Do people really want to pay for streaming?

IndieFlix is finally putting 60 titles up on our site for streaming in addition to their DVD delivery.  We will then start rolling out about 50 more titles every few weeks.  I can't help but think, do people really want to pay for streaming to watch a movie on their computers?  Sometimes I think yes, look at iTunes and other times I say no way, look at Hulu, Joost, YouTube etc.

I watch TV content on Joost and Hulu and it's free, there are ads but I'm used to them.  In fact there are a lot less ads in online content than on prime time TV.  Truth be told I watch Hulu more than Joost and yet Joost has been phenomenal to work with and I like their social networking component but I like the content on Hulu better.  Our IndieFlix channel is launching soon on Hulu I'm pretty excited.

I've drifted off topic here, but my gut says people want to watch content online for free or pay for a DVD.  I think when the TV and the internet marry then perhaps more of us will pay to watch an ad free movie right?  I recently bought an On Demand movie on Comcast and paid $6.95.  I should go back to my video store or better yet spend $3 more and see it on the big screen.  There are so many models out there.  It's kind of exciting to see what will ultimately become best practice.  I would love to hear some feedback.

Scilla Andreen
Filmmaker, CEO & Co-founder IndieFlix.com

Comments

[Dom Zook]

I'm of a firm mind that streaming should be free. If you can't compete with Hulu in terms of content or advertising power then charging for it seems counter-productive. I think people would pay for HD-capable video streams, but I don't think the technology is there quite yet for full HD over internet. But that's essentially what you pay for with iTunes. HD-quality (though not exactly true HD if you look at the specs) that you download to own. I think providing content to users for free and then offering them a higher quality alternative for a fee is the way to go. I like that Indieflix is looking at this though! I'm really excited at the possibilities of internet video for filmmakers.