Netflix vs Lovefilm. FIIIIIIIIIIIGHHHHT!!!!

[Santa's Boyfriend]

Netflix launched their service in the UK today, and those of us with a PS3, XBox, iPad or whatever else may have noticed a Netflix option appear.  Apparently they're not offering mail order discs like Lovefilm do, as it's expensive and clearly isn't the way of the future.  But it does mean that Lovefilm have the edge for now.

I understand Netflix are a company from the US who started around the same time as Lovefilm.  Naturally, having access to a population six times the size of ours, they have become the bigger company and now they're over here.  Lovefilm have the advantage for now I think as they're already entrenched over here and they are still offering DVDs and Blu-Rays (and games, importantly), but they're both going to be in it for the long haul, and considering they're already well known to American film distributors (and I think Lovefilm have a barney with one of the big ones) I'd be surprised if Netflix didn't win out in the end.  Still, it'll be interesting to see what happens.  10 years ago Blockbuster were unassailable.

[madhair60]

The Pirate Bay

[Harpo Speaks]

I've been meaning to start a general Lovefilm topic in here.

(and I think Lovefilm have a barney with one of the big ones)

It's Universal that Lovefilm are in dispute with.

I'm with Lovefilm, and generally am pretty happy with their service. Even more so now that LF is available through the Xbox dashboard, as I much prefer to watch their online content on the TV rather than the laptop.

Fairly recently LF increased their disc allocation for members (I was on 2 discs at home at a time, this is now 3), presumably this was in preparation for the Netflix launch. I listen to a few US film podcasts and you hear a lot of mentions of Netflix, and their catalogue of streaming content for example sounds sizeable and impressive. I'm hoping that LF may ramp up its content even more to ensure it retains superiority.

[Pie Pie Eater]

It was my impression that Netflix have the streaming rights for the new Arrested Development, so I know who I'm subscribing to. Assuming they will also stream it in the UK.

[Ignatius_S]

... ...Lovefilm have the advantage for now I think as they're already entrenched over here and they are still offering DVDs and Blu-Rays...

And it doesn't have the same management that was responsible for the Qwikster debacle – the 60% price hike was bad enough, but the announcement that physical media would be dealt with by a separate company, which was then reversed, was a nightmare. In the not too distant past, Netflix has been losing quite a few subscribers and  its share price fell by 75% in three months (it's slightly increased since then, but not by that much), so it's not all roses and wine for the company.

It was my impression that Netflix have the streaming rights for the new Arrested Development, so I know who I'm subscribing to. Assuming they will also stream it in the UK.

The Arrested Development deal is part of Netflix moving into getting original content in the States. As far as I'm aware, the only announcement about availability has been for North America – it wouldn't be surprising if it did get shown over here on Netflix, but I wouldn't take it as read that it will be (and if it is, it may be after the States) as there will be different rights issues, contracts etc.

[Penfold]

I'm with Lovefilm, and generally am pretty happy with their service. Even more so now that LF is available through the Xbox dashboard, as I much prefer to watch their online content on the TV rather than the laptop.

I had my allocation increased to 4 discs, but then I noticed they were doing the 3 disc account for £5 cheaper so I just switched to that.

Surely the Amazon backing will help Lovefilm.

[Ignatius_S]

...Surely the Amazon backing will help Lovefilm.

Well, it's just been announced that the last quarter had a record number of new subscribers. In the Black Friday week of sales, Amazon were doing six months of Lovefilm for a little over £18 (2 discs unlimited, so I think it was a 66%) and my impression is that Amazon has been pretty aggressive with marketing for new punters.

[phantom_power]

Lovefilm have started a £4.99 streaming only option which is two pounds cheaper than Netflix. The only advantage to Netflix is that they stream TV shows as well as films, but I believe LoveFilm will be following suit. Netflix also has the advantage of being available on the Wii, which Lovefilm isn't.

Has anyone signed up for Netflix? What is the selection like?

[buntyman]

Lovefilm has a pretty shite search and filter system for searching for online streaming content. My broadband connection is crap anyway so it doesn't really affect me too much.
I recently subscribed to a brilliant Lovefilm deal via Groupon which has set me up with 12 months of unlimited, 2 discs at a time for dvds, blu rays and games for a total of £16 for the year. Lovefilm seem very efficient with posting and processing things I send back to them so I really can't complain. I don't see how Netflix can better what Lovefilm are offering me at the moment. I'm sure I'll find a way to watch Arrested Development when it comes out.

[Ignatius_S]

Lovefilm have started a £4.99 streaming only option which is two pounds cheaper than Netflix. The only advantage to Netflix is that they stream TV shows as well as films, but I believe LoveFilm will be following suit...

Isn't it £5.99 per month? There is a one-month free trial, but it looks like you need to use Facebook.

LoveFilm has just signed a deal with the BBC and ITV for streaming programmes, so you're right that it's following Netflix in that respect.

[jutl]

Has anyone signed up for Netflix? What is the selection like?

Pretty decent - certainly better than Lovefilm's was when I quit about 6 months ago.

There is a one-month free trial, but it looks like you need to use Facebook.

