New Arrested Development will appear exclusively on Netflix Streaming

http://netflixstreaming.blogspot.com/2011/11/new-arrested-development-netflix.html

by amandle • 15 years ago

386 144 15 years ago

netflixstreaming.blogspot.com

bherms• 15 years ago

Bold move, but also a crucial blow to cable television.

angli• 15 years ago

I loved Arrested Development, and I'm glad that it's coming back, but I'm not sure this is a good move for Netflix. If this idea picks up steam, Netflix becomes a competitor to the networks and their relationships get worse. Heaven knows they're tense enough already. It seems likely that others may pull their content, as Starz recently did, lessening Netflix's appeal. So yes, in the short run they'll gain subscribers, but I don't think this outweighs the major risks this poses in the long run.

mk• 15 years ago

Or the producers of television see this as a way to not deal with the networks and still get their show distributed to people, and the networks find themselves without good television to put on the air.

munaf• 15 years ago

Agreed. This is proof-of-concept time. If it succeeds, TV/film producers will gradually dip their feet in more.

tomsaffell3• 15 years ago

Don't those long-term risks exist no matter what?

barredo• 15 years ago

If Netflix doesn't make steps like this (and the $100M tv show produced by netflix) they will be at the complete mercy of the major studios/networks.

danilocampos• 15 years ago

The flawed premise here is that the networks will continue to matter.

They won't. Their days are numbered.

Building the future is hard and it's messy. Netflix has been taking it on the chin this year as they've passed through a really rough patch.

In the end, though, I'd put money on Netflix existing in 2020 before I would any given broadcast network. TV is dead.

Netflix is trying to redefine distribution. They're not going to win by placating the dinosaurs of distribution's past. If the Arrested Development deal works out, production companies may see that they have new options for financing their projects and might get better opportunities to reach an audience than they'd ever get on TV.

So it's simple: take the issue by the balls and control your destiny or bow and scrape before moronic suits who don't understand technology, hoping and praying that they won't change their minds each time a licensing deal expires.

CamperBob3• 15 years ago

In the end, though, I'd put money on Netflix existing in 2020 before I would any given broadcast network. TV is dead.

Someone is going to have to deal with the question of live sports coverage, somehow, before this can happen.

dhugiaskmak• 15 years ago

Who's going to build the nationwide, unmetered fiber-to-the-home network to support this new content revolution?

yequalsx2• 15 years ago

I don't think Netflix will be around as an independent company for more than 5 years. Netflix doesn't have a single advantage save one. It has an installed user base. I'm a Netflix user but I wouldn't think twice about switching to another company. I'm on the verge of using Amazon Prime and ditching Netflix. I think even the installed user base isn't much of an advantage.

Netflix's streaming isn't more innovative and Google's streaming or Amazon's streaming. Netflix's advantage used to be to get people DVDs cheaply and quickly. That's not an advantage to take them into the future. Unless they can find a way to stream movies cheaper than Amazon I don't see how they can survive as an independent.

I think Microsoft should buy Netflix and B&N to compete with Apple, Amazon, and Google in the tablet/content space. As an independent company they are dead in the water.

EDIT: fixed typos

seanalltogether2• 15 years ago

Of course the networks will continue to matter, they're the ones who own all the existing content, have all the relationships, and have a shit ton of money. It will be painful for traditional networks to transition, but at the moment netflix really isn't holding that many cards. The movie and tv industry is rightly labeled as a collection of cartels, and for now they're giving netflix breathing room to grow, so that over the course of the next 10 years they can bleed them for all they've got just like they do with satellite, cable, and movie theaters.

Klinky• 15 years ago

ABC is owned by Disney, NBC by Universal, CBS has a very close link to Viacom & FOX is, well FOX. Those aren't really "networks" they're small parts of huge content conglomerates that aren't going to just die off because Netflix has a few exclusives. Netflix can try to change into more of an HBO business model & maybe that's a good idea, but it's not one that is going to be putting any studios out of business. It's also a departure from the "get the movies you want at a cheap price" model that a lot of their current customers are accustomed to. I think they're going to have a tough time transitioning from being a content middleman to an exclusive content producer/distributor.

rickdale• 15 years ago

What if it caused the exact opposite to happen and this move gives netflix leverage in negotiating for content. I am just saying no reason for netflix not to license out the show to be on TV as well...

nikcub• 15 years ago

the hope for Netflix is that they become the new network. If every good new show signs with Netflix or a similar provider, what can the old networks threaten with?

