The Dark Side of Netflix

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4/10/2010

Netflix Rolls over for Universal and 20th Century Fox with More Artificial Release Delays

Just as Netflix chose to please Warner Brothers at the expense of subscribers by artificial delaying the rental of new releases by twenty-eight days, Netflix is rolling over for Universal and 20th Century Fox. Now, if you want to watch an new release from Warner Brothers, Universal, or 20th Century Fox, expect to wait at least four weeks longer than you usually wait to see the movie.

Supposedly, this deal will allow Netflix subscribers greater access to older movies. The deal is favorable to the movie studios because they are hoping to push people into buying more DVDs. If you like watching old movies and waiting a long time to see new releases, Netflix is for you. If you like watching new releases, then you have just been shafted by three movie studios and their complicit partner: Netflix.

How much longer will the movie watchers accept this egregious behavior before they start turning to the option of downloading movies? Downloading movies keeps getting easier, and the image and sound quality keeps getting better. The movie studios have successfully shut down some file sharing sites, but new sites keep popping up. Haven't these studios learned anything from what happened to the music industry?