Qwikster what is

It was a calculated move. More recently came the announcement that online streaming and DVD mailing would be separated into two different subscriptions. That proved remarkably unpopular, and is NOT what Netflix decided to do.

Instead Netflix will focus exclusively on streaming and the DVD service will be re-branded as Qwikster.

Read the official Netflix explanation and letter of apology here. Netflix will be greatly expanding their online streaming content in coming months. The recent price increase allows Netflix to purchase the rights to the content they offer. Apparently this is how they are doing it. Did Netflix screw up? Like Like. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account.

You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. The single bright side in the monumentally stupid Qwikster fiasco was the existence of Qwikster ; there was an unspoken hope that the totally undeserving, totally unprepared and likely totally blazed owner of that Twitter handle would somehow stumble into a large financial payday from Netflix , which would have represented some kind of victory-by-proxy for all of those customers stupefied by Netflix's stupefying decision to split the services in the first place.

Qwikster was a dumb idea. Dumb, dumb, dumb. It should certainly be a first ballot entrant into the Bad Decision Hall of Fame, enshrined next to New Coke , Prohibition and that time Garth Brooks dyed his hair black and played rock music under the name Chris Gaines. In its month of existence, Qwikster did nothing but foster ill will toward Netflix.

The assumed purpose of the split --to enable Netflix to focus its resources and energy on acquiring streaming content and to phase out the less profitable, less popular DVD-by-mail service--was never well-articulated.

Qwikster was pitched, in a blog post and accompanying video , as a way to offer users more convenience, though the entire concept of Qwikster seemed anything but: Netflix was all but forcing its 12 million customers with joint streaming-DVD accounts to create two accounts, at two different domain names, with two credit card statements and two different sets of ratings and preferences, all on a new website run by a guy who couldn't even spell the word "quick" correctly.

One sentence from Hastings' blog post announcing Qwikster stands out: "DVD by mail may not last forever, but we want it to last as long as possible. With Netflix continuing to focus its efforts on acquiring new content to stream, and with the DVD rental section being apparently a low priority, look for Netflix to ax its postage-heavy DVD-delivery service sooner rather than later. People may want to cling to their DVDs, but Hastings is confident that the future of media consumption is not in physical discs, but rather in streaming, over an Internet connection, and he wants to usher in that future ASAP.

Hastings knew that his company needed to phase out DVDs, but traveling the Qwikster route could not have gone worse. Because for all of the deserved moaning over the inconvenience of the very idea behind "Qwikster," the name was always what pushed it over the top into the highest realm of ill-conceived business plans.

With this separation meant two websites, two accounts, two passwords — oh, and of course, the higher price tag. A user named Willie Williams said it best when he commented on the Netflix blog :.

As a bundled service, they supplement each other and provide the value that made Netflix wonderful. DVDs allow you to view newer releases in a fairly timely manner. The streaming service allows for viewing of the older catalog of movies that come up when you think of it but might not be worth waiting for to arrive in the mail.

These two Netflix competitors provide quicker access to new releases compared to the usual 28 day wait with Netflix. On Monday, Netflix announced that there is no more Qwikster.