k****a
发帖数: 7077 | | k****a
发帖数: 7077 | 2 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Netflix's decision to raise prices by as much as 60
percent is turning into a horror show.
The customer backlash against the higher rates, kicking in this month, has
been much harsher than Netflix Inc. anticipated. That prompted management to
predict Thursday that the company --the largest U.S. video subscription
service-- will end September with 600,000 fewer U.S. customers than it had
in June.
It will mark just the second time in 12 years that Netflix has lost
subscribers from one quarter to the next. The last downturn occurred during
2007 when Netflix lost a mere 55,000 from March through June.
The current hemorrhaging exacerbated fears that Netflix is losing the magic
touch that increased its stock 10-fold in the three years leading up to the
company's July 12 announcement about its higher prices.
Since then, Netflix has turned into Wall Street's equivalent of a box-office
flop. Its shares plunged $39.46, or about 19 percent, to close at $169.25
on Thursday, leaving Netflix's stock price more than 40 percent below where
it stood before the company unveiled the higher prices. The cost to
shareholders so far: more than $6 billion in paper losses.
It could get uglier if the worst-case scenarios play out. Netflix suffered
another setback earlier this month when Starz Entertainment ended talks to
renew the licensing rights to a key part of Netflix's video library for
streaming over the Internet. The fallout from that decision will hit in
March when Netflix will no longer be able to stream the popular mix of
recently released movies and TV shows that it got from Starz, raising the
specter of another onslaught of customer defections.
"Netflix isn't looking like it's as good a deal because their prices are
getting higher and their content isn't getting any better," said Wedbush
Securities analyst Michael Pachter, who thinks the company's shares could
fall as low as $110. "It's like they have taken the beef away from the
buffet."
The customer exodus still hasn't convinced Netflix to reverse its course and
lower its prices as it did in 2007 when it was engaged in a cut-throat
battle with Blockbuster Inc. In announcing its lowered subscriber forecasts
Thursday, Netflix emphasized it consider its new prices to be "the right
long-term strategic choice."
The new pricing structure was driven by Netflix's desire to build up its
service that streams video over high-speed Internet connections, even at the
risk of hurting the DVD-by-mail rentals that used to be its main business.
Netflix management believes the convenience of Internet video is the main
reason that it has added 17 million U.S. subscribers during the past three
years, establishing the company as a major player in the entertainment
industry.
As the streaming service took off, Hollywood studios and other video
distributors such as Starz have been demanding higher fees for the licensing
rights to their content -- a trend that caused Netflix to dig deeper into
its subscribers' wallets.
Even with fewer subscribers, Netflix expects to bring in $10 million to $25
million more from its customers than during the July-September period than
it did April-June.
Netflix revenue won't keep rising, though, if more subscribers flee. Pachter
thinks that could still happen because some customers won't be billed at
the higher rates until the end of the month.
Besides being more expensive, Netflix's new pricing structure is also more
complicated for subscribers who want to stream and rent DVDs from the
service.
Until Sept. 1, Netflix offered plans that bundled DVD rentals and unlimited
video streaming for as little as $10 per month. Those options are now sold
separately, resulting in a cost of at least $16 per month for people who
want streaming and DVDs. Having both choices is appealing because Netflix's
streaming library primarily consists of old TV shows and movies, leaving
DVDs as the main way to see recently released films.
To hold down costs in a tough economy, millions of Netflix customers are
either limiting their subscriptions to a streaming-only or DVD-only plan.
Other customers are canceling their accounts to protest the new pricing
scheme. Those canceling are following through on threats that were made on
Facebook and Netflix's own blog after the higher prices were announced.
Despite the vitriolic reaction, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings still thought the
company would be able to add subscribers. In late July, he issued a forecast
that indicated Netflix would end September with 25 million U.S. subscribers
, up from 24.6 million in June. That prediction was lowered Thursday to 24
million. The revision mostly reflects Netflix's expectation that it will
have 800,000 fewer DVD-only subscribers than it previously thought.
