Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Netflix now bigger than HBO

qz.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 143 posts

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#131

Post by jebblue »

__david__ wrote: post #119
jebblue wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Netflix just needs movies, we haven't watched HBO since the 80s'. Their programming was never why we watched anyway. It's all about the movies. If I want original programming, and we do, we watch the education channels, in HD, free OTA.

Have you tried their original programming recently? At the turn of the century HBO and Showtime started producing really amazing original shows that easily rival any movie and have become the top tier of TV shows. I would venture to say that most people that get HBO nowadays do it for the original programming and not the movies. These premiere shows had a much different feel than normal "big 3" network TV shows. They…

If long series are appealing to people that's cool, it's not for us though. We are happy with movies, educational and news.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#132

Post by dombili »

I feel like comparing these two is sort of like comparing Android vs iOS, am I wrong?

Netflix has more subscribers because it's cheaper. HBO on the other hand has less subscribers, but I'm guessing that they make more profit than Netflix. At the end of the day, it depends on which one you think is more important. More profits or more subscribers?

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#133

Post by legitsource »

__david__ wrote: post #120
jimbobimbo wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There're plenty of movies that manage to tell deep stories in 1.5 hours. Netflix is a treasure trove when it comes to quality entertainment.

Depends on what your definition of "deep" is. Have you watched Game of Thrones ? The story is very complicated and I can't imagine a 2 hour movie being made out of it without dropping a lot of story on the floor.

You couldn't really make it work in 5 or 6 2-hour movies. There is much more material in ASOIAF than there is in Harry Potter or something similar, and they had to split that into almost 10 full length movies.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#134

Post by legitsource »

GFischer wrote: post #76
aidos wrote: post #35

I'm really cheering for Netflix. Outside of the US (I'm in the UK) people have complained about a lack of content but I'll pretty much give all my money to the people who bring back Arrested Development.

I'm in Uruguay, where we get 1/10th of the US content, and it still blows local cable out of the water :) . Video on demand (with no ads!) is a killer feature for me. Not to mention it's way cheaper than local cable - I'm paying for three subscriptions (mine, my parents' and my uncles') for less than one month of basic cable. The day they can simulate cable's mindless zapping (some sort of preprogrammed channels), an…

The no ads feature is important to me.

I had a subscription to Hulu Plus, and it pissed me off that I paid a subscription fee and had annoying commercials.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#135

Post by winthrowe »

protomyth wrote: post #82
dhughes wrote: post #13

I've battled with Netflix many times. Its Canadian content is a joke, compared to what's available in the US I can't imagine why anyone would stay with Netflix Canada for more than a month. Yes I've tried various VPNs and it's far better but I don't like the layout they changed it since I had used it the first time. The biggest problem is the bizarre customer service which seems to be very amateurish. I was billed tw…

Isn't part of the problem the Canadian content laws?

I don't think that's as large a problem as preexisting exclusive content contracts with incumbent networks.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#136

Post by philwelch »

filmgirlcw wrote: post #61
MatthewPhillips wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

HBO is already a premium brand, Netflix is not. Although nothing is stopping from Netflix from becoming one, getting over that hump is not easy.

Excellent point - I was going to add brand to my above reply but didn't in the interest of time (and because I'd probably attribute brand to experience). HBO has a quality seal of approval that has taken 15 years to cultivate. That can't be bought or earned overnight from one show. HBO consistently gets more Emmy nominations than every other network -- once Netflix is able to counter in that area, then it will happen…

Here's the thing--I didn't even know, until your comment, what channel Archer was on because I watch it on Netflix. That's what HBO is looking out for.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#137

Post by mohamedzahid »

"HBO’s figure dates to the end of 2012, but it’s unlikely to have grown much in the first three months of 2013, owing as much to the cable TV industry’s stagnation as its own trouble signing up new subscribers."

How the hell do they know this? Girls and Game of Thrones have been huge hits and an equally strong argument could be made that thanks to these two shows alone HBO is well over 30 million subscribers, hence having a larger viewership than Netflix. Pretty irresponsible imo to base an entire article and make a factual statement in the headline based on a hunch.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#138

Post by quaunaut »

donohoe wrote: post #18
quaunaut wrote: post #5

I keep seeing qz.com linked here: Is there a bloody reason that the page doesn't go completely to the right side, so I can use my bloody mousewheel without my mouse being over the content?

Browser & OS plz

Chrome Version 26.0.1410.64 m Windows 7, all newest updates

Sorry for not getting to you faster.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#139

Post by Goronmon »

henrikschroder wrote: post #128
CamperBob2 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stand by for a deluge of replies explaining exactly how HBO is making more money by refusing to take peoples' money. I know, I know, I don't get it either.

That's because the cable bundling agreements they have make them obscene amounts of money. Those people are overpaying for the service, and that makes them more money than opening up HBO Go would. It's not hard to understand, they're not idiots at HBO, they crunched the numbers and figured out how to get the most money. In the future, there will be a tipping point when enough people have tired of "cable teevee" that…

>Those people are overpaying for the service, and that makes them more money than opening up HBO Go would.

You and HBO are assuming that the number of people who would join HBO Go without a cable subscription isn't going to be greater than the number of people who would drop cable to just get HBO Go. It's just a guess.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#140

Post by filmgirlcw »

philwelch wrote: post #136
filmgirlcw wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Excellent point - I was going to add brand to my above reply but didn't in the interest of time (and because I'd probably attribute brand to experience). HBO has a quality seal of approval that has taken 15 years to cultivate. That can't be bought or earned overnight from one show. HBO consistently gets more Emmy nominations than every other network -- once Netflix is able to counter in that area, then it will happen…

Here's the thing--I didn't even know, until your comment, what channel Archer was on because I watch it on Netflix . That's what HBO is looking out for.

Right, but the thing is, licensing Archer for Netflix is a fraction of what it costs to actually MAKE the show. That's the challenge.
Post reply on HN