The subscription system of Netflix is a web-based system that allows customers to order DVD online using a web service that quickly delivers by mail movies they can keep as long as they want. The software system is vast and complex and which helped Netflix changed the video distribution industry. First, the system computes who gets what movie next. This can be very challenging but at the same time is very important to support its subscription based business model and allow even low-frequency watchers to get movies appropriately. Second, the system allows calculating which movies will be in demand.
Video and Digital Rental Industry Though video rental companies such as Blockbuster and Hollywood video have been around for generations, the digital age has caught up with the standard rental companies. Digital rentals and online streaming has cut down profits for these types of companies to the point of sending them into bankruptcy and buyouts. With easy access of online content, consumers have chosen to place their entertainment funds into digital rental over the cost of renting films via traditional physical stores. The effects of digital content on the industry have completely changed business models all around. In the past visiting a video rental store and spending time browsing the categories and titles was the norm and almost ritual for some households.
As is stated in the article, the company used to have a major competitive advantage in terms of movie selection, where, “…customers could browse through thousands of titles…” (Hitt 106). Now, the entire scope of the market has changed and Blockbuster was much too slow to respond. The recent moves that it has made will surely generate profits, but not enough to sustain the company in the long run, seeing as there is nothing that differentiates Blockbuster’s services from that of its competitors. In order to fully gain lost market share back, the company would have to create some sort of highly innovative way of viewing or renting movies that none of its competitors has already thought of; It would have to be something that is rare, difficult to imitate, not easily substituted, and able to generate above-average returns. Unfortunately, at this point it looks as if none of this will come into fruition because Blockbuster has essentially decided to latch on to other companies, creating a sort of symbiotic relationship where the company feeds off of the success of its competitors.
Viacom is leader in entertainment media operating in cable and other pay television services industry as well as in motion picture and video tape production industry. It comprises many popular TV networks as MTV, BET, Comedy Central and may other, also on the film production- Paramount Pictures. Viacom's content reaches over 520 million households worldwide in over 160 countries and territories. Problem: The main problem is increase portion of digital media, which allow access entertainment in new ways and greater speed, that therefore decrease the portion and revenues of film and media market, more worth is makes using piracy content. To analyze company I will use SWOT analysis to analyze internal (strengths & weaknesses) and external (opportunities & threats) environments: Strengths * Strong brand recognition- allready 578 million viewers across 162countries.
We move on to Xbox that has an overwhelming advantage for being in the online gaming business since 2002. This long history of development with examples like Xbox Live gaming service that allows a subscription base platform for multiplayer gaming puts Xbox in the forefront. However the weakness lies in its heavy competition with Playstation, GameCube, and Nintendo Wiki. They are also seeing competition from cell phone users that can download online games to their cell phones. As for Barnes and Noble the shift of sales from the lower priced Kindle is always a playing factor in its demise.
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS • • • • Situational Analysis Industry Analysis Competitive Environment Analysis Environment Trends SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS • Politics/Legal – Governmental regulation – little regulation – Supplier agreement – start rent DVD after 28 day DVD in market. • Socio-cultural – Changing in customers’ buying behavior – Changing in customers’ watching method – Customers’ perspective about price, time and quality of services. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS cont.. • Technological – VHS to DVD - become one of the companies adapt this technology – Changing to stream online – digital age – Wide-spread in gadgets market – PSP, Blue Rays Player and others • Demographic – Increase world population – 6.1 billion in 2000 to 7.2 billion in 2015 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS cont.. • Economic – Customers can watch a movies without paying more. • Socio-cultural – Most of the people like to watching movies – Changing customers buying behavior INDUSTRY ANALYSIS • Threat of new entrants/ barriers to entry – low entry barriers – Industry leader – Customer loyalty is weak • Power of suppliers – Suppliers own content that company needs. – Licensing deals – Legal issues INDUSTRY ANALYSIS cont.. • Power of Buyer – Customer loyalty is weak (price changes) – Majority of revenue is from customers • Product Substitutes – Alternative methods of receiving content – On demand, purchasing INDUSTRY ANALYSIS cont.. • Intensity of rivalry among competitors – Many competitor – Few emerging market
They assumed that unlimited streaming service had more demand than DVD service. Before Netflix changed its pricing structure, the customers paid $7.99 per month for unlimited online streaming plan, or an additional $2 per month for the DVD-by-mail service. So the total cost for the user who wish to use both service unlimited online streaming and the DVD-by-email was $9.99 per month. However, this pricing was not financially sensible for the company because of the misconception of the demand of DVD rental service. Therefore, Netflix set the price $7.99 for both service unlimited online movies and unlimited mail-order DVDs respectively.
The use of DV cameras has benefitted the film industry, the audience can create their own productions, and extend the brand of the film, where users can upload their own ‘films’ to the internet, on websites such as YouTube, due to the increased number of broadband connections in homes, promoting the films in doing so. However, a negative is that the use of DV cameras has also increased levels of piracy. With more people owning DV cameras, and the decreased size of the cameras due to technological advancements, cameras can be concealed upon entering a cinema, in order to record a film, to make it illegally available to others, through the use of DVD burning and the internet. The decreased quality encountered in pirate copies may make many viewers feel that the film itself was not exceptionally good, which may lead to viewers advising friends and family not to see the film, decreasing revenue for production companies. In 2009 alone, the movie Star Trek received more than 10 million illegal downloads through the Internet.
Alexander Johnson English 100 March 29 2013 Professor Dellasanta Movie Cinema and Netflix Online There are different ways to experience a movie but two of them are almost alike, Netflix and Cinemas. The Movie Cinemas are too costly,and Netflix is an at home movie theatre experience that is cheaper. The Movie theaters cost per each movie while netflix you can pay one month of and get all the recent movies that just came out on dvd and television shows you might have missed. As the whole movie theatre experience goes you can basically get that at home with netflix but you just have to connect to a television or a projector. The reliability of a movie loading at home on a laptop or computer is faster and you do not have to wait for the previews to end.
The next site I looked at was Tv-Links . A free movie and TV database where you can search for all of your favorite TV shows, then you select the season, and then an episode. They'll provide you with links to websites where you can stream that episode for free. The downside to this option is that many of the websites you're directed to have pop-ups, and ads you have to watch prior to being able to watch your show. But the upside is you can choose which websites you want to go to, and run a virus scan beforehand just to make sure it's safe.