Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Will Netflix Sell Streaming Side To Amazon?
Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter is at it again with his latest theory. He predicts that the reason Netflix split its DVD rental and digital streaming business is so that it would be easier to sell the steaming business to Amazon.
“Upon reflection, it appears to us that the driver for the separation of Netflix into two businesses—Netflix.com (for streaming) and Qwikster.com (for DVD rentals) —was to position the streaming business for sale to Amazon.com,” reads an excerpt from Pachter's research on Forbes. “In our view, Amazon has always wanted to be in the streaming business, and has been constrained from buying Netflix due to tax considerations. The split up of Netflix’s business addresses the state sales tax issues raised for Amazon in having a ‘nexus.’ If Amazon were to acquire only Netflix’s streaming business, it could triple the size of its content library, and gain traction as an industry leader. Netflix streaming has current content deals that provide it with access to movie content during the premium cable TV window, and Amazon has the financial resources to secure additional streaming rights, including Starz content. Netflix’s financial flexibility is quite limited, while Amazon’s is virtually unlimited.”
Pachter also details tax benefits, competition elimination, and more. This theory makes a lot of sense, and blending Netflix's streaming deals with Amazon's piles of cash and business smarts could mean a lot more content for subscribers. Of course, there's no evidence of an impending deal. But it sounds like it would make a lot of sense.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
