Watch Instantly reels in 300 indie titles
Netflix’s streaming video service goes arthouse with the addition of 300 new indie and foreign titles, from the likes of the Criterion Collection and Kino Lorber.
Other distributors announced as part of the Watch Instantly expansion into the indie arena include Gravitas Ventures, Music Box Films, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Regent Releasing.
“We’ve found that a large number of members enjoy the innovative, artist-driven nature of independent film,” press-released Robert Kyncl, vice president of content acquisition for Netflix.
Much of the Watch Instantly fare that’s classified as independent fare is of mixed value, a lot of aging B-movie crap. The new indie film deals are designed to bring in higher-quality films, such as “Au Revoir Les Enfants,” “Departures,” “As It Is in Heaven” and “A Nos Amours.”
Criterion’s online video service began more than a year ago, serving up titles such as “La Strada,” “Grey Gardens,” “Monterey Pop” and “M.” It’s not clear how many of those titles will be available via Netflix, since the Tiffany DVD label charges for those films on its site.
On Criterion’s “Online Cinematheque” site, the movies go for $5, but they’re renting for $3 on Vudu, another online video service that recently cut a deal with the DVD distributor.
Pretty much everything released by the Criterion Collection is worth watching and owning, but so far the streaming movies contain only a few of the label’s greatest films.
Netflix movie stream rerouted to PS3
Netflix is streaming its Watch Instantly service away from Xbox 360 and over into the PlayStation 3 camp.
The Netflix deal with Microsoft (Xbox) simply expired.
Not much to get excited about, really. As we’ve written before, the Watch Instantly is underwhelming, a lot of average to low-grade movies that are generally available any night on free TV.
On the Xbox 360, the two-step process to get the film streaming into your game console was a clunky pain, and once there the images looked borderline crappy.
This part is getting even worse on PS3, for now. In order to get the service, PS3 users have to insert a Netflix-supplied Blu-ray disc into their players, which also have to be connected to the Internet. A software update apparently will fix this later.
Also in line for the service, apparently, are owners of Nintendo’s Wii system. Tech blogger Dan Rayburn says he’s been leaked photos of the Wii-Netflix service, which could come this year.
Meanwhile, in other lame-tech news, Apple TV has been upgraded to 3.0 software. The changes mostly allow for more features from the iTunes Store such as the LP multimedia packages. No support for outside content, such as the Netflix package.
Macworld called the Apple TV 3.0 update “a pleasant improvement that addresses some lingering interface issues while adding whole new levels of mystery about exactly what (if anything) Apple is going to do with the product.”
Update: Apparently the Apple TV 3.0 update wasn’t an entirely pleasant experience for end users. Let’s hear it directly from Apple:
There is an issue with Apple TV software version 3.0 that can possibly cause your content to disappear after a period of time. All customers running Apple TV software version 3.0 should immediately restart their Apple TV and then upgrade to Apple TV software version 3.0.1.
Yes, that’s disappearing content.
After the botched iPhone 3G update … and the iTunes update that resulted in mysteriously AWOL library MP3 … you’d think they would be more careful. Someone should make a TV ad about this.
Watch Instantly, on Windows Media Center
Those TV shoppers who just can’t bring themselves to pay good money for Apple’s good products will be pleased to know that Netflix’s streaming videos are coming to the Windows Media Center.
Only catch is, users have to be running Windows Vista Home Premium or Ultimate. You basic Vista won’t cut it … another reason to regret that operating system. Also out in the cold are the XP diehards and downgraders.
Netflix and Microsoft previously partnered on Xbox 360 delivery of “Watch Instantly” streams, available to the game console’s Live Gold subscribers.
“We’re building on our broader vision to alleviate the need to jump from Web site to Web site to find TV shows, movies, sports and news,” Microsoft said in today’s freshly cooked canned statement. “With Windows Media Center, (viewers) can now find it in one place.”
The Windows Media Center elite must also have a basic or better subscription to Netflix. The streaming catalog of 12,000-some (mostly dated) movies and TV shows comes at no additional cost. Microsoft’s Silverlight video platform will do the heavy lifting.
Home Premium runs about $60 more than Basic, while Ultimate adds another $120 or so to the tab. Microsoft, meanwhile, is ready to trash Vista with a highly anticipated OS, Windows 7.
WMC added a sports channel in March with content from CBS and Fox.
Update: Silicon Valley Insider looks at the Netflix deal from the Apple perspective. The post notes that “Netflix support makes the Xbox 360 a more attractive movie machine than Apple’s sad Apple TV. … And it makes Windows Media Center more attractive than Apple’s “Front Row media center software.” The dagger gets slipped in thusly: “Apple admits its home entertainment business is a ‘hobby.’ But right now, maybe ‘joke’ is a better word.
