Is it just me, or is the Instant selection at Netflix getting narrower all the time?

[Forget-Me-Not]

:glare::glare::glare: My son went looking today for a couple of movies he's streamed before. No longer available. But I can get them on DVD for another $7.99 a month. It seems like almost anything we'd want to see is now ONLY available on DVD. And really, I'd rather just buy the occasional movie to HAVE than spend $16/month.

 

I think this is the last straw for them at my house. Anyone have any opinions on comparable services like Blockbuster?

[unfrumpable.]

:glare::glare::glare: My son went looking today for a couple of movies he's streamed before. No longer available. But I can get them on DVD for another $7.99 a month. It seems like almost anything we'd want to see is now ONLY available on DVD. And really, I'd rather just buy the occasional movie to HAVE than spend $16/month.

 

I think this is the last straw for them at my house. Anyone have any opinions on comparable services like Blockbuster?

 

Yeah, they seem to not have as much as they used to. We are considering switching to Amazon Prime and their streaming. What Amazon doesn't stream for free is usually available for rental at an extra cost.

 

I don't think Blockbuster has streaming at all. Or, at least it didn't the last time I checked.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Yeah, they seem to not have as much as they used to. We are considering switching to Amazon Prime and their streaming. What Amazon doesn't stream for free is usually available for rental at an extra cost.

 

I don't think Blockbuster has streaming at all. Or, at least it didn't the last time I checked.

 

Yes, I have Amazon prime anyway. We'd just have to buy a device like a Roku to use it. I think Blockbuster does some streaming. . . at least our Blu-Ray player is set up to stream Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube and Pandora. But it's a couple of years old now. I think we can get Blockbuster through our Dish account, but we have to hook our receiver up to a phone line, which comes with it's own set of complications. . .

[LibraryLover]

I have not noticed that. Why are you making me worry?! lol

[Forget-Me-Not]

I have not noticed that. Why are you making me worry?! lol

 

I'm guessing you aren't looking for Pokemon movies like my 9 yo? :lol:

[Element]

Yes! The library was showing "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" the other day and I said, "Hey, that's on Netflix. Do you want to just watch it at home?" The kids did, and of course we headed home just to find it was no longer there. :glare:

[raceNzanesmom]

My dh and older ds watch a lot of TV shows on it, and I've found a few educational things for our younger ds. However, it never has the movies I want to see. :glare:

[Sara in AZ]

Yes, and it wasn't fantastic to begin with.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Yes! The library was showing "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" the other day and I said, "Hey, that's on Netflix. Do you want to just watch it at home?" The kids did, and of course we headed home just to find it was no longer there. :glare:

 

That was another one we streamed before!

 

Yes, and it wasn't fantastic to begin with.

 

:iagree: Weren't they claiming to be INCREASING the instant selection a year or two ago when there was that kerfluffle over the giant rate increase?

 

In any case, I'm done. I just put in my cancellation.

[melissel]

I'm finding that the selection of movies and shows I actually care to see is shrinking all the time :( I understand why this is the case, but it really bums me out. So far, there's still enough to keep me paying--older TV shows, enough movies I haven't seen yet, documentaries that mesh with school or that the kids will be interested in--but if it keeps going the way it has been, I'm going to burn through all that, and all that will be left will be D-list junk.

 

It makes me sad. I'd be willing to pay quite a bit more than we do for a better streaming selection. It's saving us $100 a month on cable, after all!

[ELITEANDLOVINGIT]

Yep, we have streaming and it is SUPER limited. I am thinking about going back to Direct TV...:confused:

[godsaggie]

Netflix has irritated the snot out of me over the past couple of years. We switched to Amazon Prime since I wanted the free shipping deal for our constant buying online...their selection is actually growing. However, it doesn't have a queue so I made a wishlist that is currently working for me. My husband bought a cable at Wal-Mart for about $15 that plugs our computer into our tv...works great! Well, it would be ideal if I could use the remote, but hey, I've got kids that can get up and press the pause button! LOL!

