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

21–30 of 143 posts

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#21

Post by rickyc091 »

eurleif wrote: post #6
colkassad wrote: post #4

I just finished watching the first season of House of Cards and I really enjoyed it. It's up there with original HBO programming as far as quality is concerned. If they can keep that up then traditional outlets should definitely stay worried. I know there was some talk about Netflix's future because of their dependence on content providers, but if they can keep this up then they certainly have a hand to play.

They just released another Netflix-original series, Hemlock Grove. After watching through it, I'm not that impressed. The reviews I've read also seem to be on the negative side.

Having watched both, well all three of Netflix's original series. I'd have to say House of Cards was the best, Hemlock was alright, a bit gruesome at times and Lilyhammer was... no comment.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#22

Post by CamperBob2 »

malkia wrote: post #11

My wish is NetBO = NetFlix + HBO - then I can forget about cable provider. But as others are pointing out - it would be bad for competition.

HBO has a bullheaded insistence on distribution through cable operators, though. I can watch Netflix without a cable connection but HBO actively refuses to even think about an Internet-only subscriber model.

It's reminiscent of Sony's attempt to keep their content studios and product groups under the same tent. Any company whose business model is based on running unstoppable forces into immovable objects is always going to be at a competitive disadvantage in the long term. HBO just hasn't figured that out yet.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#23

Post by _delirium »

blantonl wrote: post #17

Apple has $100b+ cash on hand. From a strategic perspective, Apple really needs to give a hard look at Netflix.

Has Apple ever bought a high-profile company? They make acquisitions now and then, but they seem to be mostly (all?) companies that have solid tech but aren't on the public radar, or at least weren't pre-purchase: P.A. Semi, Siri, that kind of thing. Arguably NeXT falls into that category as well, although it's a bit of a special case since it was Jobs's company.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#24

Post by doppel »

chc wrote: post #15
untog wrote: post #3

I think that HBO are quietly positioning themselves to prosper when the cable bubble finally bursts, though- HBOGO is great. Compare that to Showtime, for example, whose app offerings are widely panned.

I'm not so sure. HBOGO is exclusively an add-on to the cable service. Its present quality is irrelevant to the post-cable world as it is completely incapable of gaining traction outside of the "cable bubble." It is basically a tree falling in a forest where nobody can hear it. In the far-off future when HBO gets with the times, who knows what Showtime and everyone else's offerings will look like?

HBO is gaining a lot of traction outside of the US, especially in Scandinavia with HBO Nordic (HBO GO equivalent without a cable subscription). So they have the platform to do it, which means if the cable market starts plummeting they can pivot and start offering it as a seperate package rather than an add-on for cable.

I have hope that they will do this, but looking at the history it's far from certain.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#25

Post by joshred »

CamperBob2 wrote: post #22
malkia wrote: post #11

My wish is NetBO = NetFlix + HBO - then I can forget about cable provider. But as others are pointing out - it would be bad for competition.

HBO has a bullheaded insistence on distribution through cable operators, though. I can watch Netflix without a cable connection but HBO actively refuses to even think about an Internet-only subscriber model. It's reminiscent of Sony's attempt to keep their content studios and product groups under the same tent. Any company whose business model is based on running unstoppable forces into immovable objects is always go…

It's not exactly a bullheaded insistence. They're owned by Time Warner Cable.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#26

Post by lotso »

CamperBob2 wrote: post #22
malkia wrote: post #11

My wish is NetBO = NetFlix + HBO - then I can forget about cable provider. But as others are pointing out - it would be bad for competition.

HBO has a bullheaded insistence on distribution through cable operators, though. I can watch Netflix without a cable connection but HBO actively refuses to even think about an Internet-only subscriber model. It's reminiscent of Sony's attempt to keep their content studios and product groups under the same tent. Any company whose business model is based on running unstoppable forces into immovable objects is always go…

> HBO actively refuses to even think about an Internet-only subscriber model.

And you know this how? I'm pretty sure the execs at HBO have run the numbers.

Why HBO Can't Afford To Offer A Stand-Alone Streaming Service http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/05/11/why-hbo-cant...

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#27

Post by _delirium »

doppel wrote: post #24
chc wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not so sure. HBOGO is exclusively an add-on to the cable service. Its present quality is irrelevant to the post-cable world as it is completely incapable of gaining traction outside of the "cable bubble." It is basically a tree falling in a forest where nobody can hear it. In the far-off future when HBO gets with the times, who knows what Showtime and everyone else's offerings will look like?

HBO is gaining a lot of traction outside of the US, especially in Scandinavia with HBO Nordic (HBO GO equivalent without a cable subscription). So they have the platform to do it, which means if the cable market starts plummeting they can pivot and start offering it as a seperate package rather than an add-on for cable. I have hope that they will do this, but looking at the history it's far from certain.

My guess is this is exactly what they're planning to do, but that a revenue tipping point hasn't been reached in the US yet: cable subscriptions still provide too much money for them to be willing to flip the switch. Experimenting in Scandinavia lets them lay the groundwork without prematurely giving up the huge US cable revenue stream.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#28

Post by larrydavid »

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?

It's a responsive issue, not sure if it's intentional or not.

At browser widths of about 1400px and above, a buffer appears on the right hand side of the page. If your cursor is in that area the main content div won't scroll.

I'm thinking it may be an error since the main content div stops expanding at about 1400px but the black header/nav does. At widths lower than 1400px the header and content div expand/shrink together and the scrolling problem does not occur since the content div fills the full width of the page to right.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#29

Post by r00fus »

blantonl wrote: post #17

Apple has $100b+ cash on hand. From a strategic perspective, Apple really needs to give a hard look at Netflix.

How long would Netflix's contracts last if it was Apple (huge threat to media companies) who owned them?

Netflix has already lost some of it's content because they were deemed too big of threat to the content provider's main business (e.g.: Starz [1])... I only imagine this problem would magnify 100x if Netflix were owned by Apple.

[1] http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/29/technology/netflix_starz/ind...

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#30

Post by baby »

blantonl wrote: post #17

Apple has $100b+ cash on hand. From a strategic perspective, Apple really needs to give a hard look at Netflix.

I really hope Netflix doesn't get bought by anyone, especially Apple. What they're doing is great and they don't need a bigger guy behind them.
Post reply on HN