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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  • 1 Posted by juansk8 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    I would even pay $10 a month if they make the movies available for Linux users (Ubuntu, Fedora, Suse, etc), without the use of a virtual box.

  • 2 Posted by final_station on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    Well I would hope that the 12.99 or so that most of us are all ready paying. Great news though I am happy and I hope this means more instant video for all of us or at least for the subscribers of this new plan. :)

  • 3 Posted by jennifer302806@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    I think netflix online streaming videos will tick off a lot of people like me who just spent 400 dollars on a sony bluray player. I think you will have to buy a box from netflix to to get the movies on your tv screen. othwise you will have to connect your pc to your tv set. that idea SUCKS NETFLIX!!!!!!!!

  • 4 Posted by david_lmt on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    My guess is that they will make you "rent" the box like they do with a satellite company and then pay for the service on top of that. For $10 bucks a month for both seems fair to me.

  • 5 Posted by notradebaxx on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:41PM EDT Report Abuse

    I currently stream my xbox 360 netflix and its great !!! I only wish they had more of a selection....A LOT of great foreign films though

  • 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.

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