Netflix sent a survey to some of their customers asking if they would be willing to pay an extra $9.99 per month to stream HBO shows through Netflix’s Watch Instantly feature.
The shows listed in the survey are:
- Big Love
- The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
- Flight of the Concords
- Eastbound & Down
- Entourage
- Summer Heights High
- In Treatment
- Little Britain USA
- Real Time with Bill Maher
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- The Life & Times of Tim
- Sex and the City
- The Sopranos
- The Wire
- Def Comedy Jam
- Rome
- Deadwood
- Extras
- Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry
- Six Feet Under
- Da Ali G Show
I personally wouldn’t pay an extra $10 to watch any of the shows above, not just because I’m not interested in any of those shows, but also because I don’t stream over Netflix that often. In the entire time that Netflix streaming has been available I’ve only watched one movie with it. I just don’t really enjoy sitting in front of my computer watching long form content and I’m also not willing to pay $100 or more for a device with Netflix streaming built in.
But, this idea got me thinking that Netflix could become the premier IPTV service. If they could charge you an extra $30-50 would you pay to be able to stream practically all of the content that is available to you from your cable company? Although the quality might not be as good it is an on demand service in which you pick what you want to see in your “channel linup” (or your queue in Netflix’s instance). I’ve talked before about the IPTV Dream in which you could order service from anyone in the world and since the delivery mechanism is there (your internet access) it didn’t matter your physical location or you IPTV providers location you could order from whoever you wanted. I just wonder if Netflix is heading towards that goal, towards that dream of a huge selection of media where there is something for everyone and for one low price you can watch as much as you like.
I leave you with two questions to ponder (or comment below about).
Would you pay $9.99 for HBO content?
and
Do you think Netflix will be the Vonage of IPTV?
Hacking NetFlix : Netflix Survey: Would You Pay an Additional $9.99 Per Month for HBO Shows?.