Meanwhile, live streaming site Mogulus has redubbed itself Livestream, reflecting its function rather than, uh, some futuristic executive whose bit was left on the cutting room floor in “The Matrix.”
Max Haot, Livestream CEO and co-founder, lets slip this bit of promo-talk:
Livestream is doing for live video streaming what YouTube did for on-demand video clips. While we didn’t invent live streaming, we’re removing the barriers — making live video production and streaming easy and affordable for anybody to use and experience. … Live video streaming is well positioned to become a key force moving us toward richer, more immersive content experiences and communication.”
Netflix floats streaming HBO video
Netflix wants to know: Would you pay another $10 a month for HBO shows and movies via the streaming video service Watch Instantly?
The mail-rental giant asked subscribers about their interest in online versions of current HBO series such as “Big Love” and “Flight of the Concords,” as well as oldie goldies “The Sopranos,” “Six Feet Under” and “The Wire.” And a bunch of movies showing their age.
Netflix’s Watch Instantly streaming service comes with a regular subscription. It features mostly catalog movies and indie fare but has a solid 12,000 or so movies on tap.
The poll cited “HBO content,” not specific channels. There are seven.
Netflix has been moving aggressively into the broadband streaming video business, finding hardware outlets recently on the Xbox 360, Tivo, and Blu-ray boxes from LG and Samsung. The HBO fare would be available via those channels, as well as on PCs.
$10? (Well, make it $9.99.) Sounds like a non-starter. If you get the Time Warner premium service via cable or satellite, who needs it? And $10 will get you most of the way to paying for the cable tier, anyway. The value to such a service may be in exploring older HBO series such as “Rome,” maybe.
“Big Love” looks surprisingly strong this season, but for the most part HBO’s glory days have come and gone. I’m thinking the price point for HBO streaming video via Netflix is something like $5 a month (make that $4.99). Even though HBO fare goes for $1.99 an episode on iTunes. Remember, Watch Instantly is free … of additional charge.
Hacking Netflix broke the story. Video Business quoted a Netflix flack as saying hundreds of similar polls are emailed out each month, and that there were no talks with HBO anyway.
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Streaming vids boost Netflix profits
Saying “it’s very clear that streaming is energizing our growth,” Netflix chieftain Reed Hastings announced strong earnings, revenues and subscriber increases for the fourth quarter, sending its stock on a two-day tear. Profits were up 45%.
Hastings credited Netflix’s movie-streaming service Watch Instantly with the flashy numbers, which handily beat the Street. For the online video industry, this is a big deal.
The news that online video service already is impacting the mail-rental giant’s bottom line is startling and exciting. No doubt the story is being closely tracked in the Hollywood studios and at the networks.
Netflix has been aggressively promoting its streaming videos and lining up hardware partners, especially in recent months. Hastings said 2008’s “substantial” investment in online video content will be surpassed in 2009.
There was no indication he would be adding current hit movies to Watch Instantly, however.
(Read the Netflix earnings report.)
To use Watch Instantly you have to be a Netflix DVD rental subscriber, which was likely a factor in the company’s report that it brought in more subscribers at a lower acquisition cost. (Cablers can only dream … ) Total subscribers are about to surpass 10 million.
Hastings said he saw evidence that Watch Instantly users were renting fewer DVDs. “Time will tell whether this substitution effect is an attribute of early adopters or a mainstream behavior.” He said Netflix was in talks with “nearly every (consumer electronics) manufacturer” regarding Blu-rays and online television.
Netflix stock shot up 15% on Tuesday’s news, and added another 4% Wednesday amid a strong market rally.
“We plan to spend as much money as we can with the studios, licensing as much content as we can — we are already one of the studios’ largest Internet revenue sources,” Hastings said. “Our spending is limited only by what content is available at reasonable costs.”
Netflix has been busily cutting carriage deals for its streaming video service, now standard on some Blu-ray players from LG and Samsung. LG plans “broadband TVs” with Netflix inside. The recently redesigned Xbox 360 Marketplace offers Watch Instantly, and lone wolves can buy a black box, from Roku, that picks up only that signal. TiVo started carrying the Netflix online video stream late last year.
Meanwhile, over at set-top box maker Vudu, 15% of workers were laid off. That leaves about 50 staffers. A spokesman said most of those shown the door were temp workers.
Disclosure: I’m a Netflix stockholder, feeling better about things now. The company’s affiliate ads run on this blog.
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