Netflix cans Qwikster and brings DVD rental and streaming back together

Netflix

UPDATE: Netflix has reversed its decision to separate its DVD rental business from its movie streaming service, and in so doing killed its short-lived Qwikster service.

In an announcement on the company's blog, Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, said: "It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs."

Many people were unhappy at the thought of having two separate places to login, access films and keep account details. A problem, which Hastings recognises: "This means no change: one website, one account, one password… in other words, no Qwikster."

He also confirmed that there would be no more price rises but insisted those inflicted on Netflix customers were entirely necessary.

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Published 20.09.2011:

Netflix has announced that it has split its streaming movie business from its DVD rental service.

The DVD rental service is now named Qwikster, while the streaming business will continue as Netflix.

Netflix made the announcement in an official blog price and defended subsequent price rises. The two services are now billed separately through different websites.

Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, said: "We realized that streaming and DVD by mail are becoming two quite different businesses, with very different cost structures, different benefits that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently."

The US service is set to come to the UK, joining the likes of LoveFilm, Acetrax and Sony's Video Unlimited, in offering streaming movies via Smart TV and the internet.

Whether Qwikster, the newly-named DVD rental arm of the company, will follow, remains to be seen.

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Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).