I just noticed an AP article that says Netflix is launching “Watch Now,” a way for you to watch movies delivered over the Internet:
After accepting a computer applet that takes less than a minute to install, subscribers will be able to watch anywhere from six hours to 48 hours of material per month on an Internet streaming service that is supposed to prevent piracy.
The allotted viewing time will be tied to how much customers already pay for their DVD rentals. Under Netflix’s most popular $17.99 monthly package, subscribers will receive 18 hours of Internet viewing time.
The company has budgeted about $40 million this year to expand its data centers and cover the licensing fees for the roughly 1,000 movies and TV shows that will be initially available for online delivery.
Netflix’s DVD library, by comparison, spans more than 70,000 titles, one of the main reasons why the mail is expected to remain the preferred delivery option for most subscribers.
This seems like a decent start, but it feels like Netflix has lost the initiative to Apple on this. I am happy to see a competitor to iTunes, especially one from a company that seems more credible to me [strike that, see below]. Two weeks ago, though, I could imagine people being really excited about this, but now it feels like a response, and a weaker one. Gote.
Update: From an article on the topic in the New York Times:
The service, which will be introduced over six months, works only on recent versions of Windows and Internet Explorer.
Zoinks.