Netflix Spreads the Love: More Content for Canada
Over the past several years, Netflix built its streaming service from a fledgling add-on to its DVD-by-mail offering in the U.S. to the core focus of its business. Now it’s trying to replicate its streaming success in Canada by ramping up the amount of content available to subscribers there.
Through new deals with CBC, along with extensions of some of its existing deals for streaming content in Canada, the subscription video service is adding new content. Part of the addition are a number of TV shows, including multiple seasons of Weeds and The Tudors, as well as Canadian TV shows such as Men with Brooms and Republic of Doyle — and all five seasons of The Kids in the Hall.
Netflix introduced its first streaming-only offering in Canada in September, opening up to its first international market. But in doing so, it had to renegotiate streaming rights for the new market. As a result, the Canadian streaming service, which is priced at $7.99, or about the same as the U.S. streaming-only offering, lacks a good deal of the content that Netflix streams here. At last count, Netflix had more than 20,000 streaming titles in its library in its home market, but just 7,500 titles when it first launched in Canada.
Netflix isn’t saying how many titles the Canadian service has available now, though Netflix VP of Corporate Communications Steve Swasey stressed via email that it is focused on “quality not quantity” and said that the number of titles available there is “more than you could watch in a lifetime.”
Canada-themed photo courtesy (CC-BY-SA) of Flickr user Яick Harris.
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“…said that the number of titles available there is “more than you could watch in a lifetime.”
Really? If you take 7,500 titles and make a call that on average each one is around 1.5hrs long, then that is the equivalent of about 469 days of film watching.
If you then take out the genres that dont interest me, and the other ones that my wife wont let me watch, or the ones I wont let her watch, then I think there is easily enough time for me to watch their entire catalogue…in my lifetime (assuming I dont get run over by a bus in the next couple of years!)
Any willing takers to try and put Steve Swasey’s statement to the test…?
I would love to see someone try this. Volunteers?
How about we just enjoy what Netflix is giving us in Canada today, it beats the hell out of any other alternative. As long as they keep growing, I’ll be happy. Thanks Netflix.
Adding content is not really relevant as long as there is no Instant Queue or other way to bookmark content for later viewing.
In fact, adding content only makes the problem worse. More content I want to watch but can’t save for later means an even more unusable service.
Netflix, get your priorities straight. More content is nice but please make your service more usable first.
Tyler,
Frankly, I disagree. Having checked out some newer implementations of the user interface that Netflix has rolled out, I prefer those that focus on recommendations and search, rather than those that put my instant queue front and center. I personally have added so much junk to my instant queue that it’s not nearly as useful as personalized recommendations.
Now that leads to a interesting question…if you had not been adding anything to your instant queue then what would Netflix have made recommendations on?
In fact lets take it one step further – imagine there never was an Instant Queue to miss – On what would Netflix have based your recommendations?
p.s. Listen up Cable Co’s, for the answer to this one is one that we expect to see in 2011 ;)
Paul, I think it would just start tracking based on what you started watching first, and recommending from there.
The only way I think Swasey statement makes sense is:
7500 titles, out of these, some are seasons which could have 18-22 episodes each spanning half-hour to an hour. Eg. Weeds season 1 =1 title but 20 episodes 20 hrs
Hey guys,
I started a section for Netflix Canada on my site to try to help others who can’t find good content. I make 5 good movie recommendations a week.
Here’s the link: http://www.thenmn.com/netflix.htm
Cheers,
FJ