First-run films alive and well at Netflix
There have been some very bumpy spots along the road, but Netflix continues to persevere in its quest for making first run films instantly available to its members, starting with those from Nu Image / Millennium Films.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings announced yesterday that Netflix will be releasing the films of one important independent studio, Nu Image/Millennium Films, as soon as movies from that studio are made available for pay-TV services. There were a lot of people that felt that this particular Netflix battle was already lost, clear back when Hastings “surrendered” to Warner Bros. and other major studios on the issue, essentially agreeing to impose a 28-day delay on the Netflix releases of films after they had been released for play in other non-theater venues. Yesterday’s announcement proves that the reports of an early Netflix white flag were greatly exaggerated.
The combination of both these deals does a couple of things, according to a CNET story. First, the earlier deal made sure that Netflix retains a steady stream of high-quality films for it customers, even if they are delayed by 28 days. And he left himself open to deal with the smaller studios, especially independents, on films to be released without the 28-day delay. Now, with the non-delay armor pierced, he is in a much better position to go back to the major studios in search of a similar deal, since they could view the situation as causing them to lose viewership to lesser organizations.
All of this also brings the company closer to the holy grail of major new films on watch-instantly streaming video. Streaming video has got to be seen as the future of the industry, and Netflix is working hard to position itself as the place to go for instant-watch new film. The entertainment business is still sorting itself out, including very much the film distribution portion, and Netflix may be the best bet film fans have for getting exactly what they want.
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