You hate to think of movie mainstay Netflix ending up on a road that could soon lead to possible oblivion. But then, if you look at the entire evolutionary timeline of technology behemoths, it almost always breaks down to one or two standing in the end, at least in the 21st century. It also seems that in order for those tech companies to stay afloat today, it means having to create and peddle original content in order to withstand the hemorrhaging of the core customer base.
Netflix has already taken that route in order to counter the inevitable business Amazon, Hulu Plus, and Blockbuster are taking away the movie rental and streaming service's business based on pricing wars. The only problem with Netflix creating original content is that it hasn't been received very well so far, which could be an emerging problem with other tech companies doing the same thing.
One has to ask whether all the millions in cash Netflix is still sitting on could still be put to use paying out a prize for someone else to create all the original content. That may become the new misconception of technology businesses: Just because you're hot as an overheated iPad and creating content online doesn't make it better than anything on cable television.
Even Google, the head of all things superior in technology today, has realized its limitations and started cash prizes for someone else to create a new and refreshing invention. Everything from the Google Lunar X Prize to a contest for an original Google Doodle has upped Google's I.Q. exponentially in realizing the value of people outside of its own employees. And when your livelihood and reputation count on being the best, there isn't a better place to spend all of a company's excess funds.
All indications show that if Netflix doesn't get its original content on track soon, the company could be history within a short time as the DVD-by-mail service takes a back seat. Plus, there isn't enough time to up the ante technologically in providing Blu-ray quality picture (if not providing every movie ever made) in the streaming service. Netflix should give up its pride in personally picking content and make sure that particular content is superior by paying others significant money for it.
There's something about the enticement of riches that puts creative people in overdrive. With our knowledge of how money affects us psychologically, it shouldn't be all that surprising in how it motivates people outside of fame (if they crave it) or even scoring with a significant other. You can't always count Hollywood as a place where it works because true creatives don't know what they'll be paid until they can sell a particular idea.
That's why at least Warner Bros. attempted to enter the contest market in 2010 for writers and screenwriters through Amazon.com's Amazon Studios. While some writers may not prefer going that route, the cash prizes are significant enough that you can see some fairly worthwhile scripts worthy of a green light. However, Hollywood should continue to up the prize money to attain the very best work.
If Netflix doesn't go that route, then they should set a contest with a very high prize for someone able to invent tech for instant movies on every available surface worldwide.
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