Netflix Canada Discussion

[getbak]

Originally Posted by keratosis

Have to agree, I stopped using a service to get US Netflix back in October. Haven't looked back.
I also could be wrong but isn't Netflix Canada's deal with Disney supposed to start this year?

The deal has already started. It's for all Disney releases in 2015 (and beyond). The newest Avengers (released at the start of May) was on Netflix in December. Yesterday, I noticed that Tomorrowland (released at the end of May) is on there now.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

To be fair, I think watching Tomorrowland is more punishment than anything else.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

To be fair, I think watching Tomorrowland is more punishment than anything else.

Probably. It showed up on the "New on Netflix" list for me yesterday and I was surprised to see it because it was just in theaters. They're definitely not waiting until 8 months after a movie is out of theaters. Tomorrowland wasn't even released 8 months ago.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

To be fair, I think watching Tomorrowland is more punishment than anything else.

That little girl actress is the bright spot of Tomorrowland, she could be the new Natalie Portman.

[Sr. Mints]

I think this news, today, is less about Netflix's global plans, and more about content owners flexing their muscles over Netflix's casual attitude towards regional licensing in the past.

Sure, Netflix would like a global catalogue one day, but that's just the positive spin at this point.

But I wonder what tipped the scales? Netflix surely doesn't care who's watching what, from where: the ability to jump regions adds tremendous value to their product from a consumer standpoint.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I think this news, today, is less about Netflix's global plans, and more about content owners flexing their muscles over Netflix's casual attitude towards regional licensing in the past.

Sure, Netflix would like a global catalogue one day, but that's just the positive spin at this point.

But I wonder what tipped the scales? Netflix surely doesn't care who's watching what, from where: the ability to jump regions adds tremendous value to their product from a consumer standpoint.

I would guess that pressure from competing online services and by extension the companies who distribute worldwide would care.

For example, Universal (making this up) distributes show X in the US and sells it to Netflix. In Canada Sony owns the rights and sells it to Crave.

Customer is only paying for Netflix because they can watch show X in Canada thru US Netflix. Sony realizes they are missing out on revenue they'd get from Crave based on a fee per view agreement they have with Crave. And they aren't getting any views because no one is using their service because all of their "exclusives" are available elsewhere without paying for 3 or 4 different subscriptions. Sony and Telus put pressure on Netflix to straighten out their policies.

Now for all I know the distribution companies don't care because they sell based on a lump sum up front fee, but then that would just mean that it is probably Telus (Crave) giving Netflix a hard time, and perhaps complaining to the CRTC or whoever else they could get involved. Could be dealing with worldwide trade agreements here.


As a consumer this sucks. We always get screwed. BOHICA. First it was just expensive cable. Then expensive cable and expensive internet. Then cable, internet and Netflix.

Coming soon: Expensive cable, internet, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Crave, Shomi, Google, Apple!! All just so that you can watch a couple of your favorite shows on each service for $8 a month.

Remember when we were all happy that the cable model was crumbling? Well instead of being able to watch all of our shows through one exorbitantly priced service, we now get to pay for all of our favorite shows through exorbitantly priced internet and a bunch of low(ish) cost unique services that have carved up all the programming. Oh and a bunch of us still pay for cable because sports.

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

But I wonder what tipped the scales? Netflix surely doesn't care who's watching what, from where: the ability to jump regions adds tremendous value to their product from a consumer standpoint.

Perhaps the contracts were expiring and the content providers were threatening massive increases in renewal cost unless the VPN/proxy issue was taken care off.

[HotHotHeat]

With regards to the different rights holders in each country, why aren't these services moving to international rights? It wouldn't happen overnight, but it's clearly the best way of doing things online.

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

With regards to the different rights holders in each country, why aren't these services moving to international rights? It wouldn't happen overnight, but it's clearly the best way of doing things online.

Who's going to buy international rights, besides Netflix?

[Finger Cookin]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

With regards to the different rights holders in each country, why aren't these services moving to international rights? It wouldn't happen overnight, but it's clearly the best way of doing things online.

It's not so much that no other company is buying international rights all over the world, it's that a bunch of different companies in each country are buying/licensing media rights from copyright holders. Crave, Shomi, and Netflix Canada would be local examples. Crave and Shomi wouldn't buy global rights to any media content, because their business model isn't to deliver media to users all over the globe. They deliver content to Canadian consumers who already subscribe to the TV and ISP offerings of their parent companies.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Customer is only paying for Netflix because they can watch show X in Canada thru US Netflix. Sony realizes they are missing out on revenue they'd get from Crave based on a fee per view agreement they have with Crave.

