The Gauntlet has been thrown: Verizon is building a Netflix competitor.
OK I'm skeptical – at this rate the competition is ramping up – but it sounds like they've got a focused plan (movies and kids' shows) and remember they've also got a presence on the new XBox. So it's not unreasonable – and like Game Stores, it seems we're oddly at a place where people would rather launch a redundant service than miss out.
Takeaways:
- Netflix is vulnerable, and I think their response will actually be internationalization.
- OnLive is somewhere in all of this mess, with giant streaming system NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT.
- Verizon has a big "captive audience" they can leverage (and more with XBox).
- Verizon is going to have to hire/employ people to do this – which may mean jobs. If others jump in on this, more jobs.
- People are still talking big, not small content. I'm concerned smaller producers may get squeezed out.
(Oh and side note to Netflix CEO Hastings – do not compare yourself to Bank of America. Man, I'm starting to feel my faith in Netflix is misplaced – but not enough to suggest you look elsewhere for work.)