Should Netflix Stock Adult Movies?

Becky at the Netflix Fan blog has written an interesting post about the niche Netflix competitors, based on a story in Inside Bay Area:

San Francisco-based Greencine, in business since 2002, has made its name as a respected player in foreign and independent films. In 2003 it rolled out video on demand. Cofounder Jonathan Marlow said he and partner Dennis Woo offer one-tenth of Greencine's DVD catalog, or 2,500 films, through video on demand.

Marlow acknowledged that most of the customers of video on demand are watching adult films, an accommodation Greencine is willing to make to support its foreign and independent movie catalog.

How do you feel about Netflix and adult movies? Should they carry them? Will it help them compete against Blockbuster and possibly Amazon?

Comments

[Garrick Van Buren]

With NetFlix's exploration into social networking with their 'Friends' tab, I think they best leave the adult dvd rental to someone else.

Yes, they should carry adult titles. I'm sure they could set them off from the other titles and only allow access for those members who prefer racier fare.

[Pinball Mars]

SHOULD they? Sure, why not?
WOULD they? Probably not.

Me, I sometimes rent adult DVDs from Greencine. Greencine does exactly what the anon poster mentions above. Unless you set your membership preferences to access adult movies, Greencine's selection of them is invisible to you and none of those DVDs will show up in searches.

[Pinball Mars]

I just read the post on Becky's blog. She has an ax to grind over adult films and that's okay, but I'd like to know where this comes from:

They say that there is an underserved segment of the market that wants movies Netflix can't provide. That's false. Most of Greencine's subscribers use it for "adult" material.

I'm not arguing with her. I'd just like to see where it's been documented that most Greencine subscribers are using it for porn.

All I know is that the Greecine discussion board is often like a big anime fan convention.

It would make sense for Netflix to stock adult titles in the way mentioned above (put them seperate from other movies so that they only come up for people who want them). It would make even more sense for Netflix to create specific plans for people who want to rent adult titles - maybe charge a little more a month for access to them (this could greatly increase Netflix's profits, which would make it easier to fix the shipping/availability problems a lot of people have complained about lately...)

[anon]

YES, they should offer EVERYTHING, with plans catering to ALL the potential ADULT customers,,, but i think it is doubtful NF will ever offer anything besides straight "hard-R" rated "Playboy" type DVD's such as those offered by columbia house or suncoast. BB , even more so.

[Becky]

I extrapolated from the quote by Greencine co-founder John Marlow's statement that "most of the customers of video on demand are watching adult films" to conclude that if "most" are using the VOD feature for porn, then "most" must also be using the porn DVD rentals. I also based my conclusion on the well-known fact that porn is the number one use of the Internet.

The fact that Netflix does not distribute porn is a good thing. I hope they never do.

[Dano]

I think Netflix should have adult movies. They could make a lot of money selling a plan with them available.

However, some of the existing adult dvd rental companies that operate similarly to Netflix won't send movies to all parts of the US. Same with purchasing adult movies online - some companies won't send them to certain areas. I think local obscenity laws are a factor in this.

In some parts of the US (like Alabama) it's illegal to purchase sex toys. Remember that when some guy on TV starts ranting about freedom.

I think if Netflix wanted to make adult movies available then eventually someone will get an adult movie when they didn't intend to. What would happen if you got a Disney movie and a porn movie and returned them in the wrong DVD sleeves? Some wacko mom who lets the tv raise her kids would sue Netflix when junior sees Christy Canyon instead of Winnie the Pooh.

Netflix could start a separate company renting only adult films.

[Sonja]

Hasn't this question been asked before? Does Blockbuster offer Adult titles on their site? I don't recall seeing any. Netflix does offer some NR titles, but I say hey should stay away from "adult titles". There are sites for that, not to mention Netflix stocking the titles would probably increase the memberships of netflix subscriptions. Adult titles cost more than regular movies.

