Quote:
Originally Posted by mynameisjim
If it's for a limited time, it might be good deal. If they can archive it then the networks would be silly to accept that offer.
Overall though, I mentioned this in another thread that most TVs now have apps and networks are starting to make their own apps. So I think they will go that route so they can keep the advertising.
I actually see Netflix being squeezed out in the long run as a worthless middleman. Producers will be able to stream directly to the consumer with no need for Netflix. I think that's why their main focus is strategic deals like this. They see how quickly they can be locked out with a few technology shifts.
|
I could see how years down the line studios could easily just stream directly to customers. Right now many of them let you watch full episodes right on their website and they usually let you do this up until the end of the season or until they are ready to release it on DVD. They would just need to make that same content available for streaming. The issue could be ease of use. Netflix has everything centrally located so you just need one account and you get all the content. The networks would need to have something similar where you could get all your tv shows from one easy to use interface. That could be a problem that is easily solved with an app of some sorts.
The potential problem they will run into is the level of commercials. Right now if I watch an hour long show on TV it has about 15 minutes of commercials. If I watch it on their website it will have about 5 minutes or less of commercials. If they are going to stream the shows will they be able to get enough revenue from commercials to pay for the cost of doing this and still make a profit? If they start overpopulating the shows with ads people will just download them commercial free from torrent sites. So, I feel, doing it successfully will be a bit of a challenge for the networks.