charges on or after September 1, 2011.
You can easily change or cancel your unlimited streaming plan, unlimited DVD plan, or both, by going to the Plan Change page in Your Account.
We realize you have many choices for home entertainment, and we thank you for your business. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to call us at 1-888-357-1516.
–The Netflix Team
That’s really too bad. It would be one thing if Netflix has all of its dvds on streaming video. Such is not the case. I won’t keep the three movie at a time plan. In fact, there is a lot that isn’t on streaming video. I guess I will go back to streaming and 1 dvd. Their loss. What will other netflix subscribers do? I understand they are catching Hell on Twitter and Facebook. The worst part is that they talk to you in the email like they are doing you a favor.
Further reading: Washington Post
Interesting topic. I got the email yesterday as well and my wife and I got the WTF looks on our faces.
Our immediate thought was to cancel.
But, I think I’ll stay. I’ll stay on the DVD plan.
I’m going to watch a DVD and return it as fast as I can instead of letting it sit around the house for a few days. The streaming service costs them much less than the DVD service. So, instead of me being a profitable customer for them (if I get 1 DVD a month they save a lot of money on postage) I’ll be a pricey one. 😉
I saw an article on Huffington where the conspiracy theory is that they are TRYING to shed customers to lower the cost the studios are charging them for content. So, pushing people to streaming and lowering the high volume customers is a WIN-WIN for them.
So, I want to push against the man and make it painful for them.
@Marin,
Interesting conspiracy theory. I thought about that. The dvd service is more expensive to operate. I might keep the streaming only because other family members use it. However, it definitely will go down to one dvd at a time in my house.
My problem with the streaming service is the available titles. It’s really hit and miss with what you can get and you won’t get anything ‘recent’.
If I want to see Hitchcock streaming works like a champ.
Battle: LA? Nope. Gotta wait a few more months.
I wouldn’t mind the streaming even at 9.99/month but the library can’t be the dinky amount they currently provide.
@MARIN,
Totally agree. There just aren’t that many good titles on streaming. Its like looking at the free list on your cable TV. Fine if you want to watch an old movie. Lousy if you want to watch anything recent. Even the mini series from TV–half are streaming, half aren’t, which is why I am taking 3 at a time.
If it weren’t for the 5 year old g-kid loving to watch her movies on the ipad when she’s over here, I wouldn’t carry the streaming at all.
We are ditching TV at the end of the month. No cable or satellite, streaming or otherwise. Just dvds and a few old vhs tapes for my daughter. Mrs. T and I rarely watch it anymore.
@Steve
Why?
@Steve, when you pull the plug don’t forget to download your FoxNews, Drudge and Glenn Beck iPhone/iPad apps. 🙂
ewwwwwww! Don’t let anyone see the apps. @ marin
I pulled the trigger and terminated my 1-DVD/month + streaming and went with streaming only. It’s not the choice I wanted to make but I defer to my better half. Either way, I’m saving $2 now.
If you have HBO the HBO2GO app is pretty nice. Game of Thrones and Band of Brothers are book marked on mine. 😉
I’ll tell you next time we chat. Way too much to put on a blog post.
no more streaming for us.
wow, and we thought we were roughing it before we get satellite and only had antenna channels when we first moved in…….
My first inclination is to say good for you Steve, I am too addicted!
I agree that they need to open up the catalogue for streaming only…way too few choices to make that worthwhile…it was a nice bonus.
I used to be a main source of revenue for Netflix…I believe I confessed on here one time to keeping three stupid movies for close to 2 years before I returned them…and I never even watched any of them! Then my 9 year old son got into WWE wrestling last year and took over the queue with all prior year WWE pay per views. Now that he is all caught up on those, we are back to keeping movies hanging around for weeks. I guess I just need to cancel…and I better do it now before I “forget”!
What is this “Netflix” of which you speak? Streaming? I know “DVD”….but, Blockbuster went out of business…..
Heck, I can barely get You Tube to stream on my computer. My TV is 10 years old. And I have no game system for this “netflix.” If I watch movies on the ‘puter’, how will I find all the those people that are wrong on the intertubes?