Netflix Instant Watching Hits 10 Million Viewings

Netflix issued a press release to announce that Instant Watching went from 5 million to 10 million viewings in 6 weeks.

The company attributed the rapid acceleration of instant watching viewership to more subscribers becoming aware of the feature and the influx of exciting new titles such as the feature films "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Good German" and the hit BBC TV show "The Office" starring Ricky Gervais.

Are you using Watch Now? What do you like or dislike about the service?

Comments

[peter]

Are you using Watch Now?

Nope...I've detailed the reasons during the previous discussions on this topic, but quickly:

I watch movies on my HT system, seated in a lounge chair,etc. Why watch it at my desk on a puter screen?

Thought I read here that the flicks r sometimes the non-widescreen version.

Better quality via the DVD

blah, blah, etc

Obviously, it's a hit w/ some folks, not this household however.

[Ben Clark]

I would use it constantly ... but I have a Mac.

[brent]

I'm using it occasionally. What I really want is for keyboard shortcuts for the Instant Watching so I can integrate it better into my Home Theater PC.

Brent

[Hunter McDaniel]

I have used it a few times, but not regularly. Main reasons are:
1) DVDs are more convenient. Even though I do have a computer hooked up to my HDTV, it's easier to use a remote to control playback than to use a keyboard.
2) I already get enough DVDs from Netflix for the time I have available to watch TV.
3) I rarely have the urge to watch something specific RIGHT NOW. If I read about an interesting movie it just goes on my queue and eventually I'll get around to it.
4) Even if I did have the urge for something specific, chances are low that it would be on the WatchNow list.
5) I can only get Basic quality through my current broadband connection.

[camas22]

this is the reason dc's won't go anywhere for a long time.

[vinylboy20]

I use it for TV episodes, but not full movies. I'm not going to sit in front of the computer for a full movie. My girlfriend finds it really useful for fitness videos, though. That's the kind of thing you really don't need a DVD for. Just watch it and get it over with.

[Edward R Murrow]

There are no details in the article WRT metrics. Does a viewing count as someone watching the entire movie? Does a viewing count as someone watching 1 minute of a movie? Also, how many different customers made use of Watch Now?

For example, if only 250,000 customers watched 1 minute of 40 movies then that would be the 10,000,000 viewings.

[cyber.diva]

I will never use this feature. I want to sit in my recliner in my living room and start and pause and stop the movie when I want to.

I work at my computer every day and I don't want to sit at it if I don't have to.

[Matt]

My PC is hooked up to my TV/stereo, so I use it whenever I don't have any disks that I feel like watching right away, like yesterday.

[paving]

Almost every computer and notebook out there allows you to output the signal directly to a TV. I also have a Mac and I do this by booting into Windows. I plug in the $15 adapter and it connects to my tv via HDMI. I also have my old $15 adapter that has an S-Video and RCA (video, yellow) out so I can connect it to other standard TV's.

It works fantastic.

[HeathCliff]

Since discovering WatchNow I use it continuously on the 17 inch laptop right beside my bed. And I want to underscore, for emphasis, that I have a 67 inch Samsung in my bedroom. Why? Because it takes the experience to a new level of convenience and autobiography, being able to choose a film that suits your appetite at that moment. And it allows you to browse through all the films you're curious about but were hesitant to rent. For me, even in this short time, Watch Now is the embodiment of the future of technology, the instant download phenomenon where you can choose what you want, when you want. But again, I have the luxury of watching it lying on my bed on a fairly big laptop screen with stereo sound.

[leonardodicrapio]

I have watched three movies so far. I have five segments showing up in my Instant Viewing Activity, the shortest of which is 8 minutes long. The one movie shows up twice because I watched on two consecutive days (about half each time I sat down) -- the time span that encompassed both viewing was probably about 25 hours (so I probably could not have watched it with Amazon's Unbox or VOD without paying for a second viewing). I did watch 2-3 things a few months ago for less than 5 minutes that do not show up in my IVA.

[igj]

I used it last night to watch two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. I have also used it to 'test' a series to see if I would be interested in renting it or to see if my GF would be interested. I did that recently with both Jeremiah and Ballykissangel (very different series).

I have watched a few movies with the service, but mostly while on the road in a hotel.

[Homodron]

Watch Now is a good tool in the Netflix arsenal, but in time, hopefully, it will become a great one. The technology is already there to merge your PC and Home Theater experiences, but that's hardware and is outside of Netflix' control. What they CAN do with Watch Now, is simply keep expanding their catalog, but in a more focused manner. There are two categories that they can focus on: 1) Television (or any other multi-disc programming, excepting bonus discs). I found few things more irritating about Netflix than having to stop watching a series because some disc is no longer available through; and 2) New Releases! (if the major studios every agree to this), since it would alleviate immediate pressure for any hot current titles that have thousands of people waiting to see them. Fewer hard copies would need be purchased, more viewers would get a chance to see the blockbuster titles without having to wait for months on end for their turn; and 3) Less unknown one-star bottom-of-the-barrel junk that is being thrown into the catalog now in an attempt to increase the title numbers.

But all in due time, I supposed. WN can be great. I just hope the wait isn't too long for it.

[Im Not A Turnip]

My biggest gripe is that I never know if I am signing up to watch a movie in "pan & scan" (P&S) or widescreen.

Probably 25% of the movies I've started to watch online were abandoned within a couple minutes after I discovered it was P&S (even though the entire time is "charged" to my account.) Due to that, I KNOW their numbers are skewed. I call BALONEY on 10 million!

I wish more "non-B Movie" content was available. My older, "iffy", secondary computer is connected to a 65" widescreen yet I've been extremely satisfied with the quality. So far only 1 movie has been blurry to the point of being annoying - the rest have rivaled the quality of my up-converting DVD player.

Second biggest complaint - too many of the available TV series don't include the FIRST EPISODE! I will NOT watch a new series if I don't see the first episode... you know, the one that gives all the great background information and explains what the heck is going on! If I have to rent episode 1, then I won't bother with Watch Online.

[talulah]

I love Watch it Now. They've got a pretty good selection and it's great for when I'm in between movies or just want to check something out. Of course, I don't have a stellar entertainment system, so it doesn't make much difference to me if I'm in the living room with the TV or in bed with the laptop. The only drawback with Watch it Now I've found is when the Netflix website is down....like NOW.

[Flea]

Watch it now is great for people who travel. Hard to watch your netflix if you are never home to get the mail. I use the heck out of it! My thought on it is they could make more money by charging $1.00 for each additional movie you watch after you use your "Watch it Now Hours". They could put more movies up as well.

[dokein]

I put my Netflix account on hold until they offer Watch It Now for my Mac, or until Battlestar Galactica Season 3 finally comes out on DVD, whichever happens first.

[Aarthi]

Is there any way to watch these movies from any other country other than U.S? Netflix doesn't allow people to watch from other countries even if we pay $9 a month.

I don't really get the logic behind this. Netflix gets $9 whether I am in U.S. or not. Why do they need to block U.S. expatriates in other countries? Policies like this force people like me to go torrent sites.