Qwikster?

Netflix announced early this morning that they are dividing their DVD-by-mail and instant streaming services into two entirely separate sites and services, with the DVD-by-mail service now going by the name of "Qwikster". The have also decided to add video games to their DVD-by-mail service, to compete with the likes of Gamefly. The pricing structure that was put in place back in July ($7.99 for DVD-by-mail and $7.99 for instant streaming) is to stay in place, and according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, there will be no price change for the foreseeable future. Hastings also claims that were will be a significant increase in the content that is available for streaming.


I honestly have no idea why they decided to make this change, especially after the backlash they received with the price changes a few months ago. Now, customers will have two entirely separate queues and rating systems. If a movie that is on my mail queue suddenly appears on instant streaming, I will have no way of knowing. And while video games by mail seems like a great idea, I really had no intention of ever needing wanting this service considering that Gamefly has been an option for years.

While only time will tell, I see this as one more nail in the coffin of physical movies and digital media and one more stepping stone towards an all streaming media society. Good luck Qwikster, you're going to need it.