[melissel]

They can't possibly have every movie streaming all the time; it's not financially feasible. What I have noticed in my own queue/just looking is that they are starting to rotate them. Movies that used to be DVD only are now streaming, and some streaming ones are now DVD. And I'm sure in a while the rotation will change again. To me, that makes more business sense.

 

I do agree with this. My bigger concern is with the quality of the material they're rotating into their lineup. I keep an eye on the kids' movies and TV and check in to see what's new regularly. I just looked in the other night and was surprised to see nothing new since the last time I looked. And I'm seeing way more garbage movies--for example, "Chop Kick Panda" :lol: There seems to be a big business in knocking off animated kids movies, making only slight changes to barely conceal the ripoff. There's very little on there that my kids care to watch anymore, and our library selection is pretty limited. Since they're the main consumers of our Netflix materials, it's making the value proposition somewhat limited.

 

I think it must be a very difficult business model to maintain though. I had high hopes for Hulu Plus too, but I wouldn't be paying for that either if it wasn't for DH's love for The Daily Show. I think content distributors just don't really want to give up the control over their products, and the market is evolving so rapidly in so many directions, Netflix is not in the great spot they once were. Amazon is making a big dent in the market, and many networks are locking down their streaming content via the cable companies now. (I was not happy to be cut off from the streaming episodes of The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles last year because I don't have cable service anymore :glare:.)

Edited June 26, 2012 by melissel

[Bang!Zoom!]

Say there were like only 100 streaming movies total in the Netflix database.

 

You log into the big red screen, and you are going to be able to see about 25 of what's available via this method.

 

The rest of what Netflix has available is here: http://instantwatcher.com/

[WeeBeaks]

And I'm seeing way more garbage movies--for example, "Chop Kick Panda" :lol: There seems to be a big business in knocking off animated kids movies, making only slight changes to barely conceal the ripoff.

 

Yeah .... "Little Cars" anyone? I wish they would stop streaming that garbage so my kids couldn't beg for the stupid show. Well, only our 6yo. Even the 4yo thinks it's stupid, not to mention the 10yo.

[Murphy101]

I've noticed and if it keeps up we will cancel our Netflix. Which is a BIG deal here bc we have never ever had cable or dish and don't plan to start.

 

We have amazon prime, but the selection there isn't much better. And I'm not exactly looking for the newest stuff. Classics from the 80s or even some Clark Gable stuff. Nada. VERY disappointing.

 

This month in annoyance with having supposedly thousands of movies to stream and none of them worth watching that we haven't already seen - I bought FOUR DVDs. That's more DVDs than I've bought in the last 5 years. Wackomart had a $5 bin near checkout with DVDs and some of them were pretty good!

 

But if I'm spending $20-$30 a month to BUY movies, then I'm going to cancel Netflix.

 

And to add irritation, the top 15 DVDs in mail order queue are all "long wait" and have been for MONTHS.:glare:

[melissel]

I've noticed and if it keeps up we will cancel our Netflix. Which is a BIG deal here bc we have never ever had cable or dish and don't plan to start.

 

We have amazon prime, but the selection there isn't much better. And I'm not exactly looking for the newest stuff. Classics from the 80s or even some Clark Gable stuff. Nada. VERY disappointing.

 

This month in annoyance with having supposedly thousands of movies to stream and none of them worth watching that we haven't already seen - I bought FOUR DVDs. That's more DVDs than I've bought in the last 5 years. Wackomart had a $5 bin near checkout with DVDs and some of them were pretty good!

 

But if I'm spending $20-$30 a month to BUY movies, then I'm going to cancel Netflix.

 

And to add irritation, the top 15 DVDs in mail order queue are all "long wait" and have been for MONTHS.:glare:

 

Check your local library book sales. I picked up a bunch of awesome movies (a couple of Harry Potter, the 2nd and 3rd LOTR movies, the Princess Bride) in perfect condition for $2 each. I really hate buying DVDs, but these will get a lot of use here.

[Shawna in Texas]

We must be really easy to please. On occasion they will take something off streaming that we had in our queue, but then put it back fairly quickly. It also allows us to see things we otherwise hadn't even heard of (Book of Kells, A Town Called Panic, Ruby Gloom). The anime selection can keep my oldest pretty busy and put my youngest in front of Pucca and I can actually get a little bit done around here. Except for a couple of lacking titles, the British selection is pretty good.

