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Tag: Streaming Movies

  • Blockbuster Closing All Retail Locations

    Blockbuster Closing All Retail Locations

    Blockbuster was extremely popular in the 90’s on weekends for bringing popular movies home to watch. Timing was of utmost importance to snag the newest releases for movie night. Business did thrive for the company for many years, and expanded into shopping centers in suburbs and cities throughout the country. Blockbuster announced on Wednesday that it will be closing its small inventory of stores that are still open in the United States. 300 stores will close forever in January of 2014. Ordering DVD’s by mail through Blockbuster will be discontinued in December of 2013.

    When most consumers think about watching a movie, they do not immediately consider Blockbuster. Dan Rayburn from StreamingMedia.com stated, “Blockbuster has no brand. Consumers stopped thinking about the brand a long time ago. Why did they take so long to close?”


    Open Blockbuster stores still received some business, but they simply can not currently compete with how consumers are choosing to be entertained.  Many children and teens have never experienced renting a movie or video game from a local Blockbuster store.  School aged children, teens, and adults have become accustomed to streaming their favorite movies on their televisions, computers, smart phones, and tablets.

    The licensing rights of Blockbuster have been acquired by Dish Network. They currently offer the streaming of movies for Dish TV customers at an added cost to their monthly cable services. The current web portal, Blockbuster on Demand will remain open for customers who want to continue streaming their movies. This site charges a small monthly fee to access their catalog of movies.

    “The quantity of movies is so limited,” Rayburn said. “Some of them are not even on (high-definition). It’s not even a real service. You can’t put it up there with Vudu or Netflix or Hulu.”

    Although the Blockbuster on Demand service is limited and hasn’t yet caught up to its competitors it is going to remain open. Joseph Clayton the CEO of Blockbuster’s parent company Dish Network stated, “This is not an easy decision, yet consumer demand is clearly moving to digital distribution of video entertainment. Despite our closing of the physical distribution elements of the business, we continue to see value in the Blockbuster brand, and we expect to leverage that brand as we continue to expand our digital offerings.”

    Going into a video store at the start of a weekend is a feeling that many people will never experience. The human touch when things go wrong is now a thing of the past, with renting movies and games. Being able to pick up a movie immediately was one of the best perks of Blockbuster. The flexibility of being able to stream movies online and renting from Redbox or other kiosks after pumping gas or getting groceries, can’t really compete with a video store that charges much more for the same service.

    Image via Facebook

  • TVs Now More Used For Streaming Video Than Computers

    TVs Now More Used For Streaming Video Than Computers

    Market research group the NPD Group this week released a report showing that Americans now view more streaming web content through their TVs than on their computer monitors.

    NPD’s “Digital Video Outlook” report shows that 45% of Americans now primarily stream their video through their TV, up from 33% one year ago. At the same time, Americans who used their PC as their primary streaming video viewing platform decreased from 48% to 31%.

    These results undoubtedly point to a wider adoption of internet-connected media devices such as Roku boxes, video game consoles, and internet-connected TVs. NPD estimates that 10% of U.S. households currently own at least one “connected” TV.

    “The growth in connected TVs is another sign that online video is maturing,” said Russ Crupnick, senior vice president of industry analysis for The NPD Group. “Streaming video has moved from the dorm room to the living room; and, as more households obtain and connect TVs to the Web, we predict increased trial and engagement for video distribution services.”

    It’s another certainty that Americans aren’t just watching YouTube videos on their TVs. NPD’s report shows that Netflix Watch Instantly is used by 40% of those who have internet-connected TVs. Also, 12% of internet-connected TV viewers use HuluPlus to stream content, and 4% use Vudu.

    Interestingly, NPD also found that 1/5 of Americans who obtained a “connected” TV no longer used peripheral devices, such as streaming video boxes or video game consoles, to stream content. Not surprisingly, it seems U.S. consumers might actually want an all-in-one solution for their home entertainment needs. If cable companies would play ball with Apple and get in on an Apple HDTV, they might stop ceding ground in the streaming video market to Netflix.

  • Samsung Acquires Cloud Media Provider mSpot

    Samsung announced today that it is acquiring mSpot, a mobile cloud entertainment provider. The purchase will allow Samsung to provide mSpot’s Movies and Music services on their phone and tablet devices. It also fits with the trend Samsung set in its announcement of its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III. That phone will be packed with exclusive Samsung software and services. No details on the acquisition, such as mSpot’s price, have been announced.