They should offer adult titles. I am adult enough to decide whether I wish to see them or not. If I want to, great. If I don't, then I don't have to. Too many people wants things limited because THEY do not like something. If YOU do not like it, DO NOT view it, eat it, see it, read it, etc.

[Joseph]

No way. It is bad enough that they've got queer movies.

[Ehi]

I do not think they should stock them. I think they would lose a lot of customers.

Why? Will they make you watch them or something?! Just don't rent them.

[joseph]

I don't think they should. Kids are used to opening up the bright red envelopes and grabbing the next DVD. If a parent decides to spice up the night life via Netflix, this could lead to troubles.

[RedBeard]

I went with SugarDVD for adult title and I have to admit they had better service than NF, even though I live in Houston near a NF distribution center and SugarDVD ships out of CA. I often had better turnaround with SugarDVD.

It often makes me laugh when people make statments about how NF would lose so many customers if they stocked Adult titles. Why on earth would customers leave if a company branched out into a seperate field. I am not saying the adult titles should be listed on the general sit next to the disney flicks, But why should I not have the option to search the seperate database once I have confirmed that I am an adult? Use a different color envelope for the Adult titles, Red for general movies, Blue for adult titles. I for one would pay an extra $5 a month to add a 1 or 2 at a time adult title to my account.

What people dont seem to understand is that if they dont like it don't outlaw or abolish it, simply just dont watch it.

[Dee]

The "Kids are used to opening up the bright red envelopes and grabbing the next DVD" reason is a poor one, a different color envelope would easily solve that. Stocking adult titles is a tricky thing, people are easily offended by such things for any number of reasons (mostly foolish). Blockbuster chooses to not even carry unrated or NC-17 versions of movies in their stores (at least, that was the case in the past). Me i'm all for it, but i'm not uptight.

> I extrapolated from the quote by Greencine
> co-founder John Marlow's statement that "most of
> the customers of video on demand are watching adult
> films" to conclude that if "most" are using the VOD
> feature for porn, then "most" must also be using the > porn DVD rentals.

a very high number of Greencine's Video on Demand titles are adult titles. Not everything they rent is available as Video on Demand. The VOD selection is a mix of little known independent films, some documentaries, and a lot of adult titles. Since their VOD selection isn't a reflection of Greencine's overall selection, their VOD user statistics can't reflect on what their users' are renting overall. Your assumption is a false one.

I'll tell you why using a different color envelope for adult titles isn't a good idea.

A nice thing about renting adult DVDs online is privacy. Some people are a little embarrassed to rent them from video stores. This is also why pay porn websites often tell users that their payments to the site will show up in a discreet manner on their credit card statements and porn mail order companies often use discreet packaging. A different color envelope defeats this.

Netflix will likely never start carrying porn so it's a moot point. We're in a more uptight and repressed era than in the past. Though I'd be in favor of them renting porn and, Netflix probably has good PR reasons for not doing it.

[Amy]

YES! 100% Hardcore XXX smut should be available from Netflix! how does NETFLIXXX sound? none of that lame Playboy/Penthouse tease crap ;)

[REN]

Are there any financial drawbacks or risks to renting adult titles? I'd think it would be a definite cash cow for Netflix. Netflix could even put their own sin tax on them and charge a premium over regular movies. Look at the porn-centric rental companies that have sprung up to fill the demand.

I don't understand if the people at Netflix don't carry porn because they believe it is wrong (Hastings on the Board of Education in California) or because they wanted to maintain a certain image. The legality of mailing obscene movies and adding protected areas to the site might also be a concern.

I don't think it would drive away any customers. The type of customers it would drive away are already getting their G-rated versions of "Reservoir Dogs" from CleanFilms.

[Hunter McDaniel]

Maybe Hastings has an opinion based on his morality, or maybe not. But I think he has made the decision that stocking porn (not to be confused with general audience NR films that may have lots of sex) is bad for the brand and not worth the few marginal subscribers it would pick up. My gut opinion is that he's right. It's not just the CleanFlicks crowd who would see it as disreputable.

