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Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs
The inside story of Netflix’s incredible rise and uncertain future as master of the video universe
Netflix has come a long way since 1997, when Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings decided to start an online DVD store before most people owned a DVD player. Yet its long-term success—or even survival—is still far from guaranteed.
Journalist Gina Keating recounts the fast-paced drama of the company’s turbulent rise to the top and its attempt to invent two new kinds of business. First it engaged in a grueling war against videostore behemoth Blockbuster, transforming movie rental forever. Then it jumped into an even bigger battle for online video streaming against Google, Hulu, Amazon, and the big cable companies.
Drawing on extensive interviews and her years covering Netflix as a reporter, Keating makes this tale as absorbing as it is important.
Netflix has come a long way since 1997, when Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings decided to start an online DVD store before most people owned a DVD player. Yet its long-term success—or even survival—is still far from guaranteed.
Journalist Gina Keating recounts the fast-paced drama of the company’s turbulent rise to the top and its attempt to invent two new kinds of business. First it engaged in a grueling war against videostore behemoth Blockbuster, transforming movie rental forever. Then it jumped into an even bigger battle for online video streaming against Google, Hulu, Amazon, and the big cable companies.
Drawing on extensive interviews and her years covering Netflix as a reporter, Keating makes this tale as absorbing as it is important.
304 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2012
242 people are currently reading
3,611 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
January 31, 2016
It’s impossible for me to review a book like this disinterestedly. After all, for the first three and a half years of Netflix’s existence, I was running Europe’s largest online video and DVD retailer. So the first half of this book is like a giant trip down memory lane � not necessarily in the specific details, as our story played out quite differently, but in terms of lots of the wider arguments and decisions, and in particular the constant struggle to convince investors, and the press etc that established off-line companies won’t simply be able to move on-line and dominate everything there too (Blockbuster and Walmart in Netflix’s case; Virgin in ours).
Although presented as the Netflix story, the book is just as much, if not more, about Blockbuster � how they staked everything on competing with Netflix, and then, just as they were on the verge of winning, threw it all away. Unfortunately the treatment of this is a little too shallow, particularly in relation to the Carl Icahn involvement, where he’s portrayed almost as a comic book villain. At times it seems as if Keating simply doesn’t understand that level of corporate shenanigans well enough to adequately steer us through the boardroom dramas, and we’re left with a little too much hindsight bias.
The narrative is also over-simplified to a Netflix vs. Blockbuster fight a little too much, in a way that ends up slightly disjointed. In particular RedBox only really get a decent introduction after they’ve already been a significant factor in Blockbuster’s demise.
If this had been about any other business, I’d also have preferred the author to draw out much more of a meta-narrative: this one would generally be a little too much straight reportage for my taste. But here, I’m able to easily fill in lots of that myself anyway, so this one gets a solid ★★★★.
Although presented as the Netflix story, the book is just as much, if not more, about Blockbuster � how they staked everything on competing with Netflix, and then, just as they were on the verge of winning, threw it all away. Unfortunately the treatment of this is a little too shallow, particularly in relation to the Carl Icahn involvement, where he’s portrayed almost as a comic book villain. At times it seems as if Keating simply doesn’t understand that level of corporate shenanigans well enough to adequately steer us through the boardroom dramas, and we’re left with a little too much hindsight bias.
The narrative is also over-simplified to a Netflix vs. Blockbuster fight a little too much, in a way that ends up slightly disjointed. In particular RedBox only really get a decent introduction after they’ve already been a significant factor in Blockbuster’s demise.
If this had been about any other business, I’d also have preferred the author to draw out much more of a meta-narrative: this one would generally be a little too much straight reportage for my taste. But here, I’m able to easily fill in lots of that myself anyway, so this one gets a solid ★★★★.
February 25, 2013
This is a business book about the rise of Netflix and how it competed against Blockbuster and to a lesser extent Redbox. It's a lot of interesting facts. The start of Netflix and how it developed under Reed Hasting as he moved for more control over the company.
The most interesting part is how Blockbuster implodes. Under Antioco reign, they were able to quickly create an online DVD rental service that compete with Netflix, got rid of late fees (despite the store franchisees complaints to keep it which only helped in the short run), and position themselves for more future success. Unfortunately, corporate raider Carl Icahn did care for Antioco and instead of a raise, he negotiated Antioco exit. The next CEO basically neglected Antioco's work and insisted on trying ideas that another CEO had tried to failure in the 1990s.
