Feb 23rd, 2019

Author: donich_admin

Streaming services and cinema

I’ve just read a piece of complete nonsense on the BBC about streaming services (specifically Netflix) and this causing competition with cinemas. We have a Netflix subscription which I use a lot and costs a very reasonable price – probably comparable to going to a cinema once in in a month (and this is for five concurrent users rather than just one). For this I can get all the content you could shake a stick at in the comfort of my own home without annoyingly loud sound, popcorn crunching sounds and children putting their feet on the back of your seat. If I want popcorn I can buy a bag of the raw seeds and make it myself for a tiny fraction of what they charge in cinemas.
The luddites who encourage this kind of comment should go back to the 1930s when people visited the cinema several times a week, and then reflect on whether they think television was a good or bad thing. The same thing could be said about vinyl records, DVDs and running email servers in your home. Times move on and we should move with them. When a technology or business model is gone, it is gone and there is no point mourning its demise. I strongly suspect that in 10 years time estate agents and holiday companies will be gone from the high streets, probably taking other retail outlets such as book shops with them. In fact I would predict the decline of the traditional shopping outlet except in specific circumstances such as clothes vendors where there is a requirement to try things on.

So now I have contravened the basic premise that you are not supposed to support anything that was introduced after you were 35 as I am 52 and I am all for Netflix, Spotify and Office 365.