Netflix's evolution
I wrote this in early February, saved it without publishing it, and then forgot about it (for whatever reason). Most of it is valid, though, and I still have a lot of passion about this subject. Will give an update later on.
Cable companies and other media providers should take a page out of Netflix's book. They've figured out that in order to survive in the hyper-evolving world of technology, you need to keep reinventing yourself. First, they borrowed Blockbuster's rental model with a much more robust library of films that were never "checked out." Sure, titles weren't available immediately like they would be at a brick-and-mortar store, but they were pretty damn close, and they wide title selection offset that inconvenience.
Then came Instant Queue: choose from a selection of titles and, as the name suggests, watch them instantly. Now I need to admit that I never used the Instant Queue when it was first launched. One reason being that I have a Mac, which has only just recently received the ability to stream movies. Regardless, even when I downloaded shows from iTunes, I couldn't help the uncomfortable feeling that I'd rather be watching my show or movie on my TV, not my computer.
Then came Xbox Live's Netflix integration. Problem solved. Netflix became a novelty service that we cancelled and reactivated depending on the strength of the television season's line-up, to something amazing. Not only are hundreds of movies and shows available with the few pushes of a button, but the quality isn't the pixelized picture I'd come to expect with streaming media. It's actually good.
Next problem, selection. The Instant Queue selection is primarily made up of older movies and network shows, right? It's decent, but if you want to watch the latest, there's still the old fashion snail mail service (that many I know who use the IQ service have practically forgotten about). Well, looks like Netflix might be gearing up to offer premium shows and movies. The idea would be a $10 package that would allow for access to HBO and possibly Showtime original shows and movies.
The idea of customizing bundles of cable/program content is not new, and the more the old cable models are changing, the more it will be talked about.
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