I would have like more on Redbox and recent PR disasters like Qwikster, but it gave a good overview of Netflix and the evolution of online DVD rental and online streaming movie services.
The most interesting part is how Blockbuster implodes. Under Antioco reign, they were able to quickly create an online DVD rental service that compete with Netflix, got rid of late fees (despite the store franchisees complaints to keep it which only helped in the short run), and position themselves for more future success. Unfortunately, corporate raider Carl Icahn did care for Antioco and instead of a raise, he negotiated Antioco exit. The next CEO basically neglected Antioco's work and insisted on trying ideas that another CEO had tried to failure in the 1990s.
I would have like more on Redbox and recent PR disasters like Qwikster, but it gave a good overview of Netflix and the evolution of online DVD rental and online streaming movie services.
January 30, 2013
As soon as I saw this book while perusing Amazon I knew it was a must read.
Having worked at Blockbuster for 3 years during their decline and the ridiculousness of trying to sell books and other merchandise to customers, I knew that part of the story pretty well.
I am a solid believer in competition, and personally have always been more of a theater goer or a spur of the moment movie renter. I always just figured Netflix users were pretty patient people that didn't mind waiting for new releases.
The author here gives a very nicely detailed account of how Netflix built up their customer base by actually giving the customer the freedom of what they wanted, when, and where. (Except for the recent price increase). Although this is essentially a documentary it is played out like watching a drama film, and a thrilling one at that. The author manages to really give the reader a feel of the excitement and terror that surrounded all these corporate employees during a huge tech boom.
I think towards the last third of the book the story begins to get a little rushed, and there could have been more about Movie Gallery and how they actually had a successful business going with the Gamecrazy stores which had a chance to compete with Gamestop. Or some more detail into the final days of Blockbuster with the closing of thousands of stores and the sell off to Dish
Since the past 5 years alone have radically changed the entire entertainment and media industries, it's worth a read to see how it all went down, or in Netflixes case, up.
Having worked at Blockbuster for 3 years during their decline and the ridiculousness of trying to sell books and other merchandise to customers, I knew that part of the story pretty well.
I am a solid believer in competition, and personally have always been more of a theater goer or a spur of the moment movie renter. I always just figured Netflix users were pretty patient people that didn't mind waiting for new releases.
The author here gives a very nicely detailed account of how Netflix built up their customer base by actually giving the customer the freedom of what they wanted, when, and where. (Except for the recent price increase). Although this is essentially a documentary it is played out like watching a drama film, and a thrilling one at that. The author manages to really give the reader a feel of the excitement and terror that surrounded all these corporate employees during a huge tech boom.
I think towards the last third of the book the story begins to get a little rushed, and there could have been more about Movie Gallery and how they actually had a successful business going with the Gamecrazy stores which had a chance to compete with Gamestop. Or some more detail into the final days of Blockbuster with the closing of thousands of stores and the sell off to Dish
Since the past 5 years alone have radically changed the entire entertainment and media industries, it's worth a read to see how it all went down, or in Netflixes case, up.
September 5, 2017
There are going to be 2 kinds of audiences for this book. (1) People from the industry - tech, showbiz, employees of Blockbuster, Netflix, Redbox etc. who know bits and pieces of this tale and want an overarching narrative with some corroboration. For these - Netflixed will probably be perfect. (2) The other kind of audience would be the 'layperson' who doesn't really know the nitty-gritties of this fight, late adopters, international readers etc. For this audience (which I assume will be larger than the first one), Netflixed is a bit of a bore. It's like a long-read in one of the business magazines, only even more longer.
The story of Netflix's rise is an enthralling one in itself, so it is difficult for it to not be interesting. Having said that, it is important if you're writing for the second audience as well, to pay more attention to the basic narrative than the details & names - because beyond a point it's difficult to pay attention without that context. Keating is hampered by not having access to Hastings himself to tell his tale, which is why it gets restricted to boardroom politics and investor call summaries (and also why at the end of the book you kind of feel you understand the Blockbuster folks better than the Netflix ones). Now if you have only that to go about, then it must be broken down and put across in a manner which makes these details interesting. It's here I think that the book doesn't work.
