Productopia | Video Streaming

When Netflix changed its pricing structure in 2011 to charge separate subscriptions for DVD/Blu-ray rentals and online streaming, it lost about 800,000 subscribers. That led to speculation about whether the company could survive the backlash from its then angry customers. However, Netflix seems to be on the rebound. On July 3, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings posted on his Facebook wall: "Netflix monthly viewing exceeded 1 billion hours for the first time ever in June." Richard Greenfield of BTIG Research estimates that 1 billion hours of viewing equates to around 80 minutes of viewing per day for each subscriber. That means that if Netflix were a cable channel, it would the "most watched cable network on television." Read more

It's something that might have escaped much scrutiny if it weren't for certain past events and some eagle-eyed observers at DomainNameWire.com: Netflix has quietly - or so it hoped, we assume -- purchased the DVD.com domain. That news set off a flurry of speculation that having been foiled by the public outcry over its Qwikster escapade, Netflix has again set about achieving the same end now that the furor has died down. Experts speculate, however, that separating Netflix into two completely separate operations, with separate sites and separate billing, is probably not something that's going to be attempted again, at least in the short term. So what is going on? Read more

Back in July, Netflix announced what amounted to a massive price increase when it removed streaming video from its DVD-by-mail service and made it a separate subscription. As we blogged about, fallout was swift and largely negative. Many predicted that customers would drop part or all of the company's services as a result. Those predictions have proved acurate.  Netflix reported last week that it now expects to lose 600,000 customers this quarter -- a far cry from the 400,000 it had expected to add instead. On Monday, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings emailed subscribers with an apology of sorts. The missive started: "I messed up. I owe you an explanation." However, the news that followed -- that Netflix would split into two completely separate services, one exclusively DVD by mail, the other exclusively streaming -- didn't exactly make most feel any better about things. In fact the near universal reaction has been "Guess what, Reed, you messed up again." Read more

We've all seen stories like this one about folks who've cancelled their cable or satellite TV service in favor of getting television programming over the air or via the web, either for free or at reduced cost . That many people are considering such a move comes as no surprise, given the state of the economy and that cable bills can run well over $100 per month for anyone desiring more than just the basics. This article at WalletPop.com explores just how much cord-cutters can save. On the other side of things, research indicates cancelling the cable subscription is probably not yet right for everyone. Whether it's right for you depends on factors like what you watch, how much you watch, the quality of your Internet connection, and even where you live. ConsumerSearch already has a number of reports that lay out some of the considerations for you, including brand new reports on video streaming services, and on digital media players that bring those services to any TV. Let's pull all of that together so you can see whether cutting the cord to your cable or satellite TV provider will work for you and your family.

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