No, they just push it hard. Choose 'sign up via email' instead.

[Ignatius_S]

It's been reported that LoveFilm is offering a "introductory" price of £4.99 per month for streaming only. One article, however, has been updated to say that this started doing that back in Decemeber.

Netflix: 'Lovefilm is no competition'

...No, they just push it hard. Choose 'sign up via email' instead.

Ah, I didn't spot that – in my defence, my research was fairly comprehensive as I spent about five minutes on the site.

[Harpo Speaks]

Just walked past Argos and there was one of those Promotional Trailers (usually see them for Sky etc) set up for Lovefilm outside. I presume the timing is no coincidence.

[sick as a pike]

Lovefilm's business model didn't work well in my case. 
To be fair to them, I think it was more my mistake than theirs.  I ordered films that didn't particularly interest me, and which I therefore didn't watch, but did pay for.  District 9 sat on the mantelpiece, unviewed, for about six months.
I am no longer a subscriber.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

Lovefilm's streaming service has TV shows on it, but they tend to be drama miniseries of some obscure variety.  I remember they had a miniseries about Napoleon a while ago.  On the plus side they do have the new Lover's Guide and a tantric massage vid on there, both of which are essentially hard porn.  If they've signed deals with BBC and ITV then great.  I'm sticking with Lovefilm for now as I get games and Blu-rays sent to me, something Netflix can't compete with right now.  Plus to be honest I'm annoyed by how arrogantly bullish that statement in the Telegraph is.  It makes them come across like a bunch of Murdochs.

They say they're streaming HD content, but I seriously doubt it's Blu Ray quality - in which case I'm sticking with Love Film for now.  I'll come back in a year or two when they've got a bigger catalogue.

[jutl]

They say they're streaming HD content, but I seriously doubt it's Blu Ray quality

If you're interested the settings say that - with HD content set to highest quality - the data rate is ~2.3GB/hour so yes, nowhere near Bluray but similar to other streaming HD providers like XBox Live.

[the midnight watch baboon]

I'm with Blockbuster cos I'm street.

[Paaaaul]

I was going to sign up for the free month with Netflix when I saw it on my XBox dashboard this evening, until I looked at the selection they have:-
https://signup.netflix.com/BrowseGenres/Popular-Picks/PP - Apparently this is their most popular stuff. Teen Witch ?!? Impromptu ?!?

I think I'll stick with LoveFilm which I have been really enjoying since it hit the XBox. I was sick over the weekend, and lay on my sofa and watched 9 or 10 films of my choice without moving which was great. Well worth a fiver a month to me.

[Paaaaul]

...but I have found this list on HotUKDeals of TV stuff that is apparently on there which is more tempting

Dexter (1-2), Breaking Bad (1-3), Arrested Development (1-3), Warehouse 13 (1-2) Xmen / Spiderman Cartoon (FULL), Heroes (1-4), Scrubs (1-5), Dollhouse (FULL), Jericho (FULL), Rescue Me (1-7), Nurse Jackie (1), Dirty Sexy Money (1), Weeds (1-3), Scrubs (1-5), Chapelle's Show (FULL), Saturday Night Live (Random New/Old Episode), South Park (Random Episodes), The 4400 (FULL), Highlander (1-6), Charmed (FULL), Firefly (FULL), Jersey Shore (1-2), The Hills (1-3), Pimp My Ride (1-3), Heartland (1-4), Private Practice (1-3), 24 (1-8 ), 90210 (1), Prison Break (1-4) Might Morphin Power Ranger (1-3), Rugrats (1-3), Wonderpets (1-3), Spooks (1-7) , Doctor Who (1-4), Coupling (FULL), Torchwood (1-3), Faulty Towers (FULL), Little Britain (FULL), Psychoville (1), Outnumbered (1), Bellamy's People (1), Shameless (1-7), Misfits (1-2), Inbetweeners (1-3), IT Crowd (1-4), Peep Show (1-7), Skins (1-5), Top Gear (2-14), The Might Boosh (1-2), Robin Hood (1-3)

[Consignia]

I picked up the free trial, but I think I'm going cancel asap. The video quality is bobbins on my HDTV via it's Silverlight player. There's not really much stuff I'm interested in on there either, but I suppose that's really more personal taste.

[Old Nehamkin]

About the Arrested Development thing, surely if Netflix does delay the UK release most people will just view it illegally? It's not like it's a show with lots of casual viewers, they're mostly very big fans who've been anticipating new episodes for ages. Although I don't really know much about this stuff- do they tend to clamp down harder on piracy of on-demand stuff than things that have aired? Is it likely to be able to obtain the episodes if they do delay them?  The idea of potentially having to wait months to see existing Arrested Development episodes is horrible.

[phantom_power]

I have downgraded my Lovefilm subscription from 14.99 a month bells and whistles, to 7.99 1 disc at a time with streaming. This allows me to try out Netflix for a few months without paying more. I think I will use Netflix for going through Breaking Bad and the like and Lovefilm for films, as their selection seems better.