The author's bias is also a little more clearly visible than I would've liked which leads to a tendency of painting some people as complete villains and others as nice guys (typically those who've spoken to her seem to be the latter). Parts which I would've liked to know more about include the famed working culture of Netflix and their policies which are glossed over in a cliched manner...
I think this is a great book to illustrate the difference between a journalist and a writer. Factually rich, and for non-US readers like myself who knew nothing about Netflix's origins - it is educational enough without being engaging. (Also a bit dated, Netflix and the world has moved greatly since the 2012 publication...) A few magazine articles may be quicker, and just as effective...
The story of Netflix's rise is an enthralling one in itself, so it is difficult for it to not be interesting. Having said that, it is important if you're writing for the second audience as well, to pay more attention to the basic narrative than the details & names - because beyond a point it's difficult to pay attention without that context. Keating is hampered by not having access to Hastings himself to tell his tale, which is why it gets restricted to boardroom politics and investor call summaries (and also why at the end of the book you kind of feel you understand the Blockbuster folks better than the Netflix ones). Now if you have only that to go about, then it must be broken down and put across in a manner which makes these details interesting. It's here I think that the book doesn't work.
The author's bias is also a little more clearly visible than I would've liked which leads to a tendency of painting some people as complete villains and others as nice guys (typically those who've spoken to her seem to be the latter). Parts which I would've liked to know more about include the famed working culture of Netflix and their policies which are glossed over in a cliched manner...
I think this is a great book to illustrate the difference between a journalist and a writer. Factually rich, and for non-US readers like myself who knew nothing about Netflix's origins - it is educational enough without being engaging. (Also a bit dated, Netflix and the world has moved greatly since the 2012 publication...) A few magazine articles may be quicker, and just as effective...
February 11, 2016
Now I know who to blame for the end of VHS and the change to DVD, because they were cheaper to mail!
Really fascinating read about the history/growth of Netflix, from VHS to DVD to today's streaming movies, and how those two brilliant young men were behind those changes.
Really fascinating read about the history/growth of Netflix, from VHS to DVD to today's streaming movies, and how those two brilliant young men were behind those changes.
July 31, 2017
When I pulled Netflixed off the library shelves as I was browsing in person, I was mostly thinking of them as an impressive technology company. Netflix uses Cassandra, a well thought of NoSQL database, and provides some of the best of the tools around that, which I've used for several years now. And Netflix has had some great sessions at Oscon, mostly around their devops practices like the simian army.
Netflix the service is something I have mostly dodged. I was never a customer of the disks by mail service. The idea that my family would agree on movies to watch and watch them at a regular pace was unfathomable - and we've had Tivo since 2001.
A couple of years ago my young adult kids started using their friend's netflix accounts on their pc's, tivo and dvd player. And then just never deleted the accounts. So I reluctantly replaced those "stolen" accounts with my purchased one.
So Netflix the company was new to me. But I had interviewed with Hollywood Video when moving to Portland, so I had ran into the edge of that company. And had rented videos from Blockbuster for years, a long time ago.
So a long way to say, that I was definitely part of the target audience of the outside of this book. But perhaps not as much so for the inside.
This book was basically an insiders view of the rise of Netflix and to a lesser degree Redbox and the fall of Blockbuster and to a lesser degree Hollywood and Movie Gallery. It went back and force between Netflix and Blockbuster, naming names and strategies. It read like an insider book, though it was written by a journalist. It never really got into the details of the technology side. It did talk about the early technology some - the handling of dvds and placing of distribution centers and the queue and the matching algorithm.
But the pacing was off and the book dragged some by the end. But it was worth reading, even more so if you were also on the edge as Netflix appeared and were interested in seeing that company in context. 3.5 of 5.
Netflix the service is something I have mostly dodged. I was never a customer of the disks by mail service. The idea that my family would agree on movies to watch and watch them at a regular pace was unfathomable - and we've had Tivo since 2001.
A couple of years ago my young adult kids started using their friend's netflix accounts on their pc's, tivo and dvd player. And then just never deleted the accounts. So I reluctantly replaced those "stolen" accounts with my purchased one.
So Netflix the company was new to me. But I had interviewed with Hollywood Video when moving to Portland, so I had ran into the edge of that company. And had rented videos from Blockbuster for years, a long time ago.