This is what the future will be - then somebody just needs to figure out how to get Netflix, Amazon et al to work together so that consumers don't pay multiple subscription fees.

This is why the Netflix stock price went so high - because so many analysts wrote reports about how Netflix is new media, and it may well be.

tl;dr networks = dead

rudiger3• 15 years ago

I think Netflix needs exclusive content to survive.

cookiecaper• 15 years ago

The networks already want to cut Netflix out. That is what caused the whole fiasco this summer. Netflix can't just behave and hope that the networks keep throwing them bones -- that's just not how business works. It's important that they take aggressive moves to counteract this. If copyright law were a bit more reasonable, maybe this wouldn't be necessary.

And I think the thread they're picking up with AD is perfect -- just imagine all of those long-lost fan favorites like Firefly, AD, and now Community getting picked up and streamed on Netflix in a climate where the show's creators are at least theoretically given freedom from network meddling (not to mention the much more realistic "ratings" that would be possible like this). I may even pay for that, and I almost never watch TV and generally hate it, but if Netflix cultivated all of the great content that the mainstream networks regularly threw away, they'd definitely have a much brighter outlook.

The problem I see potentially arising out of this is the conflict of interest for cable companies as online streaming continues to override cable TV viewership. With Netflix picking up shows that had initially been considered by premium cable networks like HBO or Showtime, how much interest will Comcast have in keeping pricing for internet access out of the ridiculous ranges and varied pacakges of cable television?

mitjak• 15 years ago

I'm personally afraid of the more likely possibility of networks spinning off their own Netflix clones which is arguably even worse: to watch an NBC show you would need an nbc.com subscription, a CBS one for CBS shows etc.

tomsaffell3• 15 years ago

p(viewer loves Arrest Development | viewer has netflix) > p(viewer loves Arrest Development) ?

jerf• 15 years ago

This is better understood as a strategic move, not a tactical one. It's not about Arrested Development qua Arrested Development, it's about not needing Fox, and not Fox qua Fox either but Fox as a particular instance of the general category of television channels.

tomsaffell3• 15 years ago

Yes, that probably & hopefully is their strategy. But is it mere co-incidence that their first major play of that strategy is for a show that is well loved by geeks? My guess is that the above probability does hold true, and that's part of the reason that this particular show is a going first.

orangecat• 15 years ago

Exactly. Firefly would be another obvious choice.

junkbit• 15 years ago

Much more expensive per episode though

jackvalentine• 15 years ago

I hope Netflix licences this out in countries they don't serve.

mkr-hn• 15 years ago

Syndication of Netflix-produced shows will probably become one of their big money makers if this works out.

quinndupont• 15 years ago

I'll be sure to watch it on pirate streaming/BitTorrent once it comes out.

MrEnigma• 15 years ago

Well havin just cancelled Netflix, I may have to get it again, at least for a month.

tomkinstinch• 15 years ago

This bodes well for Netflix and their new business model.

I hope that the programs they produce will be free of advertising.

jwallaceparker2• 15 years ago

>> I hope that the programs they produce will be free of advertising.

Agreed. They should be, right?

Nothing annoys me more than paying for a movie ticket and sitting through 10 minutes of commercials before a film.*

I would hope after the customer backlash over the pricing change that Netflix will be smart enough to stay away from commercials.

* Drivers who camp out in the left lane annoy me slightly more. "Stay right except to pass."

rudiger3• 15 years ago

I like movie previews. Am I the only one?

nate• 15 years ago

You should pay for Hulu :) I bet that would annoy you more. I still can't believe you pay for hulu and still get ads all throughout the damn show. And not just ads. You see the same ads over and over and over.

teamonkey• 15 years ago

> Nothing annoys me more than paying for a movie ticket and sitting through 10 minutes of commercials before a film.*

A month of Netflix costs much less than a single movie ticket. Sometimes I wonder how they manage to keep the subscription rate so low without advertising.

jmjerlecki• 15 years ago

There's always money in the banana stand.

rudiger3• 15 years ago

Reddit is this way: http://reddit.com

thebandrews• 15 years ago

Streaming video will live whether or not Netflix does. I'm just pumped for another season of Arrested Development. Booya!

modeless• 15 years ago

And for the first time, people will actually care about breaking Netflix Streaming's DRM. Anyone want to guess how long it'll last? I'm thinking it'll be up on the Pirate Bay the day of release.

dmix• 15 years ago

It will be on Torrent/usenet sites within 15min of airing. Pirate groups have this stuff down.

