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According to ZDNet, as well as many other sources, Netflix is beginning to offer a movie streaming service for its users. While right now the service is only offered to a limited number of customers, it will eventually be available to everyone who uses Netflix. Each user, depending on what plan they have, will get a certain number of hours to watch movies streamed through their browser.

So, is this going to work? The internet already has several movie download services, such as Movielink and CinemaNow, but, as far as I know, they are largely unsuccessful. Netflix, however, has a chance to become successful. Why?

• Large customer base – Netflix already has a large and loyal customer base. Because customers are are getting the service for free along with the typical rental plan, the service will most likely be used, unlike if you were to go with an existing service.
• Generous viewing time – with the 3 at a time plan, users will be able to watch 18 hours of movies online. While this isn’t unlimited, it means you’ll be able to watch roughly 8-9 movies online every month, which definitely adds a lot more value to Netflix.
• Already included in the plan—no extra cost – Many users probably don’t want to try out sites such as Movielink because they have to pay more for a service, such as Netflix, that they already have. Therefore, the users of Netflix will be much more likely to try out the service, for the sole reason that they don’t have to pay extra for it.
• Easy to use – Judging by Hacking Netflix’s demo of “Watch Now”, users will find it very easy to view the movies. You don’t have to download anything other than a simple plugin, which looks easy enough to install.
• A large selection of movies – Right now, Netflix is offering around 1000 titles to be viewed online. As they begin to roll out the service, I’m guessing more and more movie studios will agree to have their content available this way, which means a higher percentage of Netflix’s extensive catalog will be available online.

All-in-all, this seems like a great move on Netflix’s part, and it will be a good way to retain customers. They needed some way to keep up with Blockbuster’s Total Access program, and this looks like it could (potentially) be it. I’m looking forward to this being enabled on my account, and I’ll let you know how it goes once I use it.