Netflix may offer streaming-only plan by end of the year

Wed Feb 18, 2009 1:15PM EST

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Rather skip the DVDs and only pay for Netflix's streaming "Watch Now" videos? Well, that might be an option in the next year or so, according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Hastings wouldn't reveal exactly how much a streaming-only subscription with Netflix might cost—only that such a plan could arrive "late this year" or in 2010.

That would presumable give Netflix time to shore up its catalog of 12,000-odd streaming video titles—not bad, but kinda puny compared to its library of 100,000-plus DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

Still, Hastings told Bloomberg he's well aware that streaming—not physical discs—is the future of video, and that "some point in the long term, the streaming will be good enough that an appreciable number of people will find streaming is all they need."

The Netflix CEO also revealed that he's pursuing streaming deals with the likes of HBO and Showtime, according to the Bloomberg story.

As it stands, you must be a Netflix by-mail subscriber to access the instant "Watch Now" movies, which you can view on PCs, Macs, various LG and Samsung Blu-ray players, and the Xbox 360.

The move makes a lot of sense—and indeed, I'm running into more and more people who do practically all their movie and TV watching over a Web browser.

So, here's the big question: How much would you be willing to pay? The cheapest by-mail Netflix plan that allows for streaming costs $8.99 a month, so I'm assuming a streaming-only plan would be cheaper. What do you think … $6.99 a month? $4.99? Fire away.

Related:
Netflix Chief Sees Streaming-Only Pricing by 2010 [Bloomberg]


Comments on Netflix may offer streaming-only plan by end of the year

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  • 6 Posted by badaxe_99 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:01PM EDT Report Abuse

    The lesser amount of $4.99 of course. But if they (NetFlix) was able to incorporate live streaming network broadcast I would go out on a limb and pay a little more, even put up with the advertisements for the live streams. Don't you know that would stick in the cable and sat companies' crawl?

  • 7 Posted by freeman2228 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:03PM EDT Report Abuse

    great idea, but their streaming library sucks. I don't want to watch movies from the 80's.

  • 8 Posted by gboess82 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think that if they add more titles, as the article presumes, it would be a great service for $6.99. This is the reason why I have decided to skip the BluRay era, and just wait for the streaming media era. The LG BluRay player was a leap forward, now with the 360 doing the same thing as the Roku and LG player, streaming media to your television rather than through the computer via fancast.com or hulu.com is coming rather quickly.

  • 9 Posted by dryn_bl on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    Getting the movies through mail is the best. I don't have time to watch movies right away . What I do is copy them to my PC & send them back right away so I can view them at a time which is most convenient & not let the movies sit in my APT. for a long time w/c is a waste of money. Their online streaming sucks no new movies only oldies.

  • 11 Posted by collarncuffsboy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:28PM EDT Report Abuse

    I would go for it. I am currently on their $15.99/month plan, which gives me 2 dvds out at a time with streaming. My roommate has 2 TIVO boxes in the house, which allows streaming from Netflix, and I am going to buy a Roku for my TV. Currently, I am watching 2 or 3 movies/shows/whatever via streaming onto my laptop a week.

  • 12 Posted by froelkeworld on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:03PM EDT Report Abuse

    Bad idea...I can see that in the future the ISP's will be charging more for bandwidth, they are already limiting it alot comapred to a few years ago....be careful what you wish for.

  • 13 Posted by gravy2033 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    Awesome Idea!!! I would spend up to 10 dollars a month for a service like this. It is quick, simple and i can enjoy all of my movies for CHEAP!

  • 14 Posted by michaelscott68 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    The whole idea is useless to me unless Netflix beefs up the selection from 12,000 titles to basically the whole entire catalog of 100,000 plus movies which will never happen so this is garbage.

  • 15 Posted by maxeyjoe on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:12PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'm a current member of Netflix. I stream movies all the time! Make sure you provide some kind of encryption so that viewers cannot "copy" the movies! $6.99 unlimited viewing sound reasonable to me. Your revenues should be tremendous!

  • 16 Posted by yvette.adonai on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:58PM EDT Report Abuse

    I have the "3 movies at a time" package and I stream from Netflix. I bought a Roku box so I can watch on tv. ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! I live in NYC and it costs me over $10 a ticket at the nearest movie theatre. I would definitely convert to a "stream only" package.

  • 17 Posted by philherbert_herb on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:09PM EDT Report Abuse

    This might be why when I purchased my last pixma copier late December last that along with the order and purchase have never received all of the paper etc that was suppose to be sent along with the purchase. And now they will not even answer one of my emails as to where the rest of my purchase is......................as for HP thought I'd be really happy with the new laptop 19 in purchased in 06 after 5 years with a sony viao, ha would kill for any sony after this HP mistake

  • 18 Posted by jef4452 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:31PM EDT Report Abuse

    I don't want to watch on my computer. My computer would be unavailable for use while watching the movie on the tv,or computer right? And how do you watch on your tv while the movie is streaming on your pc? I subscribe to netflix but haven't been real impressed with them, maybe because I am an avid tv watcher and have dvr satellite tv with all channels available.

  • 19 Posted by joncofield on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:40PM EDT Report Abuse

    there's no need to rent/lease/buy a "box" in order to watch on your TV if u already have a xbox 360.

  • 20 Posted by paithantx on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    Even at $10 a month its still cheaper than bending over for TimeWarner. Set top boxes arent really needed. If you have a reasonable late model Networked PC with a TV card you can log into netflix and watch on-demand already (do it yourself TiVO)

  • 22 Posted by rimbauda on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    The trick is to stream an HD quality movie... Since bandwidth isn't consistent, the trick is, then, to select your movies, as you do, today, and your queue tells you when they are available (when they have been downloaded, in full quality, to a "box" or your PC hard drive). Then you can play them without speed bumps as many times as you want until you get another one (one at a time, two at a time, or so on based on price and "box" space). How long would it take to download a blue-ray quality movie and sound?

  • 23 Posted by adraring on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    I'd pay $19.95 if it included the complete library of everything on Netflix and the video quality was improved. The Netflix quality can't match the HD picture of OnDemand offerings from Verizon FIOS. For Netflix, I currently stream movies via my XBox but the selection is pitiful. I end up watching the mailed movies instead on using OnDemand.

  • 24 Posted by wachtems on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    Netflix on the Xbox has changed the way I watch (and purchase movies). I purchased the option where I get one physical disc (usually blu-ray for $1.00 more per month) and then I supplement my viewing with the online streaming. While the selction is still small, it is growing and there are some great tv series on there as well. My wife is thrilled by the amount of $$$ we are saving as opposed to me spending $100+ a month on bluray discs or tv show boxed sets. Great stuff!

  • 25 Posted by sindamink on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    If the streaming is in HD quality then it would be worth 6.99 a month, we like the dvd's because we can get to keep the disks as long as we want.If there were new movies offered through the streaming then it wold be worth 8.99/ mo.

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