If the studio is getting a fee per view from Netflix, would they care if they don't get one from Crave? I'm assuming the fee the studio get from Netflix and Crave to be roughly the same but I have no way of knowing.

Some said that Netflix is just huffing and puffing because if they do come down hard on VPN, they'll lose a lot of subscribers from countries like China and South Africa.

For now Netflix could be just posturing to placate the contend owners.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by darklord700

If the studio is getting a fee per view from Netflix, would they care if they don't get one from Crave? I'm assuming the fee the studio get from Netflix and Crave to be roughly the same but I have no way of knowing.

Some said that Netflix is just huffing and puffing because if they do come down hard on VPN, they'll lose a lot of subscribers from countries like China and South Africa.

For now Netflix could be just posturing to placate the contend owners.

Different companies distribute different shows internationally so it wouldn't be the same.

However you're right Netflx may be putting on a show. They've made similar threats before. I have to imagine when all of unblock us subscribers cancel they will be the ones to find a workaround.

[metallicat]

Why hasn't unblock been subject to lawsuits yet?

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

However you're right Netflx may be putting on a show. They've made similar threats before. I have to imagine when all of unblock us subscribers cancel they will be the ones to find a workaround.

Imagine if Netflix does have the technology to block all VPN proxies, the end result is Netflix will lose a lot of subscribers doing so. Those subscribers will probably go to Hulu, Vudu or other competitors. So I don't see it is in their interest to block and that's probably why they haven't blocked so far.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Why hasn't unblock been subject to lawsuits yet?

I'm not sure they're doing anything illegal.

[MickMcGeough]

I'm curious about the reasoning behind the crackdown now, after all this time.

Like the HBO Now crackdown - I'd prefer to pay for your content but if you make it a big enough pain in the ass for me to do so, I'm happy to just get it for free too.

[MrCallahan]

This almost seems like a bit of a PR thing to show that Netflix does't directly support proxies and such, and are just saying they are taking measures to prevent it, without actually acting on it (or at least very weak measures). We all know they actually love it internally, because it provides more value to their customers, and they want everyone to be cord cutters. But didn't they release almost the exact same statement a couple years ago saying they were cracking down? And not sure much has happened since. It just seems like they'll release statements like this occasionally to please the execs at studios.

EDIT: remembered it wrong, this was the article I was thinking of from last year:

https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-cra...irates-150103/

Netflix denied it, but still makes me wonder.

[darklord700]

Originally Posted by MrCallahan

EDIT: remembered it wrong, this was the article I was thinking of from last year:

https://torrentfreak.com/netflix-cra...irates-150103/

Netflix denied it, but still makes me wonder.

I remember this and this article was from almost exactly one year ago. Since the contend owners get paid one way or another, the most PO people should be cable companies. Seriously, who still subscribe to the movie channels when you have to "wait" for a show to start?

[Jimmy Stang]

Put me in the camp of "believe it when I see it". I totally understand why the content owners are pushing for this, and why Netflix puts a half-assed effort at "cracking down" to appease them.

They'll tweak a few settings, put out a few media releases "hey look, content owners, we're CRACKING DOWN!", and then the DNS/VPN providers will find a workaround. At least that's my guess and hope.

I'll be more disappointed when/if I can't access my UK TV channels, which is another benefit of Unblock-Us for me.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

As a consumer this sucks. We always get screwed. BOHICA. First it was just expensive cable. Then expensive cable and expensive internet. Then cable, internet and Netflix.

Coming soon: Expensive cable, internet, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Crave, Shomi, Google, Apple!! All just so that you can watch a couple of your favorite shows on each service for $8 a month.

Do you really think consumers are getting screwed when it comes to TV and movies? Compared to when? When you consider the wealth of content we have available, and how cheap it is, this is the best time ever to be a consumer.

Would you rather go back to the 80s, when it cost $5 ($10.30 in today's money) to rent a movie from a local videostore, and you had 6 TV channels to choose from (8 if you include community television)? Or the 90s, when it was $4 to rent a movie ($5.75 in today's dollars), and cable cost somewhat less than today but you still only had about 40 channels to choose from (and TV was mostly crap)?

Let's compare with today, when for $35 for basic cable and another $9 for Netflix you get an enormous amount of content - easily 20x the content available even 10 years ago. Fill in the gaps with iTunes, with at $6 a movie is no more expensive than Blockbuster was 15 years ago and has a far larger selection. All accessible with the click of a button, in high definition, and without leaving your couch.

This is the golden age of entertainment, in cost, accessibility, breadth and quality of content, and value. I can't imagine someone unhappy with today's offerings being satisfied with anything less than all TV shows and movies ever filmed accessible instantly for free.