Is Netflix the Next Big Media Revolution?

When services like Netflix first appeared in the early 2000’s, they only offered online DVD renting options. Back then, the question was whether Netflix would overtake physical shops like Hollywood Video and Blockbuster.

Now, the question has shifted to whether these increasingly popular account-based services will overtake the media kingpins of the past century: cable television and even movie theaters.

With its website claiming to have “over 40 million members in 41 countries,” and “more than one billion hours of TV shows and movies,” Netflix is a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.

The difference, however, between what Netflix was as a DVD-shipper and what it is now as an online streaming site is that now the company has the medium and capital to make its own content, and this has been greeted with a warm embrace by many “TV to Netflix” converts.

While many people use Netflix as a supplement to TV, watching episodes live on television and only watching old episodes or ones they miss on Netflix, more and more people are beginning to wonder if the future lies in Netflix replacing TV completely.

Their reasoning is that with Netflix, not only are viewers getting the shows and movies they would normally watch on TV (in the UK, episodes are even uploaded immediately after they are aired for some shows), but also Netflix exclusive series like “House of Cards” and the immensely successful “Orange is the New Black” — and for only $7.99 a month.

This $7.99 a month is also a key factor to why cable might get thrown by the wayside. Comcast, one of the major cable providers in America, sells its service for $30 a month. That’s more than three times what Netflix charges!

Another feature many people appreciate from Netflix is its on demand services. While Comcast and several other cable providers have On-Demand services, they are on a renting basis, while with Netflix viewers can watch any of the entertainment they provide as many times as they want for as long as they want. Netflix also obviously has a bigger selection than any cable on-demand option, since it is made for that purpose.

With lower costs, the ability to operate on any hardware, a larger selection and availability, Netflix may soon emerge victorious out as traditional TV watching fades away.