So a long way to say, that I was definitely part of the target audience of the outside of this book. But perhaps not as much so for the inside.
This book was basically an insiders view of the rise of Netflix and to a lesser degree Redbox and the fall of Blockbuster and to a lesser degree Hollywood and Movie Gallery. It went back and force between Netflix and Blockbuster, naming names and strategies. It read like an insider book, though it was written by a journalist. It never really got into the details of the technology side. It did talk about the early technology some - the handling of dvds and placing of distribution centers and the queue and the matching algorithm.
But the pacing was off and the book dragged some by the end. But it was worth reading, even more so if you were also on the edge as Netflix appeared and were interested in seeing that company in context. 3.5 of 5.
June 11, 2014
I won this book through a First Reads giveaway on ŷ, and was extremely interested in the company who provides a service I use monthly yet know very little about. Netflixed focused mostly on the battle between Blockbuster and Netflix than it did anything else, though Redbox does get a few mentions. I was surprised how fascinating I found the entire story of Blockbuster's demise, and it explained a lot of what I experienced growing up - Blockbuster stores selling overpriced candy, changing their late-fee policies multiple times, for a short period having a Total Access program, then all of my local stores closing.
Though I didn't do a page count, I think it is fair to say that at least half of this book is information about Blockbuster. I found myself understanding more about key players at Blockbuster than I did Netflix, even though the latter is in the title of this book. I did not relate to any of the characters, and found the names to be similar and confusing at times. There are chapters that just seem like dumps of facts and figures, and very little throughout focused on the personalities of the characters working at either company. I think if you are interested in math, the stock market, or the competitiveness of Silicon Valley and start up tech companies then this book is definitely for you.
Though I didn't do a page count, I think it is fair to say that at least half of this book is information about Blockbuster. I found myself understanding more about key players at Blockbuster than I did Netflix, even though the latter is in the title of this book. I did not relate to any of the characters, and found the names to be similar and confusing at times. There are chapters that just seem like dumps of facts and figures, and very little throughout focused on the personalities of the characters working at either company. I think if you are interested in math, the stock market, or the competitiveness of Silicon Valley and start up tech companies then this book is definitely for you.
June 18, 2018
I came into this book fresh off "Shoe Dog" and I was hoping that this would provide a similar story - the story of a company with insights from the founders. While the book was definitely worth the read, it was more of a strategic read and focused less on the thoughts and motives of the company founders other than to create a great company that shipped plastic disks back and forth, as founder Marc Randolph mused at the very end of the book.
The content of the book is a fairly linear story about Netflix, from their inception to their growth pains to their price war with Blockbuster. The most interesting takeaway from the book was how many variables play into a company sinking and failing - some of them are completely beyond the control of the company. Blockbuster, for example, could very well have won the war for America's cinematic future, but the CEO leading the effort got replaced due to personal feuds with investors at a key moment in the battle.
Overall, it's a great book that talked about the strategies of the two companies and the chess match they played. It got a bit dry at times; it wasn't a page turner until about half-way into the book.
The content of the book is a fairly linear story about Netflix, from their inception to their growth pains to their price war with Blockbuster. The most interesting takeaway from the book was how many variables play into a company sinking and failing - some of them are completely beyond the control of the company. Blockbuster, for example, could very well have won the war for America's cinematic future, but the CEO leading the effort got replaced due to personal feuds with investors at a key moment in the battle.
Overall, it's a great book that talked about the strategies of the two companies and the chess match they played. It got a bit dry at times; it wasn't a page turner until about half-way into the book.
April 29, 2015
A book that let me down within the first couple of chapters. First off, reading about two wealthy individuals with prestigious backgrounds get together to make more money doesn't really motivate me to to keep on reading. In the early stages, one of the founders concentrated more on job titles than a business plan. I guess that is an acceptable way of doing things when you already have a couple million dollars in the bank. Did they accomplish great things with Netflix? Of course. However, I felt a huge disconection between the founders of Netflix and entrepreneurs with limited resources putting it all on the line which makes for an interesting read. I did my best to keep reading however. The final straw which caused me to stop was the writing style the author has. Such a revolutionary company felt very bland due to the monotone writing. After reading Becoming Steve Jobs and The Everything Store, Netflixed was extremely boring, barely keeping my attention. I had such high hopes for this book, oh well...