[OnTheBrink]

They can't possibly have every movie streaming all the time; it's not financially feasible. What I have noticed in my own queue/just looking is that they are starting to rotate them. Movies that used to be DVD only are now streaming, and some streaming ones are now DVD. And I'm sure in a while the rotation will change again. To me, that makes more business sense.

 

Yes, I've noticed this, too.

 

And, I must be easy to please, too, because I've not had any issues with the choices streaming offers. I have over 200 items in my streaming queue, so maybe I just fit the demographic of what they're offering now? IDK.

[Renthead Mommy]

Well my son uses streaming all the time. Right now that is all we have during the month between houses/mailing addresses. But once we are in the new house, we will be going back on the 3 disc/streaming plan. We've been very happy with both parts of it. No problems finding discs or instants. Worth every cent.

[2cents]

I've noticed streaming is offering less selection too. I find that using our Amazon Prime free video is better. Really starting to question why we still have Netflix.

[Hwin]

We dropped it a while ago, mainly for this reason. (Also because my 5yo figured out how to watch it on the sly, getting up early and streaming whatever he wanted.)

[FairProspects]

I think content distributors just don't really want to give up the control over their products, and the market is evolving so rapidly in so many directions, Netflix is not in the great spot they once were. Amazon is making a big dent in the market, and many networks are locking down their streaming content via the cable companies now.

 

This is exactly it. Netflix, Redbox, and Amazon Prime have been locked out of the market for a lot of content, and if you notice on Amazon, they only get access to rent new movies for a couple of weeks and then they lose the rights. This is unfortunately a distribution issue, not a Netflix issue.

 

Also, Comcast just bought Hulu Plus and announced plans to only allow streaming if you currently have a cable subscription. They have not stated when this new policy will take effect though.

 

The networks and movie studios are trying to put the cat back in the bag, and I really hope they don't succeed. This is how we want to access content, and they need to adapt.

[Annie Laurie]

I'm currently extremely irritated with them because we've been waiting well over a month- maybe two, for a season of a series we watch. It just keeps saying very long wait in our queue.

[melissel]

Also, Comcast just bought Hulu Plus and announced plans to only allow streaming if you currently have a cable subscription. They have not stated when this new policy will take effect though.

 

Oh NO!!!!! How is this even possible? Not everyone has access to Comcast as a cable company! We don't, so we couldn't do it even if we wanted to! Oh, I'm very upset. Thanks for letting me know that though *sigh*

 

And I agree with you about the companies needing to adapt.

[TammyS]

The only thing I find to watch on Netflix anymore is documentaries. They have all the PBS/Ken Burns documentaries available to stream. Practically no movies. A few old things (some great Fr. Brown shows from the '70s) that are nice. They do have all the big sci-fi shows, but I've seen them all. We just got Amazon Prime to try out. Need to compare it to the Netflix inventory, but we might be switching because I like the 2-day shipping that goes with Amazon Prime. We do have Redbox here and very occasionally we'll get a movie, but it's a difficult place to get in and out of across the highway, and 15 minutes away, so not very convenient. I would rather pay $3 to stream a movie then have to make the trip out to get the movie and the trip back to return it the next day. If we *don't* switch to Prime I might switch to Netflix + DVDs. I'm not thrilled with the price increase, but I am thinking this: right now, streaming + 2 DVDs would be about $20, I'm stalling on that price increase over $8 for streaming only - YET - just a few years ago I was paying $17 for DVDs only and was thrilled. So, it's not really much of a price increase, over time, and I don't have any sort of cable or satellite, so my monthly TV bill is still pretty cheap. Plus I don't have to get special wiring in my house (not wired for cable or satellite) and I don't have to sign a contract. Both big pluses with me. Yeah, I'm probably just going to add DVDs back to my Netflix sub. Ha! Talked myself right into it! :lol:

[chicagoshannon]

Oh NO!!!!! How is this even possible? Not everyone has access to Comcast as a cable company! We don't, so we couldn't do it even if we wanted to! Oh, I'm very upset. Thanks for letting me know that though *sigh*

 

And I agree with you about the companies needing to adapt.

