• samus12345@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    12 hours ago

    That seems counter-productive, since Netflix was far cheaper than paying per movie at Blockbuster. I used to use Blockbuster the opposite way, going there to browse for movies to order from Netflix. I do miss being able to browse at a physical store.

    • OpenStars@piefed.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      7 hours ago

      But, before Blockbuster started its own mailing service, you would have to wait several days for your video choice to arrive. Plus there’s the convenience of having it mailed directly to you, especially if you lived further away from a Blockbuster store I guess. Back when Netflix had virtually nothing to watch (as opposed to later when it merely has nothing WORTH watching, hehe🤪), it wasn’t so bad to have like one season of an old Star Trek mailed to you, even if you went to Blockbuster for actual movie titles.

      More realistically, the article I am half recalling was probably trying to drum up subscriber numbers when Netflix was young and first starting out.

      Anyway the point was that at one point in time their ratings system was actually considered quite GOOD, back before they got into pushing crap that they would rather you watch instead of stuff that you might actually enjoy.

    • whynotzoidberg@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      11 hours ago

      The real ones had blockbuster deliver by mail, then returned those discs in store same day so to prompt the next delivery. I think it was a buck cheaper than Netflix at the time, too. Yargh