If Lovefilm sort out their Television content I may ditch Netflix, especially if Lovefilm get a Wii channel

[Ignatius_S]

About the Arrested Development thing, surely if Netflix does delay the UK release most people will just view it illegally? It's not like it's a show with lots of casual viewers, they're mostly very big fans who've been anticipating new episodes for ages.....

If the UK distribution rights for the fourth season go with someone else (e.g. Channel 4), I doubt Netflix UK will give a stuff how long behind it's shown over here compared to America.

So far, there's been nothing in the reporting about the Arrested Development/ Netflix deal to suggest that it includes anything other that the North American broadcast rights. The deal might include other areas, but nothing has been publicly said (that I've seen) – and if there had, it's surprising that there's been no mention in all the launch publicity.

Netflix bagged the distribution rights for Arrested Development in the States because it wants to get into original programming over there and has been making moves to that area (e.g. House of Cards). Additionally, it was reported that the first three seasons of the show has been very popular on Hulu (including clips and outtakes, there's supposed to have been more than 100 million streaming impressions). For these two reasons, I suspect that Netflix were thinking primarily of the American market when it signed the deal – particularly as it's been losing subscribers.

[jutl]

I'd be surprised if Netflix licensed the new Arrested Developments to another channel. Surely the point of spending the money is exclusivity and differentiation? As nearly all material becomes available via every channel, companies like Netflix and Hulu are spending on original content in order to gain and retain competitive advantage and avoid becoming commoditised, like the mobile networks have been. 

[Ignatius_S]

With the House of Cards remake, it was reported that Netflix outbid the likes of HBO for the exclusive rights to broadcast it – a few months later, it was revealed that this exclusivity was actually temporary and another company would have broadcast rights later on in the States. The AD deal could be completely different, but it's not out of the realms of possibility that something similar could happen (although personally, I'm doubtful).

In the UK, we don't know who has the rights and there's nothing that I'm aware of that indicates the Netflix deal includes broadcast rights for areas other than North America, so the company may not have a say.

[mjwilson]

Lovefilm have started a £4.99 streaming only option which is two pounds cheaper than Netflix. The only advantage to Netflix is that they stream TV shows as well as films, but I believe LoveFilm will be following suit. Netflix also has the advantage of being available on the Wii, which Lovefilm isn't.

I can't really imagine watching a film with Wii resolution.

[holyzombiejesus]

I've just cancelled my LoveFilm account. Partly because we've just got the BT internet/ tv package that has loads of decent old films for free or newer ones for about 4 quid, partly because I used to cane my LoveFilm DVDs, getting through 4 or 6 a week, and now have hardly any films left that I want to pay to hire but mostly because Royal Mail are so utterly shit. It always took discs one day to reach LoveFilm, they would always dispatch on the same day but it could then take up to a week for them to reach me.

[Wet Blanket]

I've just cancelled my LoveFilm account. Partly because we've just got the BT internet/ tv package that has loads of decent old films for free or newer ones for about 4 quid, partly because I used to cane my LoveFilm DVDs, getting through 4 or 6 a week, and now have hardly any films left that I want to pay to hire but mostly because Royal Mail are so utterly shit. It always took discs one day to reach LoveFilm, they would always dispatch on the same day but it could then take up to a week for them to reach me.

This is my major bugbear with LoveFilm. It's not always the case, however, and sometimes I wonder if it's not Royal Mail's fault but the company themselves holding back on dispatching a fresh DVD because I've been smashing through more DVDs per month than they consider reasonable.

I've also found that after being a subscriber for 2 and a half years I've started to run out of films I want to watch. My Rental List used to span two pages, now I have to rack my brains for a dozen new titles per month.

...And... half the time they don't have what I'm looking for, or it's 'not available for rental', which boils my piss. I always put those discs on my 'Reserve' list though, because once they sent me one they said was 'currently unavailable'

[VegaLA]

I'm going to give my vote to NetFlix.
I've been using their service on my XBox for over a year now and I can watch media on an iPad2 and Boxee Box too.
The catalogue has boomed in the past 6 months to the point where I was finally able to convince the Gurl to trash the live TV service as the we are able to view a wide range of TV shows from Netflix (except HBO unfortunatly, but BBC shows are present) and she can get her News fix from the iPad2, s a TV service is now redundant.
Warner Bros are currently giving Netflix a hard time but that does not mean Netflix won't get new films as fast as they could, as they are buying from a 3rd party, but honestly, with all the content already available i'm not sat gazing at the TV awaiting the latest blockbuster.

Sinbad tried LoveFix online but the streaming was dire so i'll ask him to give Netflix a go and see if it is any better. Most of my Netflix viewing is done from the Boxee Box and that conenction is using Wifi, not wired (which i'd prefer personally) and i've had no buffering problems as of yet.

[Famous Mortimer]

This is my major bugbear with LoveFilm. It's not always the case, however, and sometimes I wonder if it's not Royal Mail's fault but the company themselves holding back on dispatching a fresh DVD because I've been smashing through more DVDs per month than they consider reasonable.

I think it's much more likely that this is the case, as opposed to Royal Mail just leaving the sacks from Lovefilm with the idiot member of the sorting office.