9/16/13
NETFLIX: As cable prices rise, consumers flock towards digital alternatives.
By Antonio Serros, Staff Writer
Incarcerated lesbians, young Michael Cera and meth-making drug lords now live on as fond memories of a bygone summer. As we struggle to move on with our lives, anxiously awaiting new seasons, counting the days and marking our calendars, the root of our suffering – Netflix, America’s most popular company for streaming movies and television shows – continues to grow at a prolific rate.
Since its explosion in the mid-2000s, Netflix has championed the digital media market, slaughtering its competition like a proud Rick Grimes. Netflix offers a seemingly infinite array of films and television programs (most of which can be streamed instantly online as of November 2010). A new era begins in media, as television grows more and more obsolete in comparison to the grandeur of Netflix. With shows such as Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and articulate, witty Netflix originals like Arrested Development and Orange is the New Black, what isn’t to love?
While consumers quickly flock to the buffet of options Netflix offers, traditional cable companies turn a vengeful eye to their new competition. To the average consumer, the ten dollar price tag of sites like Netflix and Hulu are far more appealing than the hefty 100-plus dollar cost of most basic cable subscriptions. The plethora of options and à la carte streaming (meaning viewers have the option to pay for only the programs they watch) make Netflix and Hulu hot commodities.
Recently, Time Warner cable pulled the rug out from under CBS, refusing to offer CBS’ programming to its consumers; naturally, lawsuits followed. Amidst the petty power struggle of media moguls, the source of their power – the consumer – was casually filed away and forgotten. Thus, while consumers grow tired of media moguls, the popularity of Netflix continues to grow.
Seeing the success of Netflix, HBO scrambled to offer an app for viewing their highly coveted originals; while the viewing may be à la carte, the payment is not. Unfortunately, you still have to pay extra for the service through a cable provider. Hopefully sooner rather than later, we will see à la carte streaming become readily available across all media platforms. So, opposed to paying $100 or more, the consumer could see much friendlier charges for his or her favorite channels or programs.
The color red seems all too fitting for Netflix, as it effortlessly weens America off Comcast (the world’s cable network provider)’s bottle, painting screens red with the blood of victory. The modernization of media, much like natural selection, leaves behind the weak companies and their heavy, costly baggage. If large-scale cable providers want to survive in the demanding, fast paced 21st century, they’ll need to quickly evolve to appease the demands of consumers.
Ideally, in summers to come, the streets will be paved with the iPhone wielding, joyous consumers with full wallets and satiated appetites for media.