 

That's awful! We just got a Roku and were planning on canceling our Uverse because of Hulu +. Ugh!

[QueenCat]

Our instant queue is always full of options. I've only see two movies disappear from it.... We do still do both the dvd and instant options. There is always something good to watch...

[KRG]

Netflix has irritated the snot out of me over the past couple of years. We switched to Amazon Prime since I wanted the free shipping deal for our constant buying online...their selection is actually growing. However, it doesn't have a queue so I made a wishlist that is currently working for me. My husband bought a cable at Wal-Mart for about $15 that plugs our computer into our tv...works great! Well, it would be ideal if I could use the remote, but hey, I've got kids that can get up and press the pause button! LOL!

 

Amazon has a watchlist (queue) now. Go to amazon and pull down the menu to Amazon Instant Video and hit enter. Under the pull down menu in very small print you will see a list of options--watchlist is the 6th one the list. You can add/remove movies just like on netflix.

[justamouse]

I haven't noticed that at all?

[Jilly]

I canceled Netflix a few months ago because of their lack of selection. We now have Amazon Video streaming through our Playstation, and we have been enjoying it. I like the selection of prime movies/television shows, and I like having the option of buying a movie and having instant access to it.

[ereks mom]

:glare::glare::glare: My son went looking today for a couple of movies he's streamed before. No longer available. But I can get them on DVD for another $7.99 a month. It seems like almost anything we'd want to see is now ONLY available on DVD. And really, I'd rather just buy the occasional movie to HAVE than spend $16/month.

 

I think this is the last straw for them at my house. Anyone have any opinions on comparable services like Blockbuster?

 

I was just noticing the same thing last night when ER & I were looking for a movie to watch. I noticed that several of the movies we've watched before are no longer available, and several movies in my queue will be available only until July 1. :(

 

My brother gave us his old Roku when he upgraded, and we have Amazon Prime, but they don't have a very big selection and Amazon's movie list is hard to navigate. But at least I get free 2-day shipping. (And I'm spending WAY more at Amazon than I used to. :glare:)

Edited June 26, 2012 by ereks mom

[Word Nerd]

The content offered via streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu Plus is determined primarily by the owners of that content and the agreements they have made with those services. Stop your subscription if you don't think it's worth the price, but it's pointless to blame Netflix for what content they have available on Instant; they don't dictate what is available in that format—the companies that own that movie or series do.

Edited June 26, 2012 by WordGirl

[melissel]

The content offered via streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu Plus is determined primarily by the owners of that content and the agreements they have made with those services. Stop your subscription if you don't think it's worth the price, but it's pointless to blame Netflix for what content they have available on Instant; they don't dictate what is available in that format—the companies that own that movie or series do.

 

:confused: I don't think anyone's saying it's a moral failing on the part of Netflix or anything. Some people just don't find the value proposition to be that good anymore. That's a valid complaint. Netflix is not in the position to acquire content that they once were, and it's affecting their selection. A decreased or poorer selection of products is a perfectly normal reason to be dissatisfied with something you're paying for.

[KatA]

We just signed up for Netflix again after a few months with Amazon. Netflix is a smogasbord of visual delight compared to Amazon.

Edited June 26, 2012 by KatA
Noun + Verb = complete sentence

[Word Nerd]

:confused: I don't think anyone's saying it's a moral failing on the part of Netflix or anything. Some people just don't find the value proposition to be that good anymore. That's a valid complaint. Netflix is not in the position to acquire content that they once were, and it's affecting their selection. A decreased or poorer selection of products is a perfectly normal reason to be dissatisfied with something you're paying for.

 

I agree with everything you said above and said essentially the same thing. My point is that Netflix doesn't own the content (with some exceptions, as they'll be adding more original content like the return of Arrested Development), so the complaints that imply they are messing with their Instant selections in order to annoy customers and force people to get a DVD subscription don't have much merit. In fact, just the opposite is true (they want more streaming subscribers and to phase out the DVD mailings over time), and it's in the company's best interest to increase their Instant offerings. We have Netflix and Amazon Prime, and I like having both.

