Opening Netflix

I am a subscriber to and big fan of Netflix. I just read this post over on Engadget, Netflix, Open up or die. In it, the author makes a lot of good suggestions for how Netflix can differentiate itself from its new 800-pound gorilla competitors, Blockbuster and Walmarket. A coworker is currently trying out the Walmart service. It is the cheapest out there. And Blockbuster is offering two additional in-store coupons each month, which is a nice incentive.

The best suggestion is for Netflix to open up their API. Allow people to subscribe to feeds of new releases, post their queue on their site, that sort of thing. Great idea. Would make Netflix more attractive to the geek population, which probably already comprises most of their subscriber base.

When I send a movie back on Monday, I get Tuesday's new releases shipped and in my house on Wednesday. Not bad. What's kind of weird is that it's inconsistent. We watched the Kill Bill movies last weekend, mailed them both back on Monday. The first film was checked in by Netflix on Tuesday; the second wasn't checked in until Thursday. I don't know whether the USPS or Netflix is the bottleneck.

The next couple of years are critical for Netflix. With the competitors starting to muscle in, technology options for delivering content changing, it will be interesting to see how Netflix adapts. I think they would be smart to heed some of the advice in this article.