Let’s face it, RIM has been suffering from a serious personality conflict. The company is trying to cling to its enterprise business while also making its brand more attractive as a consumer alternative to iOS and Android.
Nowhere has this been more obvious than in the company’s PlayBook tablet. RIM initially pitched the PlayBook as being all about consuming content like movies and other media. At the same time, RIM was also trying to sell it as a business device when paired with a BlackBerry even though it lacked core enterprise apps (including email) that could run on the device when it wasn’t tethered to a BlackBerry – a fact that led to RIM hyping the PlayBook’s email app (introduced this week in PlayBook OS 2) as an exciting new feature.
RIM may be caught in this consumer/business identity struggle, but Netflix made it clear today that it doesn’t see RIM as a consumer company – or at least not as a viable one.
Netflix announced that it has no plans to bring its streaming service to any RIM devices including the PlayBook and the BlackBerry via Twitter on Thursday with the following statement:
“We don’t have any current plans to support BlackBerry devices, including PlayBook.”
Following an outcry on Twitter, Netflix amended its statement:
“Generally we want to be on every screen that’s relevant to you. While we don’t support Blackberry today, our plans can change. Thanks all!”
The reality of the situation, however, is that Netflix probably won’t show up on RIM devices. Netflix has actively developed for Apple’s iPad and iPhone as well as for Android – not to mention partnering with several set top boxes including the Apple TV.
The admission that Netflix, one of the major consumer entertainment services, doesn’t have an interest in either the PlayBook or the BlackBerry is pretty damning to RIM’s future as a consumer device manufacturer. This news comes amid RIM losing major enterprise customers and developers while it’s board displaying a delusional view of reality about today’s mobile market. All in all, it simply adds to RIM’s downward spiral.
Ryan Faas is a technology journalist and consultant living in upstate New York who has written extensively about Apple, business and enterprise IT, and the mobile industry. In addition to writing for Cult of Mac, he is a contributor to Computerworld, InformIT, and Peachpit Press. In a previous existence he was a healthcare IT director as well as a systems and network administrator. Follow Ryan on Twitter and Google +.
16 responses to “Netflix Indifference Highlights RIM’s Downward Spiral”
I find it HILARIOUS that Netflix is talking about what platform it’s gonna support and not support. Customers are gonna stop supporting Netflix if THEY don’t get it together. With their horrible selection of movies and expiring partner contracts this year.
Great article.
You realise that the selection is different in every country and changing on a daily basis and that Netflix is a whorl-wide thing right?
So whether or not they have what you personally consider to be good shows in your particular area is kind of irrelevant.
I find Netflix’s selection to be quite good. Between Netflix and iTunes I have all the streaming content I want.
Even if it is world wide they can chose to support it in certain counties only like every major corporation does. I agree with Gregory D Foster on this one. Netflix needs to get their stuff together. They don’t get money for supporting certain platforms so why do they care how many users the platform has or not?
How about the Playbook supporting Android apps? Those Playbook users wouldn’t be able to just download the Android Netflix app and watch videos on there???
Why should Netflix spend the software development costs to support a handset that is seen (in the US anyway) mainly as a business device or for a tablet that barely sells. The return on investment for them on this is probably very low or non existent.
Im watching Star Trek in HD on Netflix right now, it also has Snuff Box, IT Crowd, Top Gear, Peep Show, Spaced, and South Park. The only thing its missing is The Simpsons. Netflix is pretty damn awesome id say.
Why should Netflix waste their resources on a company that lacks app support or a “useful” or popular ecosystem?! RIM doesn’t even have tools for their developers to make “decent” apps. If people aren’t going to spend money on the apps, what’s the point?? RIM hasn’t cultivated a “spending” culture like Apple has on their mobile devices. Instead, they’ve cultivated a culture that thinks BBM is actually free with all Blackberry’s! Why would RIM’s customers want to spend their money on 3rd-party apps when RIM has told them for years that they SUCK & that their apps are better?? RIM screwed themselves!
Netflix should drop the attitude . Most of their crap is old or so weak it’s not worth the time. I have both ipad and playbook I use ipad at home and playbook on the road – perfect size and damn near as good as the ipad for less than half the price
Netflix is as lame as this article and site.
Netflix will put as much effort into developing for RIM as Ryan Faas put into proof reading his article.
Nextflix is not available in Australia and many other countries so what’s the big deal?
You’ll notice that my post was directed at Netflix’s incompetence in reference to their horrible selection and not with blackberry.
Let me be clear, I’m speaking solely about Netflix streaming. Having said that… I’ll just use Netflix’s stock price to argue my point for me: $110 down from just under $300 in a years time. My point is Netflix should have known that they wouldn’t be the only game in town forever and they should have acted accordingly, they didn’t, they tried prying more money out of people for the same busted content they had already been providing. I also recognize that these film studios can be blowhards but if Blockbuster, a new streaming service could secure deals, in all of their dying glory, then Netflix should have been able to do the same. Starz is jumping ship from netflix this year and going to Blockbuster streaming. Disney and Sony are not renewing their contracts with netflix. The line-up of Showtime shows is pretty pathetic and so on.
This is the point I’m making with Netflix. They need NEW and better content and Seasons should be updated more frequently. FYI, as a consumer, my opinion is NEVER irrelevant.
EXACTLY the point I tried making above but you see the responses I got.