    “mSpot shares our vision to bring a best-in class cloud and streaming entertainment experience to consumers, and they’ve backed it up with great technical solutions from a great engineering team,” said TJ Kang, Senior Vice President of Samsung’s Media Solution Center.

    mSpot currently runs two media products, both available for the iPhone and Android platforms. mSpot Music offers cloud storage and streaming for music similar to Google Music and Apple iCloud, which the company has had to compete with over the past year. mSpot Movies is allows users to rent movies for as little as $2 and stream them across nearly any device.

    “Samsung is unparalleled in terms of global reach and cutting edge devices; with our combined resources, we are looking forward to redefining media consumption across the mobile universe with cloud services,” said mSpot CEO Daren Tsui.

    Purchasing mSpot brings Samsung straight into the streaming media market and gives it the services and technology to instantly compete in that arena with Amazon, Apple, and Google. The move might lend credence to rumors that Samsung is looking to shed Google’s Android platform and strike out on its own. If Samsung were to do that, now is the time. The company has clawed its way to the top of the Android heap and recently even shipped more devices than Apple in the first quarter of 2012.

    What do you think? Is Samsung positioning itself as Apple’s main competitor? Will mSpot’s services improve Samsung’s devices in a meaningful way? Leave a comment below and let us know.

  • Streaming Movies Suck For New Releases

    Streaming Movies Suck For New Releases

    I’m not sure if the movie industry is purposely trying to collectively kill itself or if it thinks cutting out the middle man will increase home movie sales, but one thing’s pretty certain when it comes to the trend of watching movies via an Internet stream: this method of content delivery sucks when it comes to new releases.

    The funny thing is, even with the restrictive approach to streaming and new releases, the studios are still taking a loss, which probably explains the decision to increase the new release delay for rental services even more. Of course, this is something Netflix streaming users have already been aware of — the distinct lack of new releases — but after seeing the upcoming graphic, it’s even more head-shaking than you might suspect.

    Thanks to Flowing Data, we now know what such a visualization looks like:

    Streaming Movies
    Click for larger image

    The yellow represents no streaming available.

    Even without enlarging, you can see there aren’t many new release movies available for stream, no matter what platform you prefer. So what gives? Is this how the movie industry saves itself? By denying its content to consumers, “forcing” them to purchase it (which most simply ignore until the title until it is available on HBO or Showtime)? Is this smart business?

    Considering you’re discussing the same industry that got mad when the Internet went dark in protest of SOPA, is this even surprising the movie industry is so willing to try and ignore — if not outright eliminate — what is quickly becoming the preferred method of home movie distribution?

    Unfortunately, that answer is a loud “no.”

    Thanks to Roger Ebert for making that awesome book cover, which leads this article.

  • Did Paramount Take a Shot at Netflix’s Streaming Service?

    Did Paramount Take a Shot at Netflix’s Streaming Service?

    As many Netflix users are already well aware of, the company has something of an issue with new movies released to the home consumer. In fact, one of the biggest complaints about the Netflix streaming service is the abject lack of this new material, something Netflix doesn’t consider an issue, regardless of what their customers say.

    Granted, it’s easy to understand why Netflix would try to spin their services in a positive, but the fact remains, it comes off like they don’t care about their members. Perhaps those who are minding the Netflix corporate offices would be better served laying the blame at the feet of the companies that deserve instead of responding to the issue with mere lip service reactions. The companies in question who deserve the blame for this lack of new movie releases (for the home, or course) are the movie studios themselves.

    It’s really not Netflix’s fault Warner Brothers would rather a flaying Blockbuster and On Demand services get their new releases first, although, perhaps Netflix could’ve pushed back a little stronger.

    As with most things having to do with access in regards to entertainment content, it comes down to money.

    With that in mind, is Paramount’s latest marketing move for the home release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon a shot at Netflix or the entire middle man industry that makes up home movie distribution? The reason for query has to do with the fact that, if you are so inclined, you can rent the third installment in the Transformers series directly from Paramount via their video on demand service.

    The rental, which costs $4.99 for high-def and $3.99 for standard, can only be seen — this soon — at Paramount’s VOD site. Previously, Paramount partnered with Facebook to show Jackass, but apparently, the buzz fizzled on that arrangement, and so, Paramount circumvented every middle man out there and decided to offer the stream on their own property.

    Is this strategy a direct shot at Netflix? Is this the wave of the future in regards to home movie rentals/purchases? If so, why did Paramount (and others) wait so long to offer their own content, nixing out companies like Amazon and, of course, Netflix? Or does removing potential revenue streams — just HBO did with Netflix — about as misguided of business decision as one can make?