Many of the people no longer renting DVDs from Netflix will get their discs
elsewhere. That could be a boon for Redbox, which rents DVDs for $1 per
night through 33,330 kiosks in supermarkets and other retailers, and
Blockbuster, which still has 1,500 U.S. stores after emerging from
bankruptcy protection under the ownership of Dish Network Corp. Investors
are betting Redbox will be the main beneficiary; the shares of Redbox owner
Coinstar surged $3.33, or more than 7 percent, to close at $48.55 on
Thursday. Dish Network's shares edged up 11 cents to $25.82.
This could be an opportune time for would-be rivals to attack Netflix's
streaming service too, BTIG Research analyst Richard Greenfield wrote in a
Thursday blog post. Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. launched a free
streaming service for subscribers to its two-day shipping service earlier
this year. Greenfield and other analysts believe Google Inc., already the
owner of YouTube, is eager to expand its Internet video offerings to include
more movies. One way Google could achieve that would be to buy Hulu.com,
which has been put up by for sale by the television network owners that
supply its video content.
"Netflix made a bad move, raising prices as much as they did," Pachter said. | k****a
发帖数: 7077 | 3 netflix在找死，要搞两个单独的网站。
http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/19/n...ster-says-its/
Over on Netflix's official blog, company head Reed Hastings has announced in
a surprisingly humble blog post and video (embedded after the break) that
it's splitting the DVD-by-mail business away into a new venture dubbed
Qwikster (for quick delivery). While the recent price changes already split
the cost for each service, when this takes effect in a few weeks it will
result in two different websites, two different sets of movie ratings and
queues, and two different charges on customer's bills. He admits two
separate sites may make it more difficult to manage a presence on both, but
balances it out with advantages from not needing to maintain compatibility
between the two. Another change? Netflix -- oops, we mean Qwikster -- is
getting into video game rentals, available for an extra charge similar to
the existing Blu-ray disc option. | s******g
发帖数: 287 | 4 脑子让驴踢了。。。
比涨价更让人难以接受！
in
split
but
【在 k****a 的大作中提到】
: netflix在找死，要搞两个单独的网站。
: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/19/n...ster-says-its/
: Over on Netflix's official blog, company head Reed Hastings has announced in
: a surprisingly humble blog post and video (embedded after the break) that
: it's splitting the DVD-by-mail business away into a new venture dubbed
: Qwikster (for quick delivery). While the recent price changes already split
: the cost for each service, when this takes effect in a few weeks it will
: result in two different websites, two different sets of movie ratings and
: queues, and two different charges on customer's bills. He admits two
: separate sites may make it more difficult to manage a presence on both, but
| u******a
发帖数: 7843 | 5 早就听说涨价，没怎么关心过，反正每个月自动扣的。看了一下，stream每个月还是8
刀啊，是dvd的plan涨价了么？
【在 k****a 的大作中提到】
: 胡乱涨价。进入9月，客户跑了一批，月底还有更多人溜号。
: 股价大跌。贪婪就是毒药啊。
: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Higher-Netflix-prices-equals-apf-
| k****a
发帖数: 7077 | 6 以前DVD和steaming一起时，steaming是不收费的。
8
【在 u******a 的大作中提到】
: 早就听说涨价，没怎么关心过，反正每个月自动扣的。看了一下，stream每个月还是8
: 刀啊，是dvd的plan涨价了么？
| k****a
发帖数: 7077 | 7 这个道歉信更搞，以为人被卖了还会替IT数钱。
Dear XXX,
I messed up. I owe you an explanation.
It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members
felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation
of DVD and streaming and the price changes. That was certainly not our
intent, and I offer my sincere apology. Let me explain what we are doing.
For the past five years, my greatest fear at Netflix has been that we wouldn
't make the leap from success in DVDs to success in streaming. Most
companies that are great at something – like AOL dialup or Borders
bookstores – do not become great at new things people want (streaming for
us). So we moved quickly into streaming, but I should have personally given
you a full explanation of why we are splitting the services and thereby
increasing prices. It wouldn’t have changed the price increase, but it
would have been the right thing to do.
