No Online Movie Service Stands Apart: All Showcasing Same Content

While this isn't the first time that DirecTV has promoted that customers can get some movies from them faster as opposed to Netflix, over the weekend DirecTV started running a new series of commercials taking aim at Netflix's 28-day window. I can't link to the video as I can't find it online, but in the commercial, DirecTV highlights the Russel Crowe Robin Hood movie on the screen and tells Netflix customers that with DirecTV, they don't have to wait to get 30 days to get new movies.

While DirecTV's commercial is accurate, I found it funny that they used the Russel Crowe Robin Hood movie as an example. For all the talk of online movie platforms, streaming devices and 28-day windows, nearly ever online movie service on the market has the exact same content. On the Xbox 360, one of the featured movies in the Zune Video channel is Robin Hood. And when you launch iTunes and select movies, it's Robin Hood they highlight. PS3, Ronin Hood. Amazon Video On Demand, Robin Hood. Even firing up an old VUDU device, Robin Hood comes up number two. CinemaNow, Robin Hood. That's six different online movie services all promoting and highlighting the exact same content.

For all the talk of how different these services are suppose to be, I find that when it comes to the content available for streaming, nearly all of them are identical. Sure, there are some services that have a deeper catalog of content, or more content in HD, but I don't know of any online movie service today that has an "exclusive" for movies and most TV shows.

I currently stream movies using platforms including Netflix, Zune Video, PlayStation Network, Blockbuster, iTunes, CinemaNow and VUDU across devices like Roku, Xbox, PS3, Apple TV, TiVo, Sony Netbox, WD TV Live Plus and others and frankly, there are not that many differences between them. The devices look different but the platforms and most importantly the content, are all nearly identical.

Right now, no one service really stands apart in the online movie space and until one of them starts buying exclusive rights to content, I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Comments

[Christopher Levy]

yeah I saw that too and no offense to Crowe but we rented it via DTV CinemaHD and it was baaaad. Not sure it would have been better on NetFlix 30 days later...

[David H. Deans]

Dan, this DirecTV example is merely legacy mass-market thinking in action. They believe that all consumers are alike, and the primary way to engage them is to focus on what's new.

In contrast, subscription services like Netflix and LOVEFiLM tend to have a more forward-looking perspective that includes an understanding of market segmentation -- individual customer interests, based upon prior preference, is the focal point.

Give them time to adapt. DirecTV, and others like them, will eventually discover that their approach is not an effective marketing strategy in today's fragmented video entertainment marketplace.

[Garo Green]

This is an issue I struggled with over this last weekend. Like many, I steam movies from several devices, including Xbox, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix, Blockbuster, and others. The result is a lot of confusion over what content is available where.

For example, this weekend I rented several documentaries from my Apple TV only to discover almost all of them were available on Netflix. I wasted $25 bucks on rentals, which were already included in my Netflix fee.

There is an opportunity for someone to create a n indexing service that identifies which movies are exclusive to a particular service. I am happy to pay for content through my Apple TV (or elsewhere), if I am not already paying for that content through another provider.