Twitter exploded a few times yesterday with some pretty big news events: Microsoft’s World Partner Conference, EA acquiring PopCap Games and Netflix changing their pricing structure. I’ll focus this week on the last item. I’ve always been in the relative minority that Netflix was pretty heavily underpriced for what they offer. I’m all for a good deal, but I’ve been taught to be wary of things that seem too good to be true. It seems this has come to fruition, as Netflix quietly changed their prices today. You won’t see it anywhere on their front page, but if you do a little digging, and expand the FAQ on the questions “How much does it cost?” and “Can I get DVDs by mail from Netflix?” you will see that the former $9.99 bundle is now separate: $7.99 for streaming, $7.99 for unlimited (1 at a time) by mail. This pricing change is in effect for new customers now, and will go in effect for current customers in September. While there was an uproar from the public about this, I was left wondering if anyone out there felt this was actually an appropriate price hike. It begs the question:
Do you agree with Netflix’s decision to effectively raise the price of their bundle?
(You may have to refresh the page to see the poll)
Note that I say “Do you agree..,” not “Do you like..” No one likes it when a subscription they have jumps 60% in price, but do you feel you’re now paying fair market price for what you get? Allegedly, the increase has a lot to do with the cost of acquiring licensing for streaming movies, which is expected to jump in cost considerably in 2012 for Netflix. Personally, I was never a huge fan of the selection of streaming movies on Netflix, so if I was a subscriber, I’d probably just stick with DVDs by mail. I do, however, think that this price change puts the offering in line with the value. $15.98 is still cheaper than going to the movies. But with rivals Blockbuster, Amazon and others in the marketplace, offering similar (if not better in some cases) selection for a lower price, this move may finally cause Netflix to cede the consistent growth they’ve shown over the years.
This is a recap week, where we visit some polls from weeks prior, and put the results up:
Platform Playing Habits [9 total votes] (Do you spend majority of your time (80%+) on one gaming platform?): 88.9% of respondents said Yes
Gaming Related Charities [7 total votes] (Have you donated your time or money to a gaming related charity?): 57.1% said Both, 28.6% said Money, 14.3% said Neither
Online Purchases [7 total votes] (Will your online spending habits change as a result of the PSN fiasco?): 100% said No
Welcome Back [46 total votes] ( Do you feel that Sony’s compensation in the Welcome Back program is satisfactory?): 63% said Yes
E3 Stakes [127 votes] (Of the Big 3 gaming companies, which one most needs the best showing at E3?): 48.8% felt Sony needed it most, 41.7% said Nintendo, 9.4% said Microsoft.
Wii U [26 votes] (Will you be purchasing the Wii U?): 65.4% of you said Yes
Duke Nukem Forever – Revisited [31 votes] (Will you (or did you) buy Duke Nukem Forever at full price?): 61.3% said No
Keep an eye out in #PNASQ on Monday when I’ll pose next week’s question. Want to sound off? Vote above, and comment below!
A Simple Question (ASQ) is a weekly segment for Platform Nation. Each week on Monday, I’ll ask a question on Twitter at #PNASQ. Give a response and let the world know what you think; there is no right or wrong answer here. If you have a suggestion for a question, hit me up on twitter @vttym.