So here is what we are doing and why.
Many members love our DVD service, as I do, because nearly every movie ever
made is published on DVD. DVD is a great option for those who want the huge
and comprehensive selection of movies.
I also love our streaming service because it is integrated into my TV, and I
can watch anytime I want. The benefits of our streaming service are really
quite different from the benefits of DVD by mail. We need to focus on rapid
improvement as streaming technology and the market evolves, without
maintaining compatibility with our DVD by mail service.
So we realized that streaming and DVD by mail are really becoming two
different businesses, with very different cost structures, that need to be
marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently.
It’s hard to write this after over 10 years of mailing DVDs with pride, but
we think it is necessary: In a few weeks, we will rename our DVD by mail
service to “Qwikster”. We chose the name Qwikster because it refers to
quick delivery. We will keep the name “Netflix” for streaming.
Qwikster will be the same website and DVD service that everyone is used to.
It is just a new name, and DVD members will go to qwikster.com to access
their DVD queues and choose movies. One improvement we will make at launch
is to add a video games upgrade option, similar to our upgrade option for
Blu-ray, for those who want to rent Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 games. Members
have been asking for video games for many years, but now that DVD by mail
has its own team, we are finally getting it done. Other improvements will
follow. A negative of the renaming and separation is that the Qwikster.com
and Netflix.com websites will not be integrated.
There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!). If you subscribe to
both services you will have two entries on your credit card statement, one
for Qwikster and one for Netflix. The total will be the same as your current
charges. We will let you know in a few weeks when the Qwikster.com website
is up and ready.
For me the Netflix red envelope has always been a source of joy. The new
envelope is still that lovely red, but now it will have a Qwikster logo. I
know that logo will grow on me over time, but still, it is hard. I imagine
it will be similar for many of you.
I want to acknowledge and thank you for sticking with us, and to apologize
again to those members, both current and former, who felt we treated them
thoughtlessly.
Both the Qwikster and Netflix teams will work hard to regain your trust. We
know it will not be overnight. Actions speak louder than words. But words
help people to understand actions.
Respectfully yours,
-Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO, Netflix
p.s. I have a slightly longer explanation along with a video posted on our
blog, where you can also post comments.
【在 s******g 的大作中提到】
: 脑子让驴踢了。。。
: 比涨价更让人难以接受！
:
: in
: split
: but
| u******a
发帖数: 7843 | 8 我也收到了，太长了根本懒得看……
wouldn
【在 k****a 的大作中提到】
: 这个道歉信更搞，以为人被卖了还会替IT数钱。
:
: Dear XXX,
: I messed up. I owe you an explanation.
: It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members
: felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation
: of DVD and streaming and the price changes. That was certainly not our
: intent, and I offer my sincere apology. Let me explain what we are doing.
: For the past five years, my greatest fear at Netflix has been that we wouldn
: 't make the leap from success in DVDs to success in streaming. Most
| r*****l
发帖数: 2859 | 9 What does this mean: There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!).
If you subscribe to
both services you will have two entries on your credit card statement, one
for Qwikster and one for Netflix. The total will be the same as your current
charges
wouldn
【在 k****a 的大作中提到】
: 这个道歉信更搞，以为人被卖了还会替IT数钱。
:
: Dear XXX,
: I messed up. I owe you an explanation.
: It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members
: felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation
: of DVD and streaming and the price changes. That was certainly not our
: intent, and I offer my sincere apology. Let me explain what we are doing.
: For the past five years, my greatest fear at Netflix has been that we wouldn
: 't make the leap from success in DVDs to success in streaming. Most
| k****a
发帖数: 7077 | 10 他意思是说涨价后不再涨了。
.
current
【在 r*****l 的大作中提到】
: What does this mean: There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!).