If NF wanted to go after the porn market at all, I would see them setting up a separate service that leveraged their existing infrastructure.

[REN]

Maybe he just doesn't want to hear complaints from users who demand that they stock all 30 sequels to "Hot Coeds". Netflix could claim 60,000 titles if they started adding porn titles. I wonder if porn titles are in constant demand or if some titles rent for awhile and then are forgotten about when the sequel is released (like for games). It might not be a good investment.

The major benefit is that everything is already in place, they just need to have the movies. The main benefit would be for people who maybe rent a few porn movies a month in addition to regular movies. There isn't the time and cost involved with subscribing to and managing another service.

For the people who actually want 12 porn movies a month, or someone who is really picky, they might be better off with a service dedicated to porn.

[John Fiala]

Stock adult movies? I thought that was what illegal downloads of movies was for, to prevent people from having to worry about being seen getting adult material. :)

That said, I don't have much of an opinion either way.

[Jergens Lotions]

Netflix needs porn.

Sincerely,

Jergens Bottls

[Roy]

Pron makes my pants happy. Please get pron.

Thank you

[Lonely movie watcher]

Porn rubs me the right way

[Forn]

I would rather see Netflix explore the multi-region and cult DVD market (like Nicheflix and Greencine).

I wouldn't mind if they stocked pron or snuff, or anything of the sort. But hey NF still kicks BB's arse when it comes to controversial titles.

[Jesus Sissyfag]

FYI, 'Joseph' === more 'queer' movies would be a GOOD thing, and, if you don't want to watch them, don't RENT them, and don't expect them to go away either.

that comment was pretty ignorant i must say.

[lori]

I don't think they should. There are other excellent sites that offer porn....Intelliflix has a great site and it's not any more money.

[Jonathan Marlow]

All I can mention is, "You can't believe everything you read." First of all, I am not the co-founder of GreenCine. Nor did I ever suggest that Adult titles represent the majority of our Video-on-Demand activity. The figure, in reality, is a much smaller percentage than you might expect. For the Rent-by-Mail service, the number is smaller still.

However, I wager that folks appreciate choice. Evidently our subscribers agree.

[jeff anderson]

i think netflix should rent x-rated films.

[Gigi]

My question is...
Would they have to employ someone to er, "clean up" the porn DVD's? I don't mean content, I actually mean Windexing the disk itself. I shudder to think about touching a porno, when God knows what touched it last. That said, adult titles are surely in the works.

And who gives a crap about "queer" movies? Come into the Bronze age, asshole.

[andrea]

yes, i think that netflix should rent adult movies. they should stock movies for all tastes-- if you don't want to see them, don't watch them! don't censor the many for the good of the few.
as far as getting an adult movie by accident instead of a kids' movie-- guess what, people? most of the discs themselves are labeled! if you open a winnie the pooh envelope and see "ass masters" or something like that, it is a good bet is not a new version or movie of winnie the pooh! let's all use our heads, shall we? netflix should cater to its users MANY likes and wants, not just some of them.

[Steph]

http://www.sugaradultdvd.com is the NETFLIX/BLOCKBUSTER for PORN! Free trial! You just rent as many as you'd like and when you return one, the send you another right away. There's no late fees or due dates. You keep them as long as you want. They have a HUGE selection of adult dvds and you also have the option to buy them, as well as sex toys and more!

[steve]

Netflix DO rent porn....

Gay and Lesbian. (they even have a link for it)

it seems wrong to do this, either (excuse the pun) go all out, or none at all.

[Raymond]

yes netflix should offer porn of all kinds for adult entertainment. we have a video store in our area called Family Video and they offer all kinda of porn except anything gay in nature!

[larry]

sure they should stock adult dvds ,put an adult advisory up and let the people rent what they want