    Or is this a case of these studios asking too much for their prime content, and so, services like Netflix and others simply decline the opportunity to participate? After reading about the Starz/Netflix break up, which, again, was all about money, Netflix not wanting to be held hostage by these distribution companies makes sense.

    Unfortunately, however, such territorial pissings only hurt the consumer.

    All things considered, it’s honestly surprising studios like Paramount haven’t said “screw the middle man” much sooner than they have, especially now that technology clearly supports the streaming of content, even content as large as high definition movies. Is Dark of the Moon the first step in an inevitable trend or is this simply a marketing ploy on Paramount’s behalf?

    Let us know what you think.

  • The Netflix Exodus Begins As New Prices Take Hold

    The tumultuous 2011 for Netflix appears to be taking its toll as subscribers move away from the movie rental business because of dissatisfaction concerning price and subscription changes, alterations that, when announced, rocked the Internet to its core.

    While Netflix has been preparing for customer turnover, because it’s apparent people want another option in relation to movie rentals, which is something that undoubtedly sounds great to Redbox. Well, that and their dissatisfaction with the Netflix price hikes. It’s becoming apparent that, until Netflix substantially improves its streaming movie catalog–a difficult proposition as long as content providers keep leaving–the choice between DVD rentals and streaming movies isn’t an easy one. Granted, Netflix’s release schedule for DVDs has also been affected by other content providers, so by the time you get a popular new release in your mailbox, it’s not so new anymore.

    With all of that in mind, when Yahoo Finance reports that Netflix expects to lose 600,000 customers in the United States during the month of September, it’s hard to be surprised by this news. It’s also hard to be surprised by the fact that Netflix’s stock to a hit this month as well.

    The question is, can Netflix sustain its current business model? While the immediate reaction may be “Netflix is doomed,” a snippet from Yahoo’s article indicates reports of Netflix’s early demise may have been premature:

    Even with fewer subscribers, Netflix expects to bring in $10 million to $25 million more from its customers than during the July-September period than it did April-June. Emphasis added.

    It stands to reason that some of this revenue will come from customers who forget to change their subscription package, or from the ones who want both streaming and physical DVD delivery, it doesn’t explain the July-to-August periods. Did all that negative press actually help their bottom line?

    However, when you look at the potential exodus numbers now that the price changes have taken hold, the two are not congruent. While subscriptions may have increased during the summer, adding to the Netflix bottom line, the outlook does not remain as positive, especially with the news about Netflix’s expected customer loss. So what does this mean for the home movie rental business? Yahoo has more:

    Many of the people no longer renting DVDs from Netflix will get their discs elsewhere. That could be a boon for Redbox, which rents DVDs for $1 per night through 33,330 kiosks in supermarkets and other retailers, and Blockbuster, which still has 1,500 U.S. stores after emerging from bankruptcy protection under the ownership of Dish Network Corp. Investors are betting Redbox will be the main beneficiary; the shares of Redbox owner Coinstar surged $3.33, or more than 7 percent, to close at $48.55 on Thursday.

    If Amazon can beef up its content on Amazon Instant Video service, it, too could knock Netflix farther down the home movie business totem pole.

    What about you? Will stick by Netflix or are you moving on to Redbox and other services that offer streaming movie options?

  • Does Netflix Efficiency Eliminate Its Traffic Rate?

    Yesterday, it was revealed that Netflix use, specifically, their streaming service, takes up 30 percent of all North American web traffic. In fact, Netflix was the number one service in terms of its North American traffic count, beating out search web services like bittorrent, YouTube and iTunes.

    However, is there a mistake in the reporting, or does the efficiency Netflix uses to deliver content actually reduce its web traffic footprint? Forbes blogger Bruce Upin writes:

    To clarify, Netflix is small part of overall Internet traffic but a big part of last-mile traffic. Netflix saves money and time and offers higher quality streaming by replicating and caching its content at data centers across the U.S. (and now Canada) to be as close to its customers as possible. That episode of Battlestar Galactica you watched last night did not travel across the entire Internet backbone from Reed Hastings’ office to your living room. It probably only traveled a few miles or so. Netflix tries to minimize its presence on the true Internet backbone.

    Which was inspired by TechCrunch’s post. Does the fact that Netflix has successfully turned its use of the web into something similar to their post office drop boxes, reducing the delivery time of these movies reduce its impact on traffic when it’s clear the content is being requested by that many users?

    While it may not impact the overall quality of these national networks, the local nodes almost certainly feel a strain once many different users start requesting various kinds of Netflix content. Or am I the only one who experiences moments of picture grain? It’s not quite as bad as a “buffering” screen, but the overall quality does diminish during these moments.