Hayden 1

Mitchell Hayden

Mrs. Cramer

Comp.I Pd.6

Due Date-17 Nov. 2017

Netflix is Taking Over Cable

Do you ever get sick not being able to watch your favorite TV show wherever and

whenever you feel like watching it? Well there is good news, now Netflix has been created for

such this very reason. Netflix is an amazing type of internet TV that allows people to either

watch their TV at home or on the go. Netflix offers so much to the viewer have such a vast

number of genres of movies, TV shows and podcasts. The founder of this grandiose internet TV

is Reed Hastings and he believes that his creation is the future of TV. After researching

information about this statement, it is easy to agree with Hastings for these very reasons. Netflix

is making regular cable obsolete because its ratings are surpassing the competition, it is much

more viewer-oriented and more affordable.

The first reason that Netflix is making regular Cable obsolete is because its rating is

surpassing the competition. To start off, one of Netflix's biggest competitors is HBO and now

statistically Netflix currently has subscribers 29.2 million to where HBO currently has 28.7

million (Moskowitz). There are some other big competitors such as Amazon and Hulu Plus but

they are being destroyed by Netflix. The proof is that the market share of Netflix is thirty-six

percent in American households and Amazon is thirteen percent and Hulu is six-point five

percent (Moskowitz). Those two combined do not even come close to being a competition to

Netflix. Lastly, as each day goes on, Hastings states that "they are getting closer and closer to
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replacing linear TV with internet TV" (Sinder). The only obstacle that is in the way of Netflix

that will "put away" cable TV is getting original content to match the cable giants. The way they

are going to do that is by getting new TV shows to begin casting their shows live on Netflix. It is

only a matter of time before Netflix gets to achieve their goal of gaining complete control of the

TV world.

The second reason that Netflix is making regular cable obsolete is because it is more

viewer-oriented. Netflix does this by cutting down on the use of commercials completely, unlike

regular cable TV (Andrews). It is said that the average TV watcher will watch six and a half

days' worth of commercials per year. That is an insane amount of time that a person spends

watching just commercials instead of watching the actual TV show. Another way they are more

viewer-oriented is because Netflix created a new way of watching TV shows quicker. This new

method of watching TV is called speed viewing or speed listening (Mele). What this method

does is since there is so much content on so many shows or podcasts, it allows the viewer to

speed up the content to as high as two times faster than the regular speed of the show or podcast

(Mele). Next, Netflix is more viewer-oriented because it is more flexible and easier to watch.

The proof is that viewers can watch it wherever they are at. If the viewer was on a long car ride,

he or she could pull out his or her smart device and watch a movie or TV show wherever he or

she is at. However, if the viewers have cable TV the only way they can watch that movie or TV

show is when they are home. The last way that Netflix is more viewer-oriented is that it meets

the viewers' common desire to binge watch one series and stick with it. Netflix is a great way to

help people save time when they want to binge watch a single series. The proof is that on Netflix,

viewers can look up that show and just watch that show. Unlike cable TV where if you wanted to
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watch to binge watch a single show, it would be impossible because cable TV plays multiple

shows at once and not a single show all day.

The final reason why Netflix is making cable TV obsolete is that the cost of Netflix is

much cheaper than the cost of their competitors. Netflix costs, at most, thirteen dollars and

ninety-nine cents per month and as little as seven dollars and ninety-nine cents per month

(Weinman). One of the most used cable giants is Media Com Cable, it costs at least thirty-nine

dollars and ninety-nine cents per month (Weinman). The biggest competitor to Netflix would be

HBO, which is offered on cable TV and also given to anyone that owns any sort of smart device

as well (Weinman). HBO on its own at the least costs fourteen dollars and ninety-nine cents;

however, you must be a cable customer to able to subscribe (Weinman). Another big competitor

is Amazon and their annual cost per month is eight dollars and twenty-five cents. This is a close

competition based on price alone but in the long run Netflix's position in the hierarchy of all

viewing options outplaces options like Amazon. Also, Hulu Plus is a pretty big competitor as

their price per month is seven dollars and ninety-nine cents. While, the rest of the competitors are

for the most part cheaper per month then Netflix those competitors don’t offer as much as Netflix

does and never will. So, in the end, Netflix is the better way to go because it's price is cheaper

than most competitors and includes more than other competitors offer.

In conclusion, Netflix is making cable TV obsolete by surpassing the competition in

ratings, being more viewer-orientated to the viewing public, and finally by offering more potions

for a reasonable cost as compared to its competitors. So, now given the information, clearly the

facts about how Netflix is making cable TV obsolete, the choice of Netflix seems clear. In the

long run, it will help save everyone money because it offers a much wider array of view in

options then using cable TV. Cable TV is quickly becoming out of date with more limited
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technology. Netflix is much more in touch with the viewer's preferences. Nobody will never

grow bored of what Netflix has to offer because there is something that appeals to every type of

viewer.
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Work Cited

Andrews, Travis M. "Six days worth of commercials: That's how much watching Netflix instead
of cable saves the average TV viewer annually." Washington Post, 11 May 2016.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A452088357/OVIC?u=pl1949&xid=ad5dd5e9. Accessed 1
Nov. 2017.
Mele, Christopher. "Too Many Shows? Just Speed Them Up." New York Times, 13 Dec. 2016,
p. B7(L). Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A473677352/OVIC?u=pl1949&xid=3493c50c. Accessed 1
Nov. 2017.
Moskowitz, Dan. “Who Are Netflix's Main Competitors? (NFLX).” Investopedia, 15 Mar. 2016,
www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/051215/who-are-netflixs-main-competitors-
nflx.asp.
Snider, Mike. "Watch Netflix over cable? Yes, it's for real." USA Today, 4 Nov. 2016, p. 02B.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context,
link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A468889742/OVIC?u=pl1949&xid=41897079. Accessed
31 Oct. 2017.
Weinman, Jaime J. "Killing cable: with higher revenues and more viewers, Netflix believes its
defeat of cable TV is finally at hand." Maclean's, 13 May 2013, p. 42. Opposing
Viewpoints in Context,
link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A329730851/OVIC?u=pl1949&xid=f109205b. Accessed
31 Oct. 2017.