May 21, 2017
An interesting read and I learned a great deal about the early years of Netflix and how it competed against rivals and grew at a time when many thought their business model would not work.
There is a huge amount of coverage on Blockbuster here which is just as fascinating (if not more so) as we get an incite as to what went wrong and with the magic of hindsight it does make for interesting reading as to how they got it so wrong.
I was hoping that this would cover more recent history though - as for me (UK based) Netflix did not have much presence here until the last few years, and whilst i was aware of the postal DVD rental taking place, its not something I would have used as I just don't rent films, but with the game changer of on-demand streaming of content, and the brand awareness that the younger generation now has for the brand, and Netflix now creating original content - this area of the company history would have been much more interesting for me. Maybe a new revision needs to be written to include more of this?
There is a huge amount of coverage on Blockbuster here which is just as fascinating (if not more so) as we get an incite as to what went wrong and with the magic of hindsight it does make for interesting reading as to how they got it so wrong.
I was hoping that this would cover more recent history though - as for me (UK based) Netflix did not have much presence here until the last few years, and whilst i was aware of the postal DVD rental taking place, its not something I would have used as I just don't rent films, but with the game changer of on-demand streaming of content, and the brand awareness that the younger generation now has for the brand, and Netflix now creating original content - this area of the company history would have been much more interesting for me. Maybe a new revision needs to be written to include more of this?
July 9, 2023
Netflixed covers the rise of Netflix and the demise of Blockbuster through about 2011. Written by Gina Keating who is a tech journalist she covers both sides fairly and shows the missteps taken as Netflix grew, was nearly beaten by Blockbuster and then Blockbuster’s demise. This book also looks at Hollywood Video and Redbox as it tells the story of the end of VHS to DVD and DVD to streaming. There is the long told story of how Blockbuster turned down a chance to buy Netflix for 50 million but there is much more to it than that. This saga is one of data decision making triumph over hubris of executives that did not understand the market. While the end of Blockbuster was characterized of trying to operate like 7/11 the rise of Netflix was hampered by the hubris of its CEO. You definitely have to be into business books but this one is told well and I thoroughly enjoyed the in depth reporting that was done here.
September 1, 2018
Even though "Netflix" appears prominently in the name, this book seems to cover both Netflix and Blockbuster in equal detail. It focuses on the time period from 1998 to 2013.
I really enjoyed the format of this book. The story at Netflix and Blockbuster interleave in each chapter, keeping the reader engaged.
There are many business related lessons to learn from this book. Chief among them: 1. Don't underestimate your competition, 2. Don't underestimate the disruption caused by a changing technological landscape.
The book is well edited, making it a quick read. No part of the book feels repetitive or tiring.
I wish the author decides to write a sequel sometime in the next decade. The book stops just around the time Netflix starts to venture into original content. Netflix has changed and grown tremendously in the time since, and it would make for an interesting follow up.
I really enjoyed the format of this book. The story at Netflix and Blockbuster interleave in each chapter, keeping the reader engaged.
There are many business related lessons to learn from this book. Chief among them: 1. Don't underestimate your competition, 2. Don't underestimate the disruption caused by a changing technological landscape.
The book is well edited, making it a quick read. No part of the book feels repetitive or tiring.
I wish the author decides to write a sequel sometime in the next decade. The book stops just around the time Netflix starts to venture into original content. Netflix has changed and grown tremendously in the time since, and it would make for an interesting follow up.
October 3, 2012
This was a great, and very interesting read. It starts with the formation of Netflix and goes through their battle with Blockbuster and continues through 2010 with their CEO problems.
The story was extremely well written, the main focus is the battle between Netflix and Blockbuster, and it does a great job of showing the intents and struggles people in both companies faced as they attempted to not only stay in business themselves, but put the other out of business.
Even if you are not interested in the story behind how Netflix came to be what it is today this book may still interest you, as it's main focus is on the people and the struggle to make the business thrive, not the business itself.
I received this book for free through ŷ First Reads
The story was extremely well written, the main focus is the battle between Netflix and Blockbuster, and it does a great job of showing the intents and struggles people in both companies faced as they attempted to not only stay in business themselves, but put the other out of business.