Edited June 26, 2012 by WordGirl

[unfrumpable.]

Ok, I admit my instant queue on Netflix is almost 150 programs long. There is still a lot of good stuff on Netflix, I am just upset they took off all the Scooby Doo. :) My son loves to watch Dinosaur Train. He sits there with his dinosaur books so he can reference whichever dinosaur they happen to be talking about. We've been doing pre-history, so it's working out well.

[Alessandra]

Say there were like only 100 streaming movies total in the Netflix database.

 

You log into the big red screen, and you are going to be able to see about 25 of what's available via this method.

 

The rest of what Netflix has available is here: http://instantwatcher.com/

 

What a fantastic link! I use Amazon, masterpiece Theater wiki, and other sites to find movies, but instawatcher is great -- especially as I love to show dc films from other countries/cultures, and now I can find them.

 

THANKS!

[melissel]

I agree with everything you said above and said essentially the same thing. My point is that Netflix doesn't own the content (with some exceptions, as they'll be adding more original content like the return of Arrested Development), so the complaints that imply they are messing with their Instant selections in order to annoy customers and force people to get a DVD subscription don't have much merit. In fact, just the opposite is true (they want more streaming subscribers and to phase out the DVD mailings over time), and it's in the company's best interest to increase their Instant offerings. We have Netflix and Amazon Prime, and I like having both.

 

Oh! So sorry, I didn't register anyone implying that. No, I don't think that's the case at all. I know they wanted to be out of the DVD business.

 

And, do you mean that they're filming additional seasons of Arrested Development as Netflix proprietary content?! I just got hooked on AD :D

[JudoMom]

Oh! So sorry, I didn't register anyone implying that. No, I don't think that's the case at all. I know they wanted to be out of the DVD business.

 

And, do you mean that they're filming additional seasons of Arrested Development as Netflix proprietary content?! I just got hooked on AD :D

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/19/netflix-arrested-development-release-season-4-episodes_n_1437273.html

[melissel]

Oh. my. goodness!!!! Wait until I tell DH! I had no idea this was happening, how completely awesome :w00t:

 

Now, if we could just get them to pick up Firefly where Fox left off...

[Word Nerd]

And, do you mean that they're filming additional seasons of Arrested Development as Netflix proprietary content?! I just got hooked on AD :D

 

Yes! They'll be doing a new season of the show with the original cast sometime next year.

[Jenny in Florida]

Huh.

 

Things do come and go on streaming, as Netflix contracts with assorted studios and the contracts run out over time.

 

It seems to me that the selection is increasing in things I want to watch, actually.

 

It's funny: I have this big, long list of movies for my son to watch for U.S. history next year. Most of them, I noted with annoyance when I started, weren't available to stream. So, I've been checking them out of the library to pre-watch. Yesterday, though, I finished watching one of the ones that was available on Netflix, and it suggested I watch another one like it, which turned out to be one of the films that wasn't there before. Netflix has added it since I checked last month.

 

I see people mentioning that they like Amazon better for streaming, which surprises me. Maybe it's about what we like to watch, but when I checked Amazon a few months ago, I found next to nothing they had to stream that I cared about seeing. My husband already had a Prime membership, and we figured it was worth seeing if dropping Netflix was a good idea, but we decided against it after comparing the selection.

 

What are you guys finding to watch from Amazon?

Edited June 26, 2012 by Jenny in Florida

[Nakia]

I haven't noticed that at all?

 

Me either! In fact, this is our 2nd try with Netflix, and we are much happier than we were the first time.

[redsquirrel]

Netflix wants to stream everything. They really do. Total streaming was their original business plan. It is up to the companies that own the rights to allow or not allow. They might also only allow a certain number of downloads in a certain time period. That is why things go in and out of availability. They also sell movies in packages. So, for every 'good' movie that Netflix (or HBO or any cable channel) gets they have to take 20 crap movies. And often the 'good' movies are only licensed for a specific time, but the crap movies are forever.

 

Some companies, like HBO, don't seem to ever allow streaming. Recently HBO announced that they would no longer sell DVDs directly to Netflix. I think that means that Netflix is buying HBO DVDs from walmart or something, lol.