: If you subscribe to
: both services you will have two entries on your credit card statement, one
: for Qwikster and one for Netflix. The total will be the same as your current
: charges
:
: wouldn
| | | R***a
发帖数: 41892 | 11 这个，你信么？
【在 k****a 的大作中提到】
: 他意思是说涨价后不再涨了。
:
: .
: current
| k****a
发帖数: 7077 | 12 至少目前只是把DVD和streaming分开。
【在 R***a 的大作中提到】
: 这个，你信么？
| f*******l
发帖数: 8811 | 13 其实他的说法也未必就是完全误导。
最早我定netflix的时候，一个月 8，9块钱（7.99还是8.99记不清了), 后来长到10块钱
。长一块钱倒是可以接受。
这次一下子长6块，增幅60%， 实在是太多了。
但另一方面，他的确可以claim没怎么涨价。最早netflix 一个月只能online 看5部片子
，而且没有多少选择。
后来选择多了，而且online unlimited，价格却没涨。这个当时可以算是一个超值赠送
或者免费体验期？
现在价格涨了，大家不愿意了。他家就把dvd和online分开来收费了。
这样看来，dvd only的价格和几年前相比其实没有什么变化，只不过online要额外付费
了。
【在 k****a 的大作中提到】
: 至少目前只是把DVD和streaming分开。
| f*******l
发帖数: 8811 | 14 是说这次分离服务后价格不涨？因为以前刚刚涨过了。
这个分割服务未必是个好主意。
.
current
【在 r*****l 的大作中提到】
: What does this mean: There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!).
: If you subscribe to
: both services you will have two entries on your credit card statement, one
: for Qwikster and one for Netflix. The total will be the same as your current
: charges
:
: wouldn
| B********s
发帖数: 3610 | 15 CEO没学过朝三暮四的原理
块钱
片子
【在 f*******l 的大作中提到】
: 其实他的说法也未必就是完全误导。
: 最早我定netflix的时候，一个月 8，9块钱（7.99还是8.99记不清了), 后来长到10块钱
: 。长一块钱倒是可以接受。
: 这次一下子长6块，增幅60%， 实在是太多了。
: 但另一方面，他的确可以claim没怎么涨价。最早netflix 一个月只能online 看5部片子
: ，而且没有多少选择。
: 后来选择多了，而且online unlimited，价格却没涨。这个当时可以算是一个超值赠送
: 或者免费体验期？
: 现在价格涨了，大家不愿意了。他家就把dvd和online分开来收费了。
: 这样看来，dvd only的价格和几年前相比其实没有什么变化，只不过online要额外付费
| f*******l
发帖数: 8811 | 16 当初开放online unlimited 就应该说明是增值体验，给今后涨价留下伏笔。
（估计他们当时只想着多拉客了。）
现在突然涨这么多，大家当然接受不了。
一次涨个一两块还差不多。
【在 B********s 的大作中提到】
: CEO没学过朝三暮四的原理
:
: 块钱
: 片子
| B*********s
发帖数: 4158 | 17 感觉是想渐渐放弃mail主攻stream，把mail服务搞死就是独立，小成本，非主流电影的
死亡，文青啊小资啊，我们怎么办
【在 k****a 的大作中提到】
: 胡乱涨价。进入9月，客户跑了一批，月底还有更多人溜号。
: 股价大跌。贪婪就是毒药啊。
: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Higher-Netflix-prices-equals-apf-
| l******d
发帖数: 5255 | 18 其实还好了，我一个月在redbox现在都要花上至少16块钱，不过16个电影而已，还得自
己去还，过一天还要加一块。 | f******k
发帖数: 5329 | 19 以我自己的体会说，streaming单独收费我没意见，可以streaming谁还花好几天等着信
封寄呀？
问题是streaming可看的片子太少了。Netflix分开收费的时机有问题，要是早2年，大
家不在乎，晚2年等streaming的谈判明朗了再变价格也行。
说起来容易，Netflix也有难处，早2年光顾着挤掉blockbuster了，现在可好，Redbox
渔翁得利了。 |
|
