Who am I to look a gift 10% discount in the mouth?
Days after Netflix
Dear Rick,
Connecting your Wii console to your Netflix account is easy. Insert your Netflix instant streaming disc in your Wii console and follow the instructions on your TV screen. Start watching TV episodes and movies! We'll automatically apply your 10% discount to your next month.
--Your friends at Netflix
I received the promotional email on Thursday night, just two days after receiving the disc that I was waiting until the weekend to install.
It's an interesting strategy. Receiving a one-time 10% price break amounts to a mere $1.70 on the popular Netflix plan that allows unlimited DVD rentals with three discs out at any given time. However, streaming is included in the smorgasbord, and Netflix is right in promoting the offering.
It's clearly cheaper for Netflix to pay Akamai's
It's also about building its lead. No one else is really following Netflix's model. Coinstar's
Amazon.com
So watch Netflix as it continues to pad its eventually insurmountable lead in this space. This may be the smartest $1.70 that Netflix ever spent on its subscriber base.
Is there any Wi-Fi capable streaming device that Netflix won't be available through in a year or two? Share your thoughts in the comment box below?