 

Old, 'classic' movies are often not streaming because no one has negotiated the streaming rights. Again, it is up to the companies that own them to allow or not allow streaming. Just like some movies were never converted to DVD format, some will never be converted to digital download.

 

The movie studios make money when people buy DVDs. Streaming is cutting into that pool of money. It is also hurting the cable companies. They are making life pretty difficult for Netflix these days. It will be interesting to see if they survive.

 

So if you are annoyed with something not being available, rest assured that Netflix is annoyed right along with you. It isn't their decision.

[Roadrunner]

Netflix used to have an agreement with the Starz network (or something similar - I think it was Starz) to stream their movies. The contract expired a few months ago, and their movie inventory shrunk.

 

I still find plenty to watch on Netflix.

 

I haven't read all the responses, but this is the reason.

The original agreement cost little. Starz pulled all the content and said they will no longer sell it to Netflix. Negotiations with many programmers have been difficult as programmers are asking for significant hikes in rates.

Actually Netflix expressed interest in making their own content.

[Nestof3]

I'm pretty sure they just rotate what's available on streaming. We opt for 3 DVDs and streaming because I think it's a fabulous bargain. I watch something every day on the treadmill, often at night I'll watch an episode of a series, and the boys stream a lot. We don't have cable, so I am happy to pay less than the price of two DVDs a month for all that we get.

 

I just watched six seasons of Criminal Minds, for example, and that would have cost a fortune alone to buy.

[Nestof3]

I figured something like this was going on. All these companies are in it to make money, right?

 

Netflix wants to stream everything. They really do. Total streaming was their original business plan. It is up to the companies that own the rights to allow or not allow. They might also only allow a certain number of downloads in a certain time period. That is why things go in and out of availability. They also sell movies in packages. So, for every 'good' movie that Netflix (or HBO or any cable channel) gets they have to take 20 crap movies. And often the 'good' movies are only licensed for a specific time, but the crap movies are forever.

 

Some companies, like HBO, don't seem to ever allow streaming. Recently HBO announced that they would no longer sell DVDs directly to Netflix. I think that means that Netflix is buying HBO DVDs from walmart or something, lol.

 

Old, 'classic' movies are often not streaming because no one has negotiated the streaming rights. Again, it is up to the companies that own them to allow or not allow streaming. Just like some movies were never converted to DVD format, some will never be converted to digital download.

 

The movie studios make money when people buy DVDs. Streaming is cutting into that pool of money. It is also hurting the cable companies. They are making life pretty difficult for Netflix these days. It will be interesting to see if they survive.

 

So if you are annoyed with something not being available, rest assured that Netflix is annoyed right along with you. It isn't their decision.

[melissel]

I haven't read all the responses, but this is the reason.

The original agreement cost little. Starz pulled all the content and said they will no longer sell it to Netflix. Negotiations with many programmers have been difficult as programmers are asking for significant hikes in rates.

Actually Netflix expressed interest in making their own content.

 

And again, I think cable companies still have many of these programmers by the you-know-whats. Netflix and their ilk are a huge threat to the cable companies, and the programmers still need the cable companies, so the cable companies ultimately still hold most of the cards. Their goal is to make it impossible for people to dump their cable. If people insist on dumping cable, they'll try to get us by increasing our Internet rates according to usage or decreasing the data limits so we can't stream as much.

 

It's a shame, really, but that's the market, I guess :(

[Nestof3]

And again, I think cable companies still have many of these programmers by the you-know-whats. Netflix and their ilk are a huge threat to the cable companies, and the programmers still need the cable companies, so the cable companies ultimately still hold most of the cards. Their goal is to make it impossible for people to dump their cable. If people insist on dumping cable, they'll try to get us by increasing our Internet rates according to usage or decreasing the data limits so we can't stream as much.

 

It's a shame, really, but that's the market, I guess :(

 

You know, I honestly wouldn't mind paying more for Netflix. I don't want cable -- ever. I like being able to choose what we watch and when. I don't want commercials. I still think Netflix is an amazing deal right now, and I've always been amazed that it's so cheap.