Even if you are not interested in the story behind how Netflix came to be what it is today this book may still interest you, as it's main focus is on the people and the struggle to make the business thrive, not the business itself.
I received this book for free through ŷ First Reads
November 15, 2012
I received this book from a First Reads giveaway.
I have been using Netflix for years, but I never understood the size of it. I had no idea they were even bigger han iTunes and Comcast, that seems so amazing to me. I think I've enjoyed this book more than any First Reads I've received lately.
I've always seen Netflix as a small service I use, not as a company that eats up nearly half the country's bandwidth. That boggles my brain.
I would recommend this to anyone that wants to know more about their small services.
I have been using Netflix for years, but I never understood the size of it. I had no idea they were even bigger han iTunes and Comcast, that seems so amazing to me. I think I've enjoyed this book more than any First Reads I've received lately.
I've always seen Netflix as a small service I use, not as a company that eats up nearly half the country's bandwidth. That boggles my brain.
I would recommend this to anyone that wants to know more about their small services.
October 16, 2012
"every big oak come from a small seed"
I may be a little irogence but I always pictured the big companies always big. I was interesting to get to know the story behind them. The writing was forcus and to the point. I like to see the struggle. I normally don't read this type of book but it was an interesting experience broading my horizon. Thank you for giving me the opportunity of reading this free book. won from firstreads.
I may be a little irogence but I always pictured the big companies always big. I was interesting to get to know the story behind them. The writing was forcus and to the point. I like to see the struggle. I normally don't read this type of book but it was an interesting experience broading my horizon. Thank you for giving me the opportunity of reading this free book. won from firstreads.
January 22, 2013
As far as business books go, this was great! Netflix's history is such a roller coaster with so so many hurdles along the way - they persevered with huge losses for so long. Reed Hastings, the CEO, sounds like quite a character. It was also fun learning about the demise of Blockbuster - they made one big mistake which killed the company, right at a time when the company could have gone the other direction. Page turner!
February 16, 2013
I won this book a while back in the Giveaways and just got around to reading it due to being busy at school. The business aspects of this book were really interesting and intriguing at times. As someone who normally loves to read novels it wasn't my favorite read but I was surprisingly interested! It took me a while to read it, seeing as it was a text book and I had to read it alongside my other school work but I recommend this to anyone interested in business/marketing.
October 8, 2012
It was a very informative read made me laugh at times and in shock at other time great knowledge was learned about today's society from this book.
October 11, 2012
Received a copy thanks to ŷ Advance Read. Enjoyable text on the birth and growth of a company whose envelopes and ability to stream we're all familiar with.
November 1, 2012
This book should have been called "Blockbuster: A How-to guide to running a company into the ground".
January 21, 2013
Very interesting, worth a read for anyone interested in business ad technology.
February 12, 2016
Based on the sources the author cultivated, this book was going to be a story of the Blockbuster comeback until the last minute when Blockbuster didn't come back.
April 17, 2017
Dense, but gives good insight about how Netflix changed the game.
May 18, 2018
Good walkthrough from humble origins to recent events.
Great read for those wondering how they managed to drive blockbuster out of business and turn an industry on their heads.
Great read for those wondering how they managed to drive blockbuster out of business and turn an industry on their heads.
June 15, 2020
Prvých 15 rokov Netflixu a príbeh toho, ako sa v boji s Netflixom samozničil gigant medzi požičovňami DVDčiek Blockbuster.
Kniha sa končí cca v roku 2011 (keď aj Netflix stále ešte hlavne posiela DVDčka poštou a jeho budúcnosť je stále neistá) a pre väčšinu normálnych smrteľníkov je tu viac detailov o Netflixe a Blockbuster a ich biznis stratégiách a prešľapoch, ako by ich mohlo zaujímať, ale inak pekný prototypný obrázok toho, ako David za desaťročie dokáže zničiť Goliáša.
