Years ago, when you wanted a home movie night, you would drive to the nearest video rental store and check out your favorite film. A few years passed and Redbox became the go to spot for the latest movies. Just as big franchises, such as Blockbuster and Hollywood Videos, had put the smaller mom and pop stores out of business, they in turn were phased out by Redbox and pay-per-view. During the last couple of years, Redbox has began to decline in sales and popularity with Netflix steadily taking over as the primary way Americans choose to watch movies and television shows.
Netflix allows viewers to stream shows on their own schedule and watch at their own pace. They aren’t forced to sit through previews and commercials. There are no penalty fees for keeping a movie past its return date or watching it multiple times. With Netflix, the audience has the ability to watch their favorite television shows and movies whenever and wherever they choose. They aren’t necessarily using television sets to watch them either. Netflix is compatible with computers, tablets, mobile devices and smart televisions.
Gigaom, the leading global voice on emerging technologies reported that over 20 percent of users do not watch Netflix on their TVs. The cost for a monthly standard subscription to Netflix is only $9.99, which costs about 90 percent less than what most people pay for cable. Gigaom also reported that as of this year there are over 40 million Netflix subscribers in the United States. Since most of the top shows on television can be found on Netflix, it is no longer necessary for individuals to continue to pay for cable to get the same material. Users can also legally share accounts on up to six devices.
Netflix has even began producing its own series and films such as “Orange is the New Black” and “House of Cards.” To date, “Orange is the New Black” has received 16 Emmy nominations and “House of Cards” has received 33 nominations. The producers have also been able to take several shows, such as “Arrested Development”, which had been canceled on cable television, and put them back on the air.
The new social phenomena of binge watching has emerged as a result of Netflix’s innovative programming. With binge watching, one can choose to watch a single episode or an entire series during one sitting. It has become popular to have viewing parties where friends can gather to binge watch an entire season of a show in one night. If finishing an entire series turns out to be too much for one sitting, viewers can stop the show and pick it back up at any other time without it costing them anything.
Netflix has brought new advances to how we can distribute and watch our favorite movies and shows. The developers of Netflix have created its product around the fast pace of our American culture and America has responded positively to it. It has become so common for everyone to live a busy and rushed lifestyle. Netflix allows us to continue to enjoy our favorite entertainment during our random moments of free time at our fingertips. Netflix has broadened the horizons for many production companies and viewers to be a part of the progression of media and technology.
As our culture continues to evolve, Netflix will continue to adapt to our culture. More production companies may transition from airing their shows/ films on cable networks and instead move toward creating contracts with Netflix. Options for on-demand programming will expand as companies such as Amazon Prime and Vimeo follow in the footsteps of Netflix. It is even possible that film production companies could steer away from spending thousands of dollars on getting their films into theaters and instead move them straight to Netflix. For example, the film “Hidden Dragon 2” is expected to be released into limited theaters and Netflix at the same time.
Now that cable companies no longer have the monopoly on pay-per-view programming, viewers are refusing to pay their outrageous prices. Cable networks are already experiencing lower earnings with Netflix taking the lead on profit income and viewers. Before, people didn’t have many choices other than paying for cable to be able to watch their favorite shows, so cable companies have been able to get away with charging up to $132 a month vs. Netflix’s $9.99. Now that Netflix is available, viewers are steering away from their contracts with cable companies and choosing companies where they have more control. No wonder America loves Netflix.
