"Netflix (and online delivery in general) means that we don't have to do this anymore; we've invented the printing press. Everybody can have a copy of everything. We can all access it whenever we want."
Not that you don't make an otherwise interesting point, but weren't video tapes, and later DVDs, the "printing press" for moving images?
What Netflix adds is instant gratification. It removes the friction of getting what matters: a movie playing for you right now.
This is why cable companies are upset. They've had printing presses of a sort with video on demand, but it was never quite good enough. Not quite the best choices, and not always really "on demand".
Netflix has made this real. (Cable could have also, and still can, but they won't do it as well because they seem to be deeply attracted to stupid constraints and surreal pricing.)
If Netflix can get live sporting events there'd be pretty much zero need for cable except as bandwidth providers.
Not that you don't make an otherwise interesting point, but weren't video tapes, and later DVDs, the "printing press" for moving images?
What Netflix adds is instant gratification. It removes the friction of getting what matters: a movie playing for you right now.
This is why cable companies are upset. They've had printing presses of a sort with video on demand, but it was never quite good enough. Not quite the best choices, and not always really "on demand".
Netflix has made this real. (Cable could have also, and still can, but they won't do it as well because they seem to be deeply attracted to stupid constraints and surreal pricing.)
If Netflix can get live sporting events there'd be pretty much zero need for cable except as bandwidth providers.