Príbeh Blockbusteru je pritom skoro zaujímavejší ako Netflixu. Tl;dr príčetnému riaditeľovi firmy škrtol aktivistický investor polovicu dohodnutej ročnej odmeny, tak riaditeľ odišiel. Nový riaditeľ predtým riadil obchody s potravinami, tak rozhodol, že sa nebude robiť žiadne požičiavanie filmov cez internet, lebo internet nemá budúcnosť, ale do Blockbuster obchodov sa okrem DVDčiek pridajú aj elektronika a potraviny a tak, lebo každý chce nakupovať hocičo v Blockbusteri. Keď svojim manažérom prvý víkend plán vysvetlil, väčšina z nich hneď zavolala svojim maklérom a predali všetky svoje akcie Blockbusteru. Samozrejme, potraviny v Blockbusteri nikto kupovať nechcel a firma skrachovala.
Kniha sa končí cca v roku 2011 (keď aj Netflix stále ešte hlavne posiela DVDčka poštou a jeho budúcnosť je stále neistá) a pre väčšinu normálnych smrteľníkov je tu viac detailov o Netflixe a Blockbuster a ich biznis stratégiách a prešľapoch, ako by ich mohlo zaujímať, ale inak pekný prototypný obrázok toho, ako David za desaťročie dokáže zničiť Goliáša.
Príbeh Blockbusteru je pritom skoro zaujímavejší ako Netflixu. Tl;dr príčetnému riaditeľovi firmy škrtol aktivistický investor polovicu dohodnutej ročnej odmeny, tak riaditeľ odišiel. Nový riaditeľ predtým riadil obchody s potravinami, tak rozhodol, že sa nebude robiť žiadne požičiavanie filmov cez internet, lebo internet nemá budúcnosť, ale do Blockbuster obchodov sa okrem DVDčiek pridajú aj elektronika a potraviny a tak, lebo každý chce nakupovať hocičo v Blockbusteri. Keď svojim manažérom prvý víkend plán vysvetlil, väčšina z nich hneď zavolala svojim maklérom a predali všetky svoje akcie Blockbusteru. Samozrejme, potraviny v Blockbusteri nikto kupovať nechcel a firma skrachovala.
February 20, 2020
Sometimes people oversimplify the history of innovative firms. Nowadays, the media and other outlets are perpetuating the myth that Netflix killed Blockbuster due to their ability to use algorithms and the internet. Many times over you hear that Blockbuster never had a chance to win over Netflix because it was the dying mortar and brick company that did not saw opportunities on the internet. However, this book shows you a more compelling and realistic story about how Netflix won the battle against Blockbuster by a matter of flawless operational performance but also with a lot of luck. Contrary to the prevailing myth, this book shows how Netflix almost got crushed by Blockbuster internet proposition and was lucky enough that one of the investors of Blockbuster had a personal fight with the CEO that in the end really crushed the company. As usual, history is more complex than what the media wants you to believe.
January 13, 2021
I miss video stores. I'm old enough to remember when VCRs were cost-prohibitive. No chance we could buy one, but the small video store in my small town rented them. The store was small, but the VCRs weren't. They came in their own over-sized armored carrying case, complete with cables you could use to strangle a rhinoceros. We wanted to get our money's worth, so wewould rent movies three and four at a time. Binge watching before it was cool. Nothing beat wandering the isles, scanning the covers, and deciding if you'll take the risk. Today's kids will never know what they're missing.
Netflixed was a fun, well-told history.
Netflixed was a fun, well-told history.
May 23, 2020
Netflix vs Blockbuster, a modern-day rendition of David vs Goliath!, is a story worth reading and reiterating. Having recently completed the book - "Netflixed: The Epic Battle for America's Eyeballs",
BiG Learning -
"Businesses that fail to evolve along with technology die! - this was a central tenet of Hastings and Netflix was a manifestation of that belief. This is how the free market is supposed to work: A better product, a clean balance sheet, and a near-flawless execution of a business plan should be enough to win the customer and vanquish an outdated rival"
I have shared a few of the excerpts from the book along with my learnings here -
BiG Learning -
"Businesses that fail to evolve along with technology die! - this was a central tenet of Hastings and Netflix was a manifestation of that belief. This is how the free market is supposed to work: A better product, a clean balance sheet, and a near-flawless execution of a business plan should be enough to win the customer and vanquish an outdated rival"
I have shared a few of the excerpts from the book along with my learnings here -
January 29, 2020
Super libro!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 me encantó cada página pues no es el típico caso que lees en internet o en un MBA.
March 21, 2020
It’s more about good ol times with VHS and DVD renting rather than streaming wars.
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