Its not much harder to capture netflix than any other live show.

You can buy $100 capture cards and record live gaming. DRM isnt an issue since you dont even need to crack the source.

westicle• 15 years ago

And thank god it will... being an avid AD fan outside the US I would otherwise have no access to it.

If Ron Howard wants to throw up a donation button somewhere for all us internationals I'll gladly chip in though :)

joejohnson• 15 years ago

I hope there will be an easy conduit for these episodes to appear on torrent trackers.

xsmasher6• 15 years ago

I hope there isn't. Sounds like you're a fan, but either don't want to pay the creators, or don't approve of their choice of distribution? That doesnt give you a moral or legal right to stiff them.

sathyabhat• 15 years ago

bring Netflix in all over the world and then we'll talk about that.

Till they keep screwing people outside of US, I'll head over to the torrents.

pat2man• 15 years ago

Agreed. The only reason to use torrents is to get your content delivered to the devices you want. It's hard to find a device that doesn't support Netflix. An offline Netflix option might be the only exception

tomjen37• 15 years ago

Arrogant nationalist. Not everyone is American and and for that reason gets screwed from everything from current tv (yeah I like to see shows 3 years after they were current) to innovative things like netflix, hulu and even iTunes tv show store.

shrikant• 15 years ago

I'd wager that a large proportion of the fan noise was probably introduced to the show via less than legal means. For e.g., there was absolutely no way for me sitting in India to have legally watched the show a few years back.

As much as you'd like to believe that a niche group of American viewers alone convinced the creators that furthering the show would be a good idea, that's just not true.

ansy2• 15 years ago

This is great that Netflix is being bold. Netflix needs to be bold. The networks own the studios that produce all of the content and will continue to use that to keep Netflix under heel.

Arrested Development certainly has risk though. It's impossible to pick up where the show left off six years ago.

Hopefully if this succeeds Netflix will consider following up by reviving Better Off Ted. A similar, critically acclaimed, and more recent show with actors that seem generally available.

cyanbane• 15 years ago

If that IS their biz model I personally would love it. I don't watch much TV, but what I do watch is usually in bulk via a 3rd party streaming service and a year or five late. If Netflix started bringing other titles that were cancelled too soon like Firefly, Deadwood, etc with the budget of HBO and the postsight of watching the net for sleeper hits that were cancelled, you can count me in.

tomjen37• 15 years ago

That would definitely be awesome, but it also seems very expensive. Hbo cost a lot more than netflix jet their target audience is usually much wider. Finally hbo, in my mind at least is as much a certificate of great tv as it is a channel. This is not the case for netflix.

smokinn3• 15 years ago

They've already announced how they're going to pick up where they left off and it's actually a very good idea.

For the first few episodes, each main character is going to get a recap episode of what they've been up to.

(Now my personal opinion:) Of couse, the other characters are going to show up but I think it's a very original catching up if they do it from each character's perspective. It will allow for a deeper understanding of their world and when they bring things back into a meld it will be that much more funny because of the conflicts set up in the first few episodes.

charlieussery• 15 years ago

Totally agree. Where did you read that this was what is going to happen?

fauldsh2• 15 years ago

Better Off Ted and Firefly (as some-one mentioned underneath) are perfect examples of shows that would thrive under Netflix. They have such huge appeal to the tech savvy audience who are most likely to adopt Netflix. It wouldn't surprise me if the rights to those shows are owned by big TV companies though, who have little to incentive to sell them on.

mikeryan• 15 years ago

Firefly (as some-one mentioned underneath) are perfect examples of shows that would thrive under Netflix.

I have to disagree with this, Firefly is not the type of show Netflix should be focusing on. They need shows with low production costs with broad - lowest common denominator appeal. Expensive shows catering to a niche market (which they pretty much already have captured) is not what they're trying to do here.

There's a few ways they can go, sitcoms and short form comedies are going to be much more profitable for them at this point so Better off Ted is a much better fit.

Then there's the Showtime/HBO premium market (which folks are already paying for as a premium service). But even here I think they'd play it safe short term - more Sopranos and True Blood type mass appeal then Boardwalk Empire and The Wire (both are great, but much more focused market).

eogas• 15 years ago

The source article appears to have been modified to imply that it will not be exclusive to Netflix.

EDIT: Other sources seem to be indicating that it will indeed be exclusive.

jasomill• 15 years ago

Hopefully they'll buck current trends and offer episodic content for $1 or so per episode to non-subscribers. Content available "exclusively" to subscribers is a customer-hostile model, as, e.g., Apple and Amazon seem to realize.

tfb• 15 years ago

Whoa that's actually an awesome idea. I've never thought of something like that before. And I'm sure someone else has actually already attempted it but I wonder why it isn't widespread. The only reason I can think of is maybe the networks just don't offer a solid enough deal for it to be reasonable and profitable, at least for smaller startups. I bet the big boys like Netflix and Hulu could work something out though.

awolf• 15 years ago

Deadwood, anyone?

davesims• 15 years ago

Yes, please! And Firefly...

chrismsnz• 15 years ago

Looks like those outside US are reduced, yet again, to grey-market solutions.

corin_2• 15 years ago

Just like standard US shows, it will air to the US first, and international TV stations (or internet streaming services) can bid on the right to air it, nearly always at a later date.

lurch_mojoff• 15 years ago

Which is compltely idiotic business model for Netflix. They can sell their original content directly to me. Unlike traditional TV content producers, they don't have to rely on (and split profits with) third party distributors.

I suspect you are right, but I sure as hell hope you are not.

kittxkat2• 15 years ago

Except there are no other prominent streaming services in Europe afaik, who would pick up that idea.

sjs• 15 years ago

Too bad. This would have been enough for me to reactivate my Netflix account here in Canada, but instead I'll just get it via btjunkie and Transmission.

smokinn3• 15 years ago

The series is netflix-owned though so it'll probably be available in Canada too. They don't have any arbitrary studio rules for regional licensing to deal with.

It's Europe, where netflix hasn't launched yet, that is left in the cold.

marquis2• 15 years ago

What is stopping Netflix from offering content internationally? I'm sure there are several layers of bureaucracy here, from Hollywood requirements, syndication etc. It would be interesting to know what steps/changes need to be taken to open this service up for the rest of us.

SwellJoe• 15 years ago

I predicted this would happen when Starz pulled their programming. Given how much Netflix is paying for content, they can produce several pretty high end shows, which makes them a direct competitor to HBO, Showtime, etc. But, they have a much better delivery method, from the consumer perspective. This was a no-brainer, and good on Netflix for recognizing the opportunity that Arrested Development presents for them. It's relatively cheap to produce, has huge marketing value, and has a cult-like following that will sign up for Netflix specifically for access to these new episodes.

ansy2• 15 years ago

Netflix bought House of Cards back in March bidding against HBO and AMC [1]. Less than a week later CBS, parent company of Showtime, announced it would pull Showtime content from Netflix even though the contract wasn't going to expire until the summer [2]. No negotiation or warning to Netflix, just "FYI, we're out, thanks." HBO just flat out refuses to license any of its content to Netflix or anyone else for that matter.

And it's not like Netflix isn't willing to pay. Netflix paid $30 million per movie for exclusive early access with Dreamworks. Previously HBO held the contract for only $20 million per movie [3].

Media companies are just telling Netflix to flat out screw off or at best pay a ridiculous sum that nobody else would be expected to pay. Each one has a different threshold. HBO has zero tolerance. Starz had quite a bit up to a point. But eventually they all put on the brakes to keep Netflix in check.

[1] http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2011/03/netflix-locks-down...

[2] http://www.bgr.com/2011/03/23/cbs-will-remove-some-showtime-...

[3] http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/business/media/netflix-sec...

keithwinstein• 15 years ago

Time Warner is trying to sign people up for their subscription service (HBO) -- is it really in their interest to license their content to a competing subscription service?

plasma• 15 years ago

How will I get to watch this from Australia?

We can't get Netflix here.

brianbreslin• 15 years ago

I think netflix is expanding to australia soon. Streaming only though, no dvd-by-mail. they recently expanded into south america and europe.

ptrn• 15 years ago

If the new Attested Development really takes off, Netflix will have a syndication opportunity to trade with the networks. It reminds me of the patent wars; build up your collection so you can horse-trade when necessary...

teyc• 15 years ago

This isn't a good deal for the show though. By doing an exclusive it is going to kill their long term audience, leaving Netflix free to poach another show.

serge2k• 15 years ago

The whole "US Member" thing has me nervous.

Might end up just downloading it. Not waiting if they decide to screw over Canada.

New Arrested Development will appear